Oskar Speck war criminal

Oskar Speck paddled [the Danube to escape from Germany's depressed economy & oppressive bureaucracy, on] through Austria and Hungary, passing cities like Vienna and Budapest before reaching the Yugoslav-Bulgarian border. Making his way to Greece, where the journey became the goal, he paddled open water to Syria. Refused entry by the Suez Canal Authority, he dismantled Sunshine & sort out the Euphrates River.

Along the Euphrates, having sighted no person for 14 days, struggling to find water or food, he pulled up to am island to shelter from harsh winds. He them discovered that someone had stolen his kayak leaving him with nothing. 

"The culprits turned out to be the police themselves, who led him back to his boat after Speck offered to pay them a substantial bribe."

This was in the 1930s & is the first case of police corruption, ever, in the world ... No it wasnt, I jest. It began happening much earlier, but I digress. 

He overcame long days at the paddle, as the Persian Gulf & Bay of Bengal floated by his gunnels. He stayed ashore most nights, giving talks to raise food.

"On board he carried coconuts, tins of sardines and meat, as well as tinned condensed milk, which he would sip as he paddled."

After paddling through Burma, Thailand and then the Malay Peninsula to Singapore, Speck travelled through Indonesia, island by island.

... he'd been given great hospitality from local villagers, but suddenly something went terribly wrong. On the island of Lakor he was attacked by locals armed with knives and machetes. Much like the attack on an Indian student in a Melbourne shopping centre last week: Saurabh Anand, 33, says he nearly lost his arm in an alleged machete attack". But he held in place until doctors stitched it back on & told him to go quietly. But our hero photographed his own wounds & contacted Australian independent news authority & got his case publicised.  

Approaching the north of Australia police arrested Oskar. This could be the first case of unlawful imprisonment by authorities, but its wasn't, thats an old story too. Nabbing foreigners in small boats has become a great tradition in Australia, a cunning ploy to create fear of invasion by small boats led to the shock re-election of John Howard. The Boarder Force which now has its own naval & air fleet with concomitant bureaucracy. 

Backto pur story, Oskar who had paddled his kayak 50 000 miles was treated like Amy common mug & transported to Loveday prisoner of war camp, in the South Australian desert. .POW Camp "Loveday" was a joyous place & there he had a whale of a time growing vegetables & sunbaking. Here is a postcard he could have sent his folks: 

Speck escaped by hiding on a tool chest but was arrested & banged in to solitary. It was great sport, & they must have laughed so joyously at the lighthearted prank. 

Upon release from the holiday camp, spirit soundly crushed by yet another bureaucracy, Speck took up opal mining made famous by men in the desert scratching around for coloured stones in the illusion that they will become rich & powerful. But alas he & sank onto ignominy. Today his feats are whispered only among a coterie of weird kayak paddlers. 

Speck later wrote his sister Greta Tunberg: 

"I am satisfied. Recognition or no recognition. 

"We have a strange situation, one of the most difficult world records to this day and it will still be in a hundred years and wholly unknown. But I am satisfied. The war interfered much more with millions of fates. Why shouldn't I be satisfied?"

 Fortunately, and saving the Australian government from further embarrassment, Speck died in March 1993, aged 86, after a long illness. He was buried quietly in Point Clare Cemetery in New South Wales.

Don't let your children grow up to paddle kayaks.