Dave Cornthwaite | The Creative Explorer

Little did I know it when I jumped on a longboard for the first time in 2005 that my life was about to change quite dramatically. I was a shabby graphic designer with no ambition, no aspirations, no direction and no idea what was about to happen.

We all have a little pilot light burning inside us, waiting for ignition, all it takes is for someone or something to push the button. After that, the fire is ours, it’s up to us to keep it burning.

After my first adventures my flame flickered for a couple of years. It burned strongly when I wrote my first book, BoardFree, and then dimmed for a while before I decided to try and date 100 women in 100 days to try and find a girlfriend. And then the flickering commenced throughout 2008 as I tried to understand myself and where I was going. I needed another expedition to get me back on track, so I bought a narrowboat and lived on a canal in Wiltshire for the best part of a year, before walking and kayaking the length of Australia’s Murray River, an expedition which well and truly got me back on track.

Since then, I’ve felt pretty warm inside, I know who I am, I know where I’m going. I finally understand why a little voice used to tell me I had potential, back when I was a teenager no-hoper with love for very little other than a football!

I now make a meagre living without having a job. I have a long-term focus that glues together an existence based purely on belief and hard work. I’ve struggled for a few years, earning barely anything, building my wealth in experience, not money. Things started to gel only when I began to think beyond the simplicity of ‘what’ I was doing, it was when I considered ‘why’ that I started to understand.

I trusted how I felt, decided to combine my loves of sport and travel and the inner workings of the human mind and now, where once my friends and family would question my motives and my bank balance and my future, now they accept it, because suddenly I seem to be doing okay on all fronts and that makes it socially acceptable!

I think the world would be a better place if everyone was content with themselves. Happiness filters down, it’s delightfully infectious, and I’ve been privileged enough to spend the last three weeks touring around Australia with my friend Sebastian Terry discussing the nature of our life choices. We’ve presented to audiences in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, and although there is so much more to come it truly feels as though the hard work of the last six years has finally come to fruition.

I sit here in my hotel room, looking out over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. In two days I fly back to the UK, and two weeks after that I head to Minneapolis in the United States, from where I will drive out to Lake Itasca, Minnesota, and begin a three-month journey along the Mississippi River by Stand Up Paddleboard. Had you asked me six years ago what I’d be doing in 2011 I wouldn’t have been able to tell you, but if you’d informed me that I’d be doing this, I can unequivocally say that I would have been very happy indeed.

Onwards, it’s time for a brand new chapter.

Official Website: www.davecornthwaite.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/DaveCorn
Facebook: www.facebook.com/expedition1000

I’m glad to announce that the dates for my Australian Speaking Tour with Sebastian Terry are now available. Following up from our recent talk in Las Vegas, Seb and I will be speaking throughout May in Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast in alliance with Professional Investment Services.

We also have a couple of free dates on the schedule so if you’d like to book us in send us a message through this page

Without further ado, here’s the schedule for May 2011

Tues May 10th, ADELAIDE (6.30pm)

Weds May 11th, ADELAIDE (6.30pm)

Thur May 12th, PERTH (9.30am, 12.00pm, 3pm, 6.30pm)

Fri May 13th, PERTH (10.30am)

Sat May 14th - AVAILABLE

Sun May 15th - AVAILABLE

Mon  May 16th, BRISBANE (6.30pm)

Tues May 17th, BRISBANE/GOLD COAST (6.30pm)

Weds May 18th, GOLD COAST (6.30pm)

Thur May 19th, GOLD COAST (6.30pm)

Fri May 20th, BRISBANE (12.00pm)

Sat May 21st - AVAILABLE

Sun May 22nd - AVAILABLE

Mon May 23rd, MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (TBA)

Tues May 24th, MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (TBA)

Weds May 25th, SYDNEY (TBA)

Thur May 26th - AVAILABLE

Fri May 27th, SYDNEY (6.30pm)

As always, there’s more information on my adventures @ www.davecornthwaite.com

And you can read all about Seb’s inspiring bucket list on www.100things.com.au

There’s something almighty rewarding about perching in a $22 tent from Walmart, a few metres off the side of Highway 95, 18 miles south of Beatty, Nevada, and perhaps more importantly less than 100 miles north of Las Vegas, our final destination.

