Stephen grew up in Scotland and hiking the glens and mountains of the highlands. I moved
to Africa and explored this continent on off-road motorcycles and in old Land Rovers.
I really liked the remoteness of the places I visited and was lucky enough to have a job that
enabled me to visit most of Sub-Saharan Africa. I was involved in Plant and Machinery
Valuations as well as consulting to the World Bank on Privatization Issues and visiting
countries ravaged by war or natural disasters and rebuilding the infrastructure.
I started my career as an auditor/accountant before changing over to engineering. I always
had a love for the outdoors and all things mechanical.
I hold a Master of Business Administration (MBA), Graduate of the Australian Institute of
Company Directors, Fleet Management Certificate from the Institute of Public Works
Engineering Australasia (IPWEA) and Management, Training and Occupational Health and
Safety certificates.
I have managed workshops and garages, including Government entities comprising of 7
locations, 2500 vehicles, 1200 items of Yellow Goods and 4500 employees.
I have driven four-wheel drive vehicles both for recreation and professionally, for the past
30 years, toured Africa, the USA and Australia extensively and passed my skills on to a range
of corporate clients and individuals over this time frame. I have also led expeditions and
training courses in Germany, China, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, USA and Papua New
Guinea
DRIVER TRAINER EXPERIENCE
I have been training organizations and individuals, throughout Australia, China, USA,
Europe, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Africa in Four Wheel Driving as well as Safer
Driving (Defensive Driving) and Advanced Driving.
I am currently the only person in Australasia to be certified by the International 4-Wheel
Drive Trainers’ Association as a Master Trainer and the only Four Wheel Drive Trainer in
Australia to hold the Master Tread Trainer Certification from Tread Lightly LLC.
I hold the following qualification in First Aid Training:
HLTAID0001 Perform CPR
HLTAID003 Provide First Aid
I hold the following qualifications in Road Safety:
Road Safety Education Limited Facilitator Training Program Module 1
I use my extensive knowledge of vehicles to advise clients on their vehicle fleet needs based
on the principles of ‘fit for purpose’.
I own and run a Consultancy business undertaking Four Wheel Drive Driver Training to a
range of clients, based in the mining and ancillary services industries as well as other
corporate clients and I currently consult to other Registered Training Organizations, who
require my services.
I hold a number of patents for products, which I have designed and sell to companies and
individuals, tailored to the four-wheel drive accessory market.
In Africa, I managed a number of off-road motorcycle teams for many years incorporating
many of the long-distance endurance and off-road events. I raced motorcycles and cars, on-
road and off-road for many years.
I have trained for organizations such as Land Rover, Jeep, Volkswagen, Isuzu, Hyundai and
Mercedes Benz
I am also a qualified G-Wagon Lead Trainer
I am a member of:
The Australian Driver Trainers’ Association Qld Inc.
The Institute of Professional Drivers and Chauffeurs
International 4-Wheel Drive Trainers’ Association
United Four Wheel Drive Association
Four Wheel Drive Australia
The Four Wheel Drive Association Queensland
Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation
I am a registered Private Investigator and Bodyguard, enabling XDrive to also add Tactical
Driving, incorporating VIP protection as well as Anti Hi-Jacking driver training.
XDrive can deliver Motorcycle Training as well as Four-Wheeler (ATV) and Side-by-Side (UTV)
vehicle training. XDrive is a Corporate Partner with Tread Lightly LLC ensuring we meet the
highest standards in environmental assessments.
I am currently writing two books, one on Safer Driving titled 'Think Different Drive Different'
and the second on Four Wheel Driving techniques.
XDrive is committed to On and Off-Road, Driver Education and Road Safety.
Working with vehicle manufacturers, distributors and dealerships as well as owning farms in
Africa also helped develop the concept of Four=Wheel Drive vehicle training and the driving
skills associated with driving Off-Road.
My career as a Four-Wheel Drive trainer began from a different perspective, as a SCUBA
diving instructor at that time, I took a lot of the training I had learnt from the diving and
adapted this training methodology to driving off-road vehicles.
I have lived in Australia for ten years. Snow driving to desert crossings, rainforests and sand
islands are amongst some of the thrills awaiting exploration in a Four-Wheel Drive vehicle in Australia.
I have had the pleasure of meeting many highly experienced Four-Wheel Drive trainers and
individuals through my association with the I4WDTA and other Four-Wheel Drive
organizations and I look forward to meeting you and discussing all aspects of Four-Wheel
Drive vehicles and driving techniques with you