We met through common friends and now have been married for 55 good years,” says Bev and Lang Kidby. The couple who have led expeditions across the world in vintage vehicles, recently traversed their way to India in a century-old Bean after covering 17 countries. They have been on the road since the middle of March and their undeterred spirit is a force to reckon with. While their anecdotes from over 80 countries that they have visited, mostly in vintage cars, are interesting, the beauty in their togetherness is what makes them indomitable.
Mapping the expedition
The journey began from the Brooklands Museum in London and the couple crossed from Dover (UK) to Dunkirk (France) and then Belgium and Luxembourg. Around April 26, the couple reached Croatia in their Bean, which had been restored with precision to detail solely for this international trip and looks as good as new. In Istanbul, the English car was serviced and then driven through Turkey.
A journey of this magnitude does not come easy. In Pakistan, the car ran into a wiring issue but the snag was permanently solved by technicians. At the Wagah Border, while Lang was allowed to enter India, Bev was not as she had a soft copy of her travel visa. After meeting in New Delhi, the duo visited Lucknow, Varanasi, Gaya and then Durgapur. In Durgapur, Peerless Hotel hosted them and their red 1923 Bean 14 adorned with stickers to commemorate their journey and supporters stood victoriously right in front of the entryway.
On June 7, the t2oS team left for Durgapur early in the morning. We reached Peerless Hotel within five hours and before meeting the Kidbys, we met the gorgeous vintage car with ‘England to Australia 1927 Expedition’ written on it. The two-seater compact car also had the stickers of organisations and car clubs across the 17 countries that have assisted them in covering such an extensive stretch. The Turkish, British and Pakistani flags, among others, peeked out from the make-do camping gear at the back of the car. Classic Driver’s Club (a FIVA member club) were solely in charge of looking after the globetrotters once they entered Bengal.
Life, then and now
“I met him and my life changed completely… he was always doing something different, something adventurous. I got included with all that and life really changed. Before getting married to Lang, I was a radiographer, an X-ray technician. I was in that profession for 50 years,” smiles Bev. On being asked how she managed to have a job while travelling extensively, she humbly says, “I have been lucky enough to be in a profession where I can get a job wherever I am. I could move around and not compulsorily stay in a single place.”
Lang and Bev on a sidecar expedition
Lang grew up near Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, and when I ask how he was as a young lad, he answers with nostalgia: “Boats, camping were a major part. I started my adventurous life very early on. My parents also encouraged me to follow my passion for travel. So, when I was 14, we had a truck that my friends and I would take to the beach and forest. I served in the army for 15 years, was posted everywhere. During that period, the kids changed almost 11 schools since there were a lot of transfers.” Interestingly, Victoria (Australia) is where the couple first met and the 1927 expedition will also end there, though they say it is not intentional.
The Inspiration behind the 1927 Expedition
Between 1927 and 1928, an Australian tourist Francis Birtles undertook a Bean journey beginning from London and ending in Australia. With Birtles having a strong impact on Lang Kidby, their present journey pays homage to Birtles’s journey. In fact, they are trying to map the same pit stops too but international limitations do not allow them to do that entirely. Notably, when Lang was just 16, his father and his 14-year-old brother completed a 3,000km bike ride from Melbourne to Home Hill. That teenage adventure was undertaken solely on dirt bikes and was inspired by Birtles as well.
What is the Bean?
What was once the most popular car in Australia has now been reduced to museum pieces. Manufactured by A. Harper Sons & Bean, the Bean cars were used for recreation and hardcore travel. Bean 14, the talk of the hour and the vintage carriage of the Kidbys, has a 2.3-litre engine and a four-speed gearbox. However, the best-known Bean is the Sundowner, a 1925, 14hp, four-cylinder Bean 14 car, which is now housed in the Australian National Museum in Canberra. The Sundowner was driven by Francis Birtles in 1927 to cover the then uncharted distance between England and Australia. “We have always had a penchant for history and I particularly have always wanted to retrace Francis Birtles’s tracks. I saw this car somewhere and I realised that it is the exact same car that Birtles used for the 1927 expedition. Even the car we are driving now was in a museum but we talked to the late owner’s family and they agreed for us to have it,” says an excited Lang.