The sky is almost dark now but the moon is nearly full and gives us enough light to find laptops, cameras, torches, clothes and snack. There is no wind and apart from the frequent roar of a passing night truck we are in complete silence bar the tapping of fingers on keys. I love this. Writing in the night, in the wild, in the open, my chest bent over my knees and happily sore thighs. Every bit of me aches but I don’t feel at all sore, I’m content right here.

Seb just reminded me of the man in the bike shop near his house in Manly, Sydney. During an infrequent training ride prior to this journey Seb popped into the shop to have his tyres pumped up (already you see the levels of preparation that went into this, Seb doesn’t even have his own pump) and on telling the man what he was training for the response was, ‘Mate, you’ve got to use a bit of realism about these things, that ain’t gonna happen.’

This afternoon, in Beatty, a Wild West Town with the desperate trimmings of commercialism, I looked into the wide eyes of a young man who was serving me a Subway sandwich and heard him say those now ever-so-frequent words, ‘I’d love to do something like you’re doing.’ The usual suspects that deter the folk who speak and don’t act are money, time and the daunting fear of the unknown. ‘I wouldn’t know where to start,’ said the chap.
‘You just start,’ I said. And if this Tandem Journey has proven anything, it is that a remarkable, difficult, satisfying and geographically wonderful challenge can be cooked up and completed with little more than a cheeky grin and an eagerness to experience stuff. ‘Get a map,’ I said, ‘look at it a bit, and then buy a bike, even a second hand one.’
‘One day I will,’ he said.
‘One day is never,’ I said, sucker punching him with my finest cliché, ‘mate, you’ll never regret doing something like this, you will look back and remember it for the rest of your life.’

And then I ate the sandwich, and it was good, and I popped up to the counter to tell him so. He should do his ride, but not give up the day job, because he’s splendid at it.

There have been several times on this journey when Seb and I have been psychologically on our knees. That second day where we were kicked off the Freeway in Seattle by a jolly cop and then proceeded to get outstandingly lost in the rain. My trainers began to simultaneously fall apart and fill with water. My toes, somewhere deep down in two pairs of socks and a holey shopping bag, they began to resemble prunes.

And then there was Day 8, the long push to Mt Shasta, first over the top of the Siskiyou Summit, a two-hour climb to the highest peak on the Interstate 5. And then we descended fast into California and became pummelled by headwinds on a long, flat prairie. Three hours, it took us, to pedal less than 10 miles. Heartbreaking. Mt Shasta was up there somewhere, in the hills we had been staring at all day, the ones that began almost as hazy clouds and then defined themselves as we edged closer. We climbed through the snow, still fighting the wind, pausing often to rub the cold from our fingers. We were both haunted by the next day’s challenge, the Cascades Range, a 135 mile stretch of mountains that lay between us and the flatter – we hoped – Nevada desert. Our spirits fell to our sodden shoes, our bike Tinkerbella continuously played up, offering resistance to which a solution could not be found. We were two men on an adventure at its lowest ebb, which is a good place to be if your intentions are decent, because there’s always an angel waiting to pick you up. In this case, the angel was named Kevin and he owned a pizza shop in Mt Shasta. We thought there was still a good ten miles to go when he pulled up in one of those unnecessarily enormous American cars that everyone here seems to own, and I struggled not to hug him firmly when he said that town was barely a mile away. Later, he brought us pizza, because he happened to own a restaurant called Say Cheese. We ate, we slept, we woke, we took on the mountains. And we won.

Seb and I haven’t cycled much before, certainly not seriously. Sure, we both keep ourselves relatively fit, but we’ve both got some muffin tops to offer round. Once upon a time we both decided to do something different and exciting and new. Something that scared us. That first thing is the catalyst, and since then we’ve both been saying yes to self-made opportunities far more than we say no, because once you realise that you can. Well, you just do.

Two weeks ago we were both en route to Vancouver, Tandem Bicycle Experience at a level of 0 out of 10. 12 hours before we were due to start our bike was in a box. The next morning we sat upon her and then fell into North America. Somehow, and here in our tent we can’t fathom how this is possible, we have now been pedalling for 13 days. We have covered 1296 miles, passed through cities, grasslands, mountains and desert. We’ve frozen our butts off at six in the morning and ended the same day in thirty degree heat. We’ve been inches from passing trucks, or they’ve been inches from us, and at times our pace has topped 45 mph and the slightest loss of focus could have ended everything.

