Meet Kevin,
Kevin Forbes was born in Mackay and lived there for a small portion of his childhood, before spending some time in Rockhampton. When he was seven years old, his parents decided to move the family to Brisbane. Kevin relished growing up in Brisbane – “Just magical. It’s a marvellous place.”
When he was 13, he met his wife, Helen who lived across the street from him. Today, the pair own a motor-home together and have completed countless Australian adventures throughout the years – “All over Australia, you name it,” Helen said. Their most recent trip was to Western Australia (WA). Kevin’s favourite place they visited during this expedition was Kalumburu, a very remote community of approximately 467 people and the northernmost settlement in WA. It was during this trip that Kevin’s great handyman skills came into play, saving the pair from becoming stranded in the middle of vacant dirt roads.
Complimentary to his explorations, he has taken part in many extensive treks, including the Larapinta walk in Alice Springs, Cradle Mountain in Tasmania, and Yamba to Red Rock. But the most significant and meaningful of them all was the Kokoda Trail. After his first Redcliffe ‘Jetty2Jetty’ with his family, Kevin recalls telling his daughters one thing he would love to do is walk the Kokoda Trail. Avid walkers themselves, they were more than happy to accompany him. At age 74, Kevin travelled to Papua New Guinea to walk the Kokoda Trail. “It was very emotional,” he said.
Kevin and Helen have been living independently at BallyCara for ten years now. They claim their decision to come here was incontestable – “[BallyCara] stuck out by a country mile.” Kevin prides himself on maintaining their gorgeous front garden and has created a bee hive for the wild honey bees that linger around their home. He continues to stay active and keep fit. In 2018, he won the ‘Jetty2Jetty’ Age Champion for the 80 to 90-year-old age category.