Tasmanian photographer and cyclist Beardy McBeard calls on all Australians to drive safely this Easter and Anzac Day
‘I was lucky to be alive:’ Renowned Tasmanian photographer and cyclist ‘Beardy McBeard’ was cleaned up by a ute in 2023, Now he wants drivers to stay safe this Easter. CONTENT WARNING
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A traffic accident two years ago changed renowned Tasmanian photographer and cyclist Marcus Enno’s life.
“I was lucky to be alive,” Mr Enno, also known as Beardy McBeard, said.
In 2023 a ute turned right into Mr Enno’s path as he was descending New Norfolk’s Burnett St on his bike.
The collision left him severely injured, with bones in his legs shattered and his arm broken.
It meant his wife, who was pregnant at the time with their second child, had to push him around in a wheelchair while he recovered.
“It was a really hard time for her,” he said.
Two years later his recovery has gone as well as he could have hoped, with some questions remaining about the longevity of his joints after the accident.
“They copped quite a beating,” he said. Mr Enno was non-load bearing on his leg for 3 months and was left with two plates and 19 screws in his leg and two plates in his arm.
As an acclaimed cycling photographer riding a bike was a daily part of Mr Enno’s life, but it took six months of intense physical and mental recovery for him to get back on the road- behind either the handlebars or the steering wheel.
“I wasn’t able to drive for a long time, there was that hesitation getting back behind the wheel and even more so getting on the bike,” he said.
“Getting back on the bike was non-negotiable, it was something I had to do for my mental health and my career.”
He said the accident is still on his mind, and he still looks at vehicles and drivers in a different way than before but his young family helped give him the motivation to “get on with it”.
Ahead of the busy Easter period, Mr Enno is supporting the Australian Government campaign Safery Driving Starts With You Campaign, calling on all drivers to adopt safer behaviours on the road.
“Don’t let a car change who you are,” he said, adding that there is a lot of behaviour people engage in behind the wheel they wouldn’t in normal life.
With a young family, road safety is more important to Mr Enno than ever and he said today’s drivers need to take responsibility for the vehicle and their own behaviours.
“I’d like to see my children grow up and not be afraid to be out there in a car or on the road,” he said.
The campaign comes after Australia had its worst road toll in a decade in 2024 roads with 1300 lives lost.
Mr Enno said distraction played a major role in these statistics, and encouraged all drivers to ignore the phone, look out for others on the road and if needed, pull over and wait for distractions to subside.
“Check in with yourself, make sure that you are driving in a safe way,” he said.
A video detailing Mr Enno’s crash and recovery will be released on his social media as part of the campaign.
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Originally published as Tasmanian photographer and cyclist Beardy McBeard calls on all Australians to drive safely this Easter and Anzac Day
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