Tomorrow we ride into Vegas, and all day long I can guarantee you that we will have wide grins on our faces, even on the longest, straightest roads that never seem to end. This has been the most ridiculous journey of my life so far and for at least 50% of the time it’s been a pleasure to ride with Seb. The other 50% has been less enjoyable, mainly because I’ve been sat behind him gazing open mouthed at the scenery when he made the decision to release the most toxic fumes known to man. And if you’re familiar with the nature of bike seat farts, you’ll know that they produce considerable squeezing noises that make the whole sensation quite unpleasant.

Still, let’s look on the bright side, we finish tomorrow, unless we get our first flat tyre. That might prove to be an issue, because this morning we accidentally left the bike pump behind and we still have 100 miles to cycle on America’s Loneliest Road.

Find out more on www.davecornthwaite.com, and meet Seb Terry @ www.100things.com.au

Sometimes, I wish I hadn’t met Sebastian Terry. Right now, as we research the damaging effects of sleep deprivation, this is one of those times.

This might possibly be the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I won’t speak for Seb, but staying awake for 72 Hours is No. 72 on his list of 100Things, so this is all his fault. Tomorrow morning (Sunday 28th) we will wake early, and then attempt to stay awake until the same time on Wednesday morning; I feel like crying.

On a personal level, I have absolutely no reason to stay up that long except to support a mate through a challenge, and right now that’s a perfectly decent reason (however sad it makes me!). It’s difficult to imagine, but doable all the same, and here lies a direct comparison to endurance journeys: staying awake is going to be a psychological effort dependent on my wanting to make it all the way through. Next year I’ll undertake at least three 1000-mile expeditions on three continents, so I’m treating the next few days as a little bit of mental training for some longer journeys to come.

The Countdown Awaits

We’re setting about the 72 Hour Project part-methodically. I say part, because while we’ve recognised the need to fill the days with activities that will both keep us busy and give us something to look forward to, we’re also waking up in Sydney and then flying to Melbourne – a recipe for disaster for me, as having tipped past 31 years of age a month ago I now tend to fall asleep whenever I’m put into a chair.

Should we make it to Melbourne tomorrow night without napping, the schedule below will hopefully keep us motivated until Wednesday morning. In the meantime, any good company or suggestions for activities in Melbourne would be gratefully appreciated, and words of support through the Internet Wires will all serve to keep us going. As always, there’s a touch of charity here, we’re raising money for Camp Quality’s work with kids who have been affected by Cancer, and the AV Foundation’s ongoing efforts to supply drinking water to communities in Sub Saharan Africa. If you fancy pledging a few pence per hour we manage to stay awake, you can do so at www.justgiving.com/expedition1000

72 HOURS AWAKE: THE SCHEDULE

Sunday 28th November
6am: Wake Up in Sydney
6:30am: Go Fishing in the Pacific Ocean
6pm: Plane to Melbourne
8pm: Dinner with Friends
9pm: Luna Park Rollercoasters

Monday 29th November
9am: Meeting with scooter company who are supporting Seb’s Scooter Across Oz
10am: Buy water pistols to keep each other awake
10:30am: Visit Doctor for professional advice
11am: State Hockey and Netball Centre, giving inspirational talk to children
12pm: Wheelchair Basketball @ State Hockey & Netball Centre: Seb & I captain opposing teams featuring Aussie celebrities and members of the Australian Paralympics basketball team
8pm: 3 minutes each on stage @ Stand Up Comedy at Spleen, 41 Bourke St
9:30pm: Radio Interview with Sports Entertainment Network, 1116khz

Tuesday 30th November
4am: Drive to Warragul, Gippsland
6am – 10am: Breakfast Radio with Star FM, including making a sandwich called ‘Seb Terry’, filming a TV Commercial
12pm: Teaching Paralympic Athlete Kathleen Kennedy to surf
6pm: Salsa Lessons @ Amber Lounge, Lonsdale St
8pm: Speed Dating (a special event organised by www.fastimpressions.com.au)

Wednesday 1st December
6am: Bed time!

This year I’ve been lucky enough to partner up with a few organisations and initiatives whose aims and beliefs echo mine, and in October I sat down with Mr Richie Watson from the Holistic Future Network to chat about exactly what makes me tick.

I’ll be honest in that I’d forgotten that I’d given this interview, but it links in perfectly with the blog I wrote yesterday about finding contentment in this Adventurous madness!

