Local man not ‘just a loser’

In the streets of Mullumbimby you might pass seemingly ordinary people whose remarkable achievements, if you only knew of them, would serve as an inspiration to many others. People like Chris Dewhirst, who started Australia’s first commercial hot air ballooning operation in 1980, and then in 1991 became the first person to fly a hot air balloon over Mt Everest. Or Dave Osborn, who just this week became the first person to park in every carpark at Woolies Mullum*.

In a way Osborn’s achievement is the more remarkable, as the international patent lawyer, who has never thought of himself as ‘cool’ despite once sporting a henna gecko tattoo, also had to earn the respect of his teenage daughters.

‘Before my dad did this, I thought he was a bit of a loser who wasn’t going to achieve anything in his life,’ said daughter Cleo. ‘Now I couldn’t be more proud of him.’

Osborn’s inspiration came in the depths of a pandemic in May 2021. Using aerial photographs, innate resourcefulness and organisational strengths, he produced a map of every carpark in Woolies, then over eight long months slowly ticked them off on bona fide purchasing trips to the supermarket. Finally, after many disappointments and many learnings, on 1 February 2022 the final spot (E8 on Osborn’s map) was parked in.

Was he ever tempted to just turn up at midnight purely to tick off a spot? Rather than be offended, Osborn, like all great men, used this question as an opportunity to teach.

‘Why choose to park in every spot in Woolies carpark?’, Osborn asked rhetorically. ‘We choose to do this not because it is easy, but because it is hard. Because that goal will serve to organise and measure the best of our energies and skills. This is something that humankind has never achieved before and may never be repeated. I am humbled by the weight of history on my shoulders.’

*excluding disabled and click-and-collect and that spot in the corner that’s not really an official carpark.