AFTER leaving the Army, Keith Donnison was looking for something exciting to do, “a real adventure”, when by chance he glanced at the book First Overland by Tim Slessor in a shop window at Charing Cross Station in London.

Keith, who recently celebrated his 84th birthday, said: “It was gripping, I couldn’t put it down until I finished it.

“I realised the author had captured exactly what I needed and wanted to do.

“I got three of my army buddies involved, went on the scrounge, and persuaded 60 companies to sponsor us.

“They included Guinness Export, Prince’s Foods and, luckily for us, Land Rover.

“With the sponsors’ logos adorning the Land Rover, we were set. So in 1963, at the young age of 26, off we went.”

Throughout ‘The Walton TransWorld’ adventure – Walton in Liverpool is where Keith and his friends grew up – they met different people and often finding themselves in unusual situations.

Keith, of Redcot Care Home in Haslemere, said: “One memorable caper happened in Iran. We were crossing the salt desert and it was so very hot.

“The Land Rover didn’t have air conditioning and in the extreme heat it was very uncomfortable.

“So you can imagine how happy we were to come across a waterfall, and being lads, we stripped off and luxuriated in the running water, it was glorious.

“But out of the blue a van full of nuns arrived; I’m still not sure who was more embarrassed, them or us.

“They stayed in their van until one of them eventually approached us and offered us accommodation for the night at their convent as it was only a few miles away.

“We thanked them, but politely declined their offer.

“The people we met on our travels were, on the whole, great and we experienced tremendous hospitality.”

Surrounded by the Himalayan mountains, the team finally made it to Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, having visited many different countries along the way including Burma and Tibet.

Keith added: “We’d travelled as far as we possibly could in our trusty Land Rover so sold it in Kathmandu and continued our expedition by air and sea.

“We made it to Australia where I decided to stay and work in the Northern Territory on Koulan Island mining iron ore.

“It was tough, but fun – and well paid, I enjoyed it.”

Of his return home, Keith said: “I missed England, my friends and family.

“I’d written home regularly but back then with no mobile phones, it was hard to properly keep in touch.”

Keith went on to become a managing director of a pharmaceutical company, he also married his wife Maureen and they had two children Mark and Sarah – and now Keith is a proud granddad to two grandchildren.