‘What have you learned by doing what you do?’ came the question from the front. Seb and I had just finished the last talk of our maiden tour to a little crowd of smiling faces. Being in Sydney, before us were friends, family, a lady who attended Seb’s wedding in Las Vegas, and a number of strangers, too. I love the Q&As at the end of any talk, we get to go off-script and get personal. I’ve been to so many talks, shows and lectures that leave me a little cold with the starkness of everything - the same old slides year after year get rusty, everyone sat there listening can tell when a speaker is bored with their own story: after that you can’t hide, yawns are infectious.

Seb and I met just a few months ago and set out to dip our footsies in the water and test the viability of a dual-lecture format. It could have gone horrendously wrong but risks are worth it, we started out with no expectations at all and an eagerness to create something that could evolve over time. Heaven knows, if we do this again next year it could be a brand new show, no crossover with this one - we both love what we do, take life by the scruff of the neck and speak from the heart. It’s easy to talk about what you know, but the demons have still set in now and then. After only ten shows, we were driving down the Pacific Highway wondering whether we were doing the right thing, saying the right thing, sharing a positive message. Is it just stories? Is that effective by itself? Perspective - and candid feedback from a fresh audience - has balanced a stubborn will to improve this thing with a humility about what we have to offer. Frankly, we’ve just been fortunate enough to hit a fork in the road at some stage and choose the right direction. Least trodden path? Maybe, but how do you know until you walk down it? Somewhere in there lies the key to making - and taking - a decision.

For a good while Seb and I have been lone rangers travelling the world doing our own thing, so it was a new challenge to live in each others pockets for almost a month non-stop. We knew this would be a cool trip full of surprises and opportunities but we’ve also become a team on and off stage. Seb drives, I organise his phone calls. He sets up the projector, I do the cameras. He reaches out for food as soon as the phone starts ringing, I gently take it from him.

It’s been a blast, and I think the experiment worked. Our post-show feedback has been brilliant and even though I fly back to London soon and we’ll both continue to focus on our respective journeys, I don’t think it’ll be too long before we hit the road together again.

So, in answer to the question: what have we learned? Seb has shared his thoughts on his own blog, so I’ll speak for myself. I’m homeless, am currently collecting more stories for my future grandchildren than tangible heirlooms, and it wasn’t long ago that I felt more or less…lost. Expedition1000 has given me one heck of a focus, but more importantly than that I’ve found my niche. This world of Adventurers is quite ridiculous. Thousands of people journey for a living, all vying for recognition and respect and self fulfillment in what is quite a brutal world. Questions about supported or unsupported expeditions don’t bother me and I don’t consider myself a true explorer, I just do what I do because I enjoy it - I’m not in competition with anyone, and it feels lovely to be free in all of this.

I’m realistic in my goals. Ever since I jumped on a long skateboard in early 2006 I believed I could make a living out of Adventure, but it took four years to break out of what was admittedly a largely goal-less cycle. Expeditions finish and mild depression sets in, escapism only lasts so long before reality hits, and after a while I began to wrongly associate unhappiness with being at home. I’d become accustomed to creating projects because I felt like I needed something else to yack about and slowly I started to acknowledge that humans depress themselves. I’ve made some tough decisions this year - some which I’d have liked to avoid - but next year I’ll be better. No longer will I plan an expedition without thinking about what comes next, no longer will I need to ponder what I’m supposed to be doing. I have a goal, here we go.

I’ve always questioned why I’m so careful with money but at the same time have chosen a lifestyle that - at present - doesn’t bring much financial reward, and the answer hit me this morning; it’s because I’m not a creditor. I can live without wealth, but debt would make me unhappy. What a thick line between black and red, I shall not cross it! So, to the future. I have learned that if I work hard and give myself direction and all the while don’t forget the people around me, I’ll be a successful and happy chap. If I lie to myself (and to others) and spend more time lazy than active, I’ll fail. Excuses are not reasons. ‘Someday’ means ‘never’.   Stories are not enough, I will travel because I feel the urge to, not because it will give me more slides to present to a crowd of unknowing strangers. Next year I will give more than I take, because for the past few years the genorosity of people have enabled me to sit in this privileged position.

I’ve been a little hollow for a while, but I woke up this morning with genuine excitment, something I haven’t felt consistently for a while. I’m always asked why I started doing all of this, and there are a number of reasons. But the true one was writing. I wanted to write books, and the promise of having something to write about leaves me content. I’ve been lucky enough to have one book published but that was two years ago, and since then even the same publisher has ignored any new suggestions I sent in - what does that say about Book One?!!!! Without admitting it, the rejection hit me hard and I lost confidence in what I was doing, and it affected the way I went about things, badly.

