[Jan Thompson]

Hi all
I have been contacted by Alex Cullen from the Channel 7 who is a reporter with Sunday Night. Here is his introduction letter. The program are looking at attending our 37th Annual GPA Swim-In so hopefully people will bring along their GPA's this year.

Dear Enthusiast,

My name is Alex Cullen and I’m a reporter with Sunday Night on channel 7 based in Sydney. We are channel 7’s flagship public affairs program that runs for an hour each week and has an average audience of around 2 million people across Australia. We cover everything from crime to adventure, to sport to human interest stories. I write to you to tell you of a story we are embarking on about the late, great Ben Carlin and his incredible journey around the world in the famous ‘Half-Safe’. Through our story, we hope to give Ben Carlin the recognition he deserves because what he achieved almost defies logic.
By modifying a Ford GPA, he created a vehicle that would circumnavigate the world on a journey that took almost 10 years. It’s also a feat of incredible engineering and ingenuity and this is where you come in. With your help, we are hoping to modify an existing Ford GPA into a replica of the Half-Safe. We want to know how difficult this task was? We want to know if this will work? We want to then launch the vehicle into the ocean and take it into the open ocean. I must also stress that Channel 7 will cover the costs. I understand that Ford GPA’s are quite expensive but if we can find a cheap one, all the better!
We would look to start filming in the first quarter of next year with an airing date of mid next year. This part of the story would involve filming the planning and building process right through to launching into the ocean. I must stress that it does not have to be an exact replica of the ‘Half-Safe’. We envisage it to be a lot like Mythbusters. Obviously without the myth but shot in the same way with a camera following the process from scratch. We would hope to interview those involved in the process too. If this can be done close to Sydney, even better. I know this may be asking a lot but this part of our story could be fascinating and, again, show just how incredible Ben’s achievement was. I have attached the specifications of the Half-Safe which will give you a better idea of the vehicle and what might be involved. I hope to hear from you soon.

Regards,

Alex Cullen


Alex Cullen
Twitter: alextcullen
Reporter | Sunday Night


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