Boy Swallows Rally-verse.

According to John (11 years around the sun)

Imagine hearing the roar of a car right around the corner and it’s drifting around spraying mud everywhere. You can hear the sound of the tyres screeching. The roar of the car is louder than a tiger’s roar. The fortunate drivers come out with fast lap times, and the unfortunate are lucky to survive a crash.

“A loud bang is heard. What has happened?”

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The crowd is worried and concerned. The announcer states that there is a crash. The car has tumbled down a hill at incredible speed. The crowd goes silent. Not a word, not a whisper. The announcer is quiet.

The remains of the car start to rattle.

He is alive!

Although injured, he waves to the crowd as if to say, “I am alive” He walks to the ambulance. A sigh of relief for everyone.

I am John, and this is my world

The rally is more than a race.

According to John’s Mum

Characteristically predictable, my dear son reminded me with astounding clarity that he remembered seeing an advertisement in the newspaper for the Gippsland Rally while eating his usual gingerbread at our local bakery. He nagged me to go almost daily in the weeks that followed.

We’ve spent the last 11 years learning together about life somewhere on the spectrum of neurodiversity. With most available literature seeming to concur that one in five of us is neurodivergent, there’s a fair chance that you or someone you know has one of these brilliant minds. In our home, we like to challenge the stereotypes and misunderstandings. Yes, John is often “in the phase” of something particular. Over the years it has been frogs, monster trucks, trains, Lego and now racing cars. No, we don’t struggle with a lack of affection or eye contact. If anything, the hugs are a little overzealous, and impulsive, intense conversation is our way of life.

A definition for neurodivergence can be as simple or as complex as a variation in thought processing and behaviours. These days, we are learning that it is perhaps as specific a definition as we can attribute to a range of diagnoses including, but not limited to, ADHD, autism and dyslexia. Placing these traits on a spectrum reminds us that no two brains are the same and encourages us to embrace diversity.

Our experience as a family has been to celebrate strengths. Neurodiverse minds are often wildly creative – they can be both sensory-seeking and avoidant. Hyperfocus and the ability to understand complex concepts and pattern-based recognition can be a superpower.

As an adult who has struggled with compulsions and an insatiable need to “scratch the itch” when it comes to my latest idea or fascination, I see John looking to me to help him fulfil his own desires. While occasionally exhausting, I would take passion over apathy any day of the week, and this week it simply meant a 300km round-trip jaunt into the hills of East Gippsland for a rally that promised to be hardcore, full-throttle thrills and spills. Dust, drifts and danger.

Gearing up for 2025? You betcha!

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The Middle of Everywhere Gippsland Rally is held annually in Heyfield. This year, the event was round four of the BOSCH Motorsport Australia Rally Championship and round three of the Victorian Rally Championship. You can find out more at gippslandrally.com.au and @gippsland_rally.

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Gippslandia - Issue No. 32

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