I couldn’t image doing anything else with my life, and the positive messages Seb and I have been sharing have slowly filtered in. With a positive attitude a snowball begins to roll, and the combination of this tour and the promise of Expedition1000 has led to a meeting this afternoon with a publisher most of us will have heard of. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, but I know I can walk into a North Sydney office in a couple of hours with some confidence that I have a number of things to offer. Stark, stark contrast to the last two book proposals I sent off. I didn’t believe they’d be accepted, and based on that: I’m quite glad they weren’t.

‘I’ve got a surprise for you today, buddy’ Seb told me this morning over breakfast, a wide, foolish grin plastered all over his face.

 

I don’t like this. Seb has never ‘had’ a surprise for me before, and I’m riddled with suspicion. He refuses to offer me any clues as we leave Hervey Bay and my sense of personal control is being severely tested. He chuckles all the way to Maryborough and doesn’t look at me once. I dislike him slightly.

 

Last night we addressed a seminar organised by Property Investment Services, bar schools it was the largest audience we’d had so far and it went down a blast. We love doing this, chatting away about what we do and why we do it, and the feedback afterwards was brilliant. ‘You blokes are right on the money,’ said one of the head honchos, praise indeed from someone who works in finance. ‘We have a little competition to see who organises the best event in the country, and after this we’re in the running.’ said another. Seb and I were pleased as punch! I sold a few books as well, and can’t wait for Seb to have his own book on the shelves, it’s an indescribable feeling.

 

During a mingling session afterwards, though, my touring partner was approached by a lady who asked whether a certain ‘activity’ was on Seb’s list. ‘No,’ he replied, ‘but I’m sure Dave would like it.’ And this is why I find myself walking into a clinic the next morning, a clinic with COLONIC IRRIGATION on the sign outside. I won’t go into as much detail as I gave the radio station who happened to pick the perfect moment to call for a live interview, but my last words were ‘I’m turning onto my side, and oooh, it’s a bit cold!’ before I passed the phone back to Seb, who was cackling like an evil witch.

 

Following the colonic I felt like…well, like I’d had a surprise, and an invigorating massage from another lady who had also been at last night’s talk rounded off the rejuvenation. At some point she started going a bit heavy-duty and when a fit of giggles erupted I looked up to see Sebastian karate-chopping my shoulder blades and rubbing my ears. Perfect. Unfortunately all good things come to an end, and we jumped back in the Patriot to head southwards to Brisbane. Our first ticketed public talk is tonight at Victoria Point, hosted by Peter Dowling MP who joined me for the first week of last year’s Murray River paddle. Speaking of politics, the Victorian premier is currently on the news telling people that there’s nothing wrong with a sensible hug. I find it amazing that in such an enormous country there is nothing more important going on than a discussion about over-excited embracing. God Bless Australia, I love this place.

 

Our Hundreds and Thousands Speaking Tour finishes on Wednesday 24th November in North Sydney. We’d love to see you there and have a few more tickets left to sell - click here to book and find out more

Addressing the Property Investment Services Conference in Hervey Bay

I write from Hervey Bay, the northernmost tip of our Australian Hundreds & Thousands Speaking Tour. These are heady heights for me, but alas! No more of the whimsical ‘ah, I recognise that rest stop, skated there back in [insert necessary date] 2007’ moments that have long since driven Seb to distraction. The road clear of Brisbane has been refreshingly new and our schedule has deliciously compacted, feeding our joint eagerness for experience.

 

For the sake of spicing up our tour documentary Seb and I have decided to have a bloke-off, pitting ourselvs head to head in a variety of very serious disciplines. Heading north we came across a Go Karting track and popped in, a chance decision that resulted in a five-lap race between the two of us and Charlie, a ten year-old with a sharp mouth and a predictable nickname – Stig! Sadly, being a non-driver, I was pipped to the post by both Seb and Charlie in the karts, but revenge was on the cards when we brought the skateboards out. A one-lap race (for which I gave Seb a little head-start) ended in him stacking face-first into the grass and then being mauled by a large dog. Quite funny. Thanks so much to Hervey Bay GoKartTrack for their welcome, it made our day!

