The little red Merits mobility scooter finally gave up the ghost a couple of days ago and would not move another inch.
A group of very fine people with ADSSI very much to the fore sat around and discussed assisting me to get finance on an urgent basis and then organized the whole deal so I could go out and have some chance getting the new mobility scooter that suited me and that I needed to have access to shops and life around here. On Monday a worker hired through Aged and Disability Support Services drove me all over this region. I have covered that already but to be a bit more specific among the stores and suppliers we visited were included Toukley World of Bikes and Mobility Scooters. Craig (the owner of Toukley World of Bikes and Scooters) and his partner were helping me look after my bicycle more than twenty years ago when I was well enough to still ride one. They looked after the little Merits when I was living at Budgewoi as well and seemed to be pretty good. The store is a little cramped being as it has both bikes and scooters but they have a good range and a very good truck with a lift for the scooters.
The first place we looked and the place with the largest of new and second-hand machines was Scooters and Mobility at Toukley. It is only two shop-fronts from the first one mentioned. It is a large store with a massive range of all things mobility and worth a look if you have a problem that requires assistance. We looked at several scooters there and considered a Merit’s Aurora, one of the Shopriders and several Pride brand scooters. The second place we visited was The Mobility Center at Long Jetty. Their range is not as wide as the others in the case of the scooters although they have an excellent range of products for people with limited mobility otherwise.
All of the staff who assisted us in all of the mentioned stores were really great and you can be confident that these guys will not rort you or sell you something that is inappropriate if they can do anything to get you together with the best product for you. There were a few other places who were also keen but eventually we arrived at Mobility 2 You at Erina. This is another well-stocked store for people with problems although their scooter range is primarily new Pride brand scooters. The store sits among factory units along the highway and has good parking although they all had parking available that was close and easy to access. We spoke to Phil Loveridge who was keen and knew his product. He gave me a ride of the scooter and told me how it could be programmed different ways for different riders. I wanted a locking box on the back for when I have cameras or groceries I need to leave while I am in the store and he said he would throw in a carrying pod for the same deal.
I wanted a scooter with big enough wheels so it wasn’t jolted apart on the broken roads around here as well as a powerful and reasonably fast unit so the one I decided on was the Pride Pathrider 140 XL. That one strained the finance to the maximum but I have always thought it best to get the best if the chance avails itself. I will talk more about the new scooter later when I have ridden it. Having a new machine is exciting but I miss my little Merits. It was low slung and three-wheeled and looked mush used and loved. It had great stickers and big spongy bumpers I made to go over the steel bumpers so people in shops would be less likely to be hurt if they bumped into me. It was fast and the throttle control was very good using just the highest setting. It looked like the old battered machine it was and I felt that look suited my way of doing things. I miss it. I also dislike the idea of big new things that look li9ke someone is making an effort to be seen on something that is big and new so this one makes me feel a little exposed and the way some of the neighbours up the road “evil-eyed” me as I went past I am correct to feel this way.
Without the assistance of the community workers and providers and especially ADDSI I would never have had the first scooter and life would have been the kind of tough that kills people. Now they have again leapt to my aid and helped me find the correct doors to open to get this brand new machine. I cannot thank them enough. The thought of spending the last years of my life fighting all the pain and damage that would be wrought if I had to survive on foot makes my appreciation of their efforts on my behalf bottomless!