Why is this man being celebrated?

[fizzywidget]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq8rz38jr50go

so when his child was 8 years old he decided to leave the country and undertake a 28 year walk around the world, setting himself a rule that he couldn’t come back to the UK until he’d completed it, and we’ve celebrating him why?

Interesting that hes come back to the UK...needing NHS care having not paid NI for years?

He chose to abandon his child when he was 8. A son. A son who might have benefited from having a dad to - talk him through male puberty, teach him to shave, model what a good father looks like etc.

I suspect, however, that this man would not have been a good father or role model but I doubt that was his thinking. His thinking was completely self centred and a stark example of the double standards society had for women and men.

If a mother had left her 8 year old for the rest of their childhood to follow their dream of walking a lot (and then living in Mexico in-between walks) she’d be hauled over the coals not celebrated.

Unfortunately, paratroopers ex or not were and are targeted in Northern Ireland. Murky circumstances, state collusion and losing relatives with no answers tends to breed bitterness.

I don't know his wife's back ground. If she was from East Belfast and moved back there, no problem, he could visit and he'd have pints waiting for him at the bar. Paratroop Regiment flag flown often in Loyalist areas.

West Belfast, Bogside and other heavily Nationalist areas, they'd know her ex had been a paratropper and shoot him on the wayvtonpuck up.of drop off his son. Someone would notice in those streets. Even to this day he'd be at risk

Somewhere inbetween, rural, small towns, mixed areas, he'd probably be okay. But evebn there, again, the wrong person could notice

Unfortunately the sad reality of Northern Ireland.

This is typical of any adventurer, they put themselves above their family. I did read about it in the Guardian & found it interesting.

“Some men will literally do anything to get out of parenting”. 😂😂😂😂😂😂
thank you. That really made me laugh.

His home life isnt my business. I dont know, If he is unstable as some suggest I am grateful hes alive as if he wasnt that would be very hard for the family.

Well yes they do. I'd bet my house that no Mother, who has abandoned their children, lived off grid, would get away with not being castigated across the press. Mothers of children who have been murdered have been subjected to intense scrutiny. The thread about any male offender always goes to pull apart the women around him, because they are somehow partly to blame.
His wife, Angela, was from Belfast and returned there, for family support. He has missed out the parts about the women he has lived with. No woman would get away with this.

So he swam the channel to England? How did he get his cart across?

There was a very good documentary about the climber Alison Hargreaves, she had a lot of criticism about her choices because she was a mother. There is definitely a double standard.

I didn’t see the article as celebrating the man, and agree about abdication of responsibility.

Has Angela spoken about her story? I’d be very interested to hear her version of events. I strongly suspect (but can’t know of course) it would be;

Married a man who seemed great.
Once were married and had a child his true colours showed.
Some form of abuse (coercive control, emotional, physical, sexual, narcissistic or a mixture, infidelity) or may be just not pulling his weight.
Divorce - then post separation abuse
Move home to get support and get some distance.

He doesn’t like having his behaviour called out so fucks off to Mexico and keeps walking to avoid his own inadequacies.

If her story comes out and it’s vastly different I’ll donate £100 to a domestic abuse charity!

There's no criticism or praise.
His private life is not a matter of public concern.
The facts are that this person did this thing.

It would be completely inappropriate in a liberal democracy for a news outlet to be passing judgement on the private lives of citizens.

Journalists write opinion pieces all the time. ‘Some might criticise him abdicating himself from his duties as a father, his reply to those criticisms is…’

Its also free publicity.

What would the article look like if it was a mother? 🤔

According to an Apple News article his son met him at Dover so it can’t have been that bad.

@fizzywidget Is he being 'celebrated'? Or is just reporting and 'news'?

I think it's the latter.

Maybe you have misjudged the tone of the feature.

Is he being celebrated? I'm reading the article thinking he must be mentally ill.

Yes this is a quote Guardian article earlier this month:

"In his early 20s, stationed in Northern Ireland, he married a Belfast woman, yet another Angela. Five years later, when they were living in Hampshire, they divorced. She returned home to Belfast with their young son, Adam. At the time, servicemen were only allowed into Northern Ireland if they were serving there, so Bushby was effectively separated from Adam."

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/oct/13/karl-bushby-incredible-28-year-walk-home-goliath-expedition-hull

I thought this piece left enough space around descriptions of his motives and behaviours to highlight the ambiguity of it all.

My dad was abusive. I still saw him and had a relationship with him of sorts. His son being there gives us no information about this man at all, other than his sperm reached this sons mums egg at some point in time.

This isn't an opinion piece.

This man did a thing. His family situation is not my business.

Whatever he gained from such a venture of travelling the world surely can't top seeing your own child who you helped raise to the age of 8 grow into a teenager and adult and bring into the world a grandchild.

I don’t know anything about the guy but it’s such a white middle class privileged thing to do. Let’s give up everything to walk around the world- riiiight…

True, people who think of family as fixed points like that are only looking at it through their own lens too. Family are individuals with beating hearts and their own lives and development, not people who he can list on his fingers as family but not see. Not fixed points.

It's sad for his family and a shame his legacy to his child is to miss that most wonderful, fleeting part of their life: childhood. My husband and I had our son at 35 and travelled a ton in our 20s and early 30s, took a year travelling the world then loads of long distance hikes in deep nature where everything had to be carried on your back. It was magic, but so is raising our child. This bloke is a selfish fool. He can dress it up any which way he likes but the fact remains he wasn't there for the child he created.

Why did they divorce? Why did she move?

Why would a mother in a healthy and supportive co-parenting situation move her son to a different country and make it difficult for them to have contact?

Why is the biggest question here.

May be she did it for nefarious reasons and he’s a victim of circumstance but I doubt that highly.

And what kind of article do you think it would be if this was a mother?

I think it would be a different angle if he were a woman, most wouldn’t get to or want to do what he’s done. I should think his wife and son were probably better off without him. A good father obviously doesn’t fuck off for years.

It’s old news now but I read about this woman yesterday. She breastfed three times during a 100k race and won. I think that is amazing and worth celebrating.

Runner hopes to inspire by breastfeeding in 60-mile race win