Charlie challenges Seb and I to a karting showdown

 

Later on that day in Hervey Bay we briefly met Gabriel, who had driven down to loan us a FreeCross, a cross-trainer on wheels upon which I’ll travel a thousand miles across Europe next Spring (watch this space for more on the Freecross). Then to dinner with Hazel and Andy. Hazel had been a great help at the beginning of my Murray paddle last year and showed me her new iPod, upon which she’d engraved the words ‘It’s Time’, the same motto embroidered onto my trans-Oz skate shoes.

It's Time - is there a better motto for life?

 Just north of Byron Bay, a talk to the Mullumbimby Rotary Club last week was followed by a bout of Aquaskipping. Long ago I mastered the ancient form of bouncing stupidly upon a hydrofoil-based contraption designed to lope across the water in total dependence of the rhythm and stamina of the rider. A remarkable invention, the Aquaskipper was never a conduit to fame and fortune, more a test of those long-fused brain-to-body instructions that had no bloody idea what to do with an Aquaskipper. It seemed only natural that Seb should be given the chance to master the ‘Skipper, not least because I was holding the video camera and ‘mastering’ the thing involves a good dose of sinking, getting wet and bemused humiliation. To his credit, Seb mustered what was a pretty old and knackered Aquaskipper as far as he could before it simply couldn’t go any further and things started to drop off. That distance was about 10 metres and yes, it was followed by an almighty splash. The picture below will tell a tale, but for a moving understanding of the Aquaskipper, take a look at the ‘Expert’ on Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab from mid-2010.

 

At long last our trusty Jeep Patriot delivered us into Queensland and we drove happily along the Tweed Heads/ Coolangatta High St with our left arms one hour ahead of our right. Some people find it hard to like the cosmopolitan Gold Coast but for me (here we go again) it springs up memories of the final stage of my skate journey across this vast and lovely country. The sea rolls landwards in bouts of splendid surf and almost as soon as blue becomes yellow the human hand takes hold and thrusts buildings skyward. We dived towards the sea and saw across the water Surfers Paradise glistening in the Spring sea-mist like an ancient civilisation. Almost instantly we became embroiled in a fairy tale, as minutes later our hosts Bree, Beth and Nat waved serenely outside our accommodation. Address: Dolphin Avenue, Mermaid Waters.

 

The night turned dark at a vampire-cum-comedy meal & cabaret show to which we were transported on a ghost train (seriously, it’s called Draculas, and it’s brilliant) and I’m sad to display one of my weakest ever moments below, snapped by a hidden camera straight after a fake demon screamed at me from the darkness.

 

A breakfast show on SeaFM and another talk to a group of Year 12 leavers in Helensvale started off the weekend on a high, with a photo shoot involving much jumping and an appearance by Seb on Weekend Sunrise wrapping up an enjoyable weekend. Well, almost. On Sunday afternoon we were joined in Brisbane by the remarkable Kylie Mcclunie, who has become a campaigner on Seb’s http://www.100things.com.au website and chose this weekend to tick off the first item on her bucket list of 100 things. Wonderfully, she became a human billboard for the day, and chose to advertise our talk next Wednesday in Victoria Point, Brisbane. To read more about Kylie’s first ‘tick’ see this post on Seb’s site.

 

And to book a ticket at our upcoming talk on Wednesday 17th in Victoria Point, Brisbane, here’s the link

Seeing you both together, and I would imagine, singularly, you have an energy that makes one feel alive. Now Im not a skateboard across Australia kinda of… girl. I just am someone who is loving my life and my place in the world. But in saying that I so much enjoyed listening to you guys speak, but more importantly I loved the way you made us feel as though we are part of the journey. The way you speak and the way you write is so full of life, laughter and adventure that it helps us less adventurous to feel the sheer buzz you guys get from the simple act of living!
Melissa Carmody, Forster

