Hard-working Bendigo harness racing freelance driver Neil “Pecker” McCallum has reason to be proud of an impressive record as a motorist criss-crossing the State to compete at meetings.
Despite travelling around 100,000 kilometres annually for the past 25 years McCallum had managed to avoid accidents or incidents on country roads or metropolitan highways.
But that was until last Sunday week.
McCallum suffered a broken back after tangling with a kangaroo while driving at about 8.10 am between his home at Lockwood, on the outskirts of Bendigo, to Maryborough.
“I was just poking along the Maldon to Maryborough Road near Baringhup, when a kangaroo came out from near some big rocks at the top of a hill and cleaned me up,” McCallum said.
“It was on a Sunday and it’s been a ritual of mine for a long time to go to Maryborough trials,” he said.
“There was some light mist about, but that didn’t really matter. I just reckon the ‘roo was headed somewhere in a big hurry.”
McCallum said the front of his 2012 Ford utility was close to destroyed and there was damage to the windscreen and other sections of the vehicle.
“I hit the roo and thought I was going to be okay and pull over, but as I shifted over to the edge of the road, my left wheel caught on some rocks and just dragged me in,” he said.
“I flew up in the air and bounced around over all the boulders. They caused huge damage to the diff and smashed up underneath the ute.
“When we came to rest, I couldn’t get the door open, but I crawled around and found my mobile phone to ring the police and ambulance.”
McCallum was wrapped in an ice blanket at the scene before being transferred to Bendigo Hospital after complaining of severe back pain.
“I was dosed up with a fair amount of pain killers and sent to Melbourne where I spent the night in hospital. There was barely a mark on my back, but the damage was inside,” he said.
“Doctors found that I had broken my T12 vertebrae straight through, so that meant having an operation where two six-inch bolts and eight two-inch rods were inserted around it to keep the vertebrae in line.
“I ended up with about a 14-inch cut down my back which they then had to sew up from the inside.
Scars left from Neil’s surgery
“I think the idea behind that is to fuse up my back and it’s also designed so that when I move, everything shifts in one big block.”
While the popular reinsman is out of action at present, he certainly hasn’t lost his sense of humor saying he had a lot of swelling and was “feeling a bit like a humpback whale”.
McCallum is now able to stand, but walking is more like a shuffle.
“Not that I try to stand a lot because it absolutely kills me to then try and straighten up,” he said.
“I’ve got a special bed to help me to rest up, so most of my day is lying about watching television.
“I don’t think I’ve ever watched more harness racing meetings than what I have in the past eight or nine days!”
On the day of the accident, after driving at the Maryborough trials, McCallum had planned to head to the Horsham Cup meeting where he was engaged to drive talented trotter The Penny Drops, for Ray Harvey, of Stawell.
And the three-year-old flying machine, with late call-up driver Grant Campbell aboard, took out the Cheeky Fox Trotters Handicap at a short $1.80 favorite. McCallum had previously driven the horse to four wins and a placing from nine starts.
Neil McCallum in action on The Penny Drops in January
McCallum said when he was in Bendigo Hospital, he remembers his wife Leanne showing him the race involving The Penny Drops on her phone.
“I was in-and-out of it a bit, but I do remember waking up just to see The Penny Drops go over the finish line and win. He’s a classy horse who has made two Group One finals.”
McCallum said he hadn’t thought about when he might get back into the action on the harness racing scene.
“It could be two months, or it might be six months. Of course, I’m missing it, but more importantly I’ve got to get myself right,” he said.
“I know a bit about back problems because I’ve had a few over time. I reckon I’ll be seeing a physio regularly and it’s back to Melbourne in four weeks for a CAT scan.”
McCallum said he had been enjoying a reasonable season with a “handful of nice horses” keeping him ticking along.
He said he had been thrilled with many calls and cards from harness racing people.
“Country harness racing people are a loyal bunch. I’ve had a lot of well-wishers and I greatly appreciate it.”
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura