I’ve known Steve since were little kids. He was always quietly tinkering with something, and I thought he was going to grow up to be a scientist. Well, now he’s some kind of ultra successful digital entrepreneur who spends about half his time out camping in the bush. Go figure.
I met up with him yesterday to check out his new ute that he’s been keen to show me. I’ve got to say, it didn’t disappoint. He’s had the whole unit kitted out with made-to-order aluminium fittings. The new canopy on the ute tray is kind of similar to the service body on a trade vehicle, with various hatches, compartments, slide-out surfaces and internally lit drawer systems. If there isn’t a place for every piece of camping gear under the sun, I’ll eat my hat. It’s even got custom gas bottle holders.
Trust Steve to go all out on putting together the most organised camping set up I’ve ever seen. He’s certainly got the money to throw at it, but I can see that he hasn’t lost his eye for functionality. Everything is meticulously designed, right down to the roof racks and bars. Melbourne, I can assure you, has never seen such a neatly compartmentalised under body box.
I’ll confess that I barely understand what it is that his company does. If I did, I’d most likely be keen to get in on this thing that affords Steve so much time in the bush, yet equally so many dollars in his bank account. I’m willing to bet that it’s all connected, though – Steve’s always had the knack for deeply absorbing the world around him. This seems like it could correspond equally to coming up with some innovative algorithm, and being driven to spend time in nature.
How it connects up with conjuring up the ultimate central-locking aluminium ute canopy is another question. That’s the great thing about Steve, though – you can never quite figure him out.