Up and down the coast I go every week, Perth to Hedland, Hedland to Perth.

Hundreds of passengers on and off over a year, however a favourite comes mind.

Frank, a regular on the coach when I used to do the Perth to Broome run travels between Karratha and Midland to visit his family.  A gentleman who shows love, respect and compassion to every one he meets and is always up for a chat.

I know when he appears, he likes his seat in row 3 on the passenger side with a window. 

Frank regales us with tales of his life and family, so we feel we know them, from the grandkids in Perth and their studies, to the daughter in Karratha with a small family.

He talks to others on the coach and makes friends as he goes, lightening up the trip for others as well.

One time on a trip when Frank was heading back to Karratha, the roads were closed due to flooding and the coach had to detour, which meant he ended up with an unexpected day in Broome before we could take him back down to Karratha.   So the elderly gent made friends with another passenger who also found themselves in Broome for the day and off they set on a day trip around the town, making the most of their unexpected visit. They both said they had a great day which included a really nice feed of fish and chips.

Upon their return Frank told us all about his tour around the town, a visit that was sprung on him due to the weather conditions.   However his enthusiasm and delight in making the most of his unscheduled stop to another town where he didn’t expect to end up, is a lesson to us all to make the most of opportunities.   So often, I hear passengers grumble when the weather throws something unexpected into their journey, yet here was a man who just grabbed the day and made the most of it, and a friend to boot!

Frank is getting older now and doesn’t travel as often however I look forward to seeing him when does still travel with us on Integrity Coach Lines.​

Integrity Coach Lines Driver