4x4 wheelchair gets farmer around

IT HAS the wheels of a quad-bike, horizontal motors and can travel at speeds of up to 10kmph.

Marshall Brook became a quadriplegic after a swimming accident 18 years ago and now gets around his parents farm in a 4WD wheel chair provided by Youngcare. Picture: Sarah Harvey

IT HAS the wheels of a quad-bike, horizontal motors and can travel at speeds of up to 10kmph.

But for Marshall Brook it's his ticket to freedom.

Eighteen years ago Mr Brook, then 22, dived into a lagoon on his property outside Boonah.

He struck his head on a small log and broke his C7 vertebrae, paralysing him from the chest down.

A quadriplegic, he has movement in his arms, but the nerve damage has affected his hands and upper arms.

"I'm a lucky quad," he said.

"A lot of other guys can't move below their heads."

While he can move his arms he struggles to get a strong grip on most things and has no feelings on the under side of his arms.

After the accident he was forced to move to his parent's Clumber property south of Aratula.

Without his 4WD chair Mr Brook could barely leave his house.

Push chairs and standard motorised chairs aren't made for the gravel roads and hilly terrain that make up the Brook's property.

The chair, his third 4WD chair, has the power to drive up sandy creek beds and across paddocks, far more than a normal motorised chair.

"It gives me freedom I just could never have otherwise," Mr Brook said.

"I can go outside and check the fences and the cattle or make sure there is water in the cattle troughs.

"It's just freedom outside the house, I've really noticed it in the past when my old chair broke down."

His most recent 4WD chair was valued at nearly $20,000, more than half of which was paid for by charity Youngcare.

With the help of the chair Mr Brook is able to work cattle on his father's property as well as his land outside Boonah.

Following his accident Mr Brook's parents, Mavis and Graham, helped found the Boonah Disability Support Group to assist locals with disabilities as well as carers.

The group is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Originally published as 4x4 wheelchair gets farmer around