It was an absolute privilege to meet you guys tonight.  You guys are inspiring, and I loved your talk.
Tony Leff, Brisbane
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Thanks for your inspiring talk You definitely got us talking about our goals and what we want in life.
Di Weston, Sydney
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It’s close to midnight and I can not sleep, why? because after your visit to Grossmann High today I cannot stop thinking about my future and where my life is headed and what I would personally like to accomplish. And to think that I almost did not come and watch you guys! Best decision of my life! Most “motivational” speakers never really motivate anyone. But you guys did the complete opposite! Every single student that was there walked out talking about “their own list.”
Student, Maitland
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I just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you! I am now motivated to create my own bucket list and I hope to accomplish some while I am travelling in Europe. All I can really say is you guys are so awesome, what you do is such a cool thing!
Pupil from Grossman High School, Maitland, NSW
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Oustanding guys! You are both living such full and fascinating lives. I was engrossed in every word you had to say and could have listened to you both talk for hours. I walked away from a light hearted, entertaining and funny show completely inspired to change my world. Thank you!
Nat Hunt, Gold Coast, QLD
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Dave and Sebastian’s Hundreds and Thousands Presentation at our school was really awesome. I would like to thank you for such an event. Before the presentation I had never heard of Paddleboarding, the Aqua Skipper or the Bike-like thing that looked like a piece of Gym Equipment! Thanks again for the presentation and Good Luck with the Mississipi Paddleboarding!
Student, Maitland
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I attended the talk in Brisbane this week and thoroughly enjoyed listening to Dave and Seb. I came away with more motivation to turn my dreams into realities. Thank you both for an inspirational and entertaining evening.
Cecilia Marchisella
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 Thanks, you have changed the way i see things. I have been waiting for the time to hear from someone like you to give me the belief that there is more to life. You are a great inspiration to me.
Skye-Tia Arnott

 

I thought your talk was great. For me, what you guys do is beyond just ‘motivation’ to get off my ass, it actually ignites that real passion in me to get out there and be different to the norm. When I left school 3 years go I travelled around Europe on my own to find myself…since coming back I feel I have slipped back into routine, and your talk tonight has me fired up to get back into action! 

Josie Smith, Sydney

 

Being a school that works with disengaged, at risk adolescents, we are always on the look out for motivating and inspiring guest speakers that can act as role models for our students. Passion and creativity are attributes so highly valued and yet so rarely exhibited in tandem. Sebastian Terry and Dave Cornthwaite demonstrate and live these attributes on a daily basis. Sharing their own unique recount of finding their way in life by ‘staying true to yourself and your purpose’ is nothing short of inspirational. Through their own journey of self discovery they are able to deliver a motivational, humorous and highly engaging presentation. Hundreds and thousands speaking tour will motivate children, youth and adults alike and facilitates a flow of new ideas and positive change. It is a diverse and creative presentation that comes highly recommended for any project or event.

Kate Cooper – Leading Teacher Southern Teaching Unit

 

Seb and Dave inspired me so much when they talked about their goals and what they have achieved in their lives so far. They were just so encouraging. I was just blown away by some of the things that they have done and achieved. I walked away believing that I could achieve anything I wanted to. Thank you so much.

Tara Year 9 - Southern Teaching Unit

 

I found Dave and Seb really inspiring and interesting. They were really funny and I was amazed at what they have been able to do. I had never thought of writing a list of things I want to do but I now have a list of 10 things and I can’t wait to start doing them.

Ramadan Year 8 – Southern Teaching Unit

 

I think Seb and Dave are so funny and so brave. They have such awesome adventures and don’t care what people think. They never give up, they help other people and they live their life having fun. I have written a list of 40 things and I’ve already started working out how I’m going to cross them off.

Jacob Year 7 – Southern Teaching Unit

 

I really enjoyed Dave and Seb’s talk. It was very inspirational and it showed me how you can change your life by stepping away from the herd and achieving your goals by being persistent.

Kyle Year 7 – Southern Teaching Unit

 

Seb and Dave taught me:

• To think outside the square

• Step outside the herd – don’t follow everyone else

• Good brings out good

• Participate in life

• Commit to your goals

• Do what you want to do because you want to do it

Thank you so much for teaching me to live my dreams

Khorey Year 8 – Southern Teaching Unit

 

Thanks so much for your awesome talk.

To Seb: It really inspired me to make my own list. It’s not as extreme as your list, like

marrying a stranger and Sky-Diving nude, but hopefully it will fulfil my life.

To Dave: You have really inspired me to think outside the box. I loved the way you push your body to the limit like with the massive skateboarding trip and the Source to Sea expedition. Now you have inspired me to push myself to my limit.

Jordan Year 8 – Southern Teaching Unit

 

Dave and Sebastian were a big hit with our sales team.  Their commitment, enthusiasm and energy for their respective projects/paths is enviable and admirable and leaves you with a yearning to do more in your own life.  Plus! They are gentlemen and have a refreshing air of goodness and childlike optimism about them.  They left us all on a high – Claire Gordon, Marketing Manager, Supagas