Children, grandchildren and more travelling
Bev says: “We travelled with the children a lot... we used to go camping with them. Of course, they moved with us when Lang was in the army. In fact, there was a study done on army children considering they have to move a lot. So, academically they were exactly at the same place as their peers but socially they were much ahead.” According to the Kidbys, travelling has made the children confident and strong. Bev adds: “We have four grandchildren and I always wanted to take a trip with all of them individually and I did it. I took one to Italy, two to Thailand because two grandsons wanted to live with the elephants. I visited South Africa with another grandchild as well.”
Favourite places in the world
It was easy for Bev. “Australia... it is always so good to go there and it is a very very lucky country. I don’t really like cities and I prefer the countryside over the bustling city noises any day. However, this is my sixth time in India and I love visiting here. I love meeting new people and India has a special place in my heart,” she says. “It is going to be Europe for me, definitely France. It is open, green... it is a beautiful country not so much for its people as for the sheer scenery it has to offer. If I had to choose to live somewhere apart from Australia, it would probably be the US, simply because of the amount of facilities and opportunities there,” says Lang.
The India Connect
Bev says: “I have been to India six times and we have always mostly come to the Northern part. So two Christmases back we wanted to hire a car and just come to India. But our friends back here are too kind. So, we were looked after by LG and we were visiting the compressor factory they have in Coimbatore and their school that trains children who come from orphanages. That was a great trip.” Lang adds: “We had so many different things for lunch today, we could barely decide what to eat! We love Indian food because of the flavours and spices. Today, we liked the mutton (Gol Barir Kosha Mangsho) that they served.” “We cook Indian food back at home and a lot of it,” adds Bev.
Life back in Australia
Lang looks at Bev and says: “Our place has a countryside atmosphere but it is not located too far from the city. Bev teaches the kids down the road as volunteer work. She teaches them about the birds, mangroves, animals and nature at large.”
Notably, the cars used by the Kidbys for their expeditions have either been on rent or bought by them for a certain period of time. Lang says, “Once an expedition is over we sell the older one for a new car, a new experience. We were never people to have 10 cars in our garage.”
Navigating challenges
“Oh there used to be a lot of yelling!” laughs Bev. She continues: “Back in the day, all you had to do was read a map, right? So directions would be a challenge because you would have to constantly look for landmarks and be vigilant.” “Machinery snags are very common challenges while travelling but if you can be friendly enough and converse, help always finds a way. Like maybe a truck driver we stopped en route for help would know somebody who in turn would know somebody we know,” adds Lang. “So the idea is to be nice and friendly and keep your calm even when you are impatient or have had a bad day on the road. Just never get angry. Most importantly, respect the country you are in, respect the way they dress, respect their culture and sometimes just pretend you don’t understand and keep smiling!” advises a cheerful Bev.
“It is the people who make the trip for me. I travel to meet people. No matter where you are, people everywhere basically just want to be happy, peaceful and make a living for themselves and their families. It is the same everywhere!” says a retrospective Bev.
Bev and Lang’s lives stand as staunch examples of individuals with a thirst for wanderlust. This one anecdote that will forever stay with me is when the couple along with their companions could not find a hotel in the middle of a Siberian village so they chose to camp. However, right before they could get settled, a teenager who could speak English came to them from a nearby village. He spoke to them and then went back to his mother and told her, “There are a lot of foreigners out there and they are hungry!” An hour later when all the cars had reached, the woman appeared with pots of potatoes and warm food. The travellers then built a fire and spent the night laughing, talking, eating and drinking lots of vodka, with the little boy being the bridge as he was the only one who could translate. The woman and Bev have exchanged cards on every Christmas since then.
Niraj Kumar Mishra, general manager, Peerless Hotel, Durgapur, said: “We served the couple a traditional Bengali lunch that had specially curated items like the famous Gol Barir Kosha Mangsho, Bengali Pulao, traditional Shukto, Chhanar Dalna, varieties of fish, all cooked to perfection by our expert chefs. For dinner, we had a lavish buffet followed by some nice cocktails. Our property is one of the best business hotels in the city and we offer top-class amenities like a multigym, banquets, manicured lawns, etc. Being an industrial town, we get a lot of foreign guests and, hence, we are well-equipped to provide all cuisines along with top-class amenities.”