I must give thanks again to all the people in Australia who played a role in saving my life and limbs. The first ladies who stopped to help, the Ballan police and medical response team, the doctors and nurses at the Alfred hospital, the medical staff and physiotherapists at the Epworth hospital: there was a level of commitment and compassion to me and to my family that showed the best in human nature.

Similarly, the love and support which flowed from my friends, associates and community back home was a revelation to me. It was an inspiration every day. My magnificent and indomitable wife Betty, along with my brave girls Carlin and Lauren brought me back from the brink. They kept the faith. I am blessed in my family.

In this year I have learned to marvel at the healing power of the human body. It simply wants to be well, even in the face of terrible punishment such as I endured. It’s hard to convey to you the kind of damage that occurred; even a year later my mind still reels and shuts down when I try to imagine what I must have looked like, broken and bleeding in those first desperate hours.

No memory of the events of that night has ever surfaced in my mind. That’s okay, I can live without that. There have been some dreams and nightmares. There were some moments at night when I’ve been a passenger in a car and a pair of oncoming headlights triggered a vague flashback and panic attack. In my conscious mind all traumatic memories are either buried or gone.

My legs, as I mentioned, still aren’t well. Both were broken badly in different ways and the doctors will be doing another bone graft and some minor surgeries to set them as right as possible. A year of healing wasn’t enough for the ol’ pins. The rest of me is coming around very nicely however. The right forearm, which was gruesomely shattered, dislocated and stripped of a chunk of flesh, is back to high function for just about everything. Initial thoughts of an amputation being required were quashed by an extraordinary effort from the team of doctors.

My grievous head trauma has had no ill effects on my mind or memory. The damaged nerves in the area surrounding my eye, from a smashed orbital bone and multiple gashes, are getting some regrowth. I’m adjusting to life in mono-vision after the damage to my right eye.

Airport security staff will just love me now as I light up their metal detectors with titanium in four locations in my body. They probably won’t believe me. Now if I could just get free of my crutches I’ll be good to go anywhere for gigs again.

I miss the easy physicality that characterized my life for so long; since the time I was thirteen I’ve worked on fitness and healthy living. I loved having the strength and fitness to do just about anything I wanted. Now I’ll have to put more emphasis on my mind and my intellect than on my physical presence. Let’s hope my noodle is up to the task.

The change in my status with the Guess Who (fired) was a prolonged, miserable affair that felt at the time like I was being kicked when I was down. The way they severed ties seemed cruel, unfair and shocking as it progressed, but I learned lessons in forbearance and self-knowledge. Among those lessons:

a) nobody is irreplaceable;

b) it wasn’t my band and never could be no matter how good a job I did;

c) not everybody wants the same things out of a situation; and

d) my idea of what’s great and what’s right isn’t necessarily shared by other people. These are useful things to know going forward on my own. I will miss that concert-sized paycheque, unfortunately.

Like all of you I'm watching the large changes in the world economy, and I sympathize with all of you who’ve watched your prospects diminish in the process. The lost jobs, reduced pensions or ruined investments create a fear and uncertainty over the future that is a test of everyone’s mettle. It also feeds on itself.

Whether you’re in good shape or your body has been broken like mine, we owe it to ourselves and those we love to not despair but to go forward and find a way to make living joyful.

A bit of advice which I once read said that when you’re feeling sorry for yourself, do some thing nice for somebody else. That’ll snap you out of it . It works, as well.

I wish for all of you that you may have perseverance and a stout heart to show the best of yourselves to your fellow man, even in difficult times. That’s the hero waiting in every one of us.

To reach out to other people with kindness and a smile is a powerful gesture. Is it more powerful than going into debt to kick-start the economy in a frenzy of “holiday shopping”? I think so.

I wish you all a happy year-end to 2008, filled with love and hope and time spent with those who matter most to your life.

Let us go forth into 2009 with bravery and the joy of each new day which we get to participate in this wonderful world.
Our best to all of you,

Carl Dixon and family

financial toll which was being exacted by my terrible car accident and subsequent hospital stay in Australia. He could identify closely with the dilemma faced by the Dixon family as he also has a wife and two daughters of similar ages to my own. Andy set about building a benefit show to raise funds to help me and my family recover from the financial setback of my accident. He brought together Helix, Brighton Rock, Russ Dwarf from Killer Dwarfs as well as Andy’s own band, Soho 69. Another person who played a vital role by organizing things in advance and also “keeping the trains running on time” that night was Mr. Warren “Wiggy” Toll; a masterful performer in his own right.

It was an old-fashioned 80’s revival the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a long time. All the boys looked and sounded good and I'm very grateful to them for pitching in their services to help me out. There were more acts who offered to play but who couldn’t be fit in to the schedule, and I thank them for the offer. My own little solo set was enriched by the presence of my buddy Jerry Mercer from April Wine to help me out for a song with his djembe drum, and by backing vocal help from a number of the musos backstage.


Lots of sound, light and stage techs helped out as well; no show can happen without them. I don’t think I saw everyone but thanks to Glen Murphy, Dan Melanson, Jon Watt, Mike Alcroft, John MacIntosh, Dave Mitchell, Tony Crea, and the Phoenix house crew. Good on ya, mates.
A number of other talented and well-placed people provided gear or services at no charge to help maximize the profit on the night. Enzo and the Liberty group staff provided the use of the Phoenix Club. Ray Daniels kindly took care of the meal catering and some of the other costs of the day. Cam Butler and Gil Moore from Metalworks Productions pitched in with some high-tech microphones and monitoring stuff. Ticket Break gave a big break on the ticket sales fees thanks to John Durless and Sonny Sethie.  PA Plus brought in the drums and amps for “backline” gear for all the bands.  Brother Michael Curran and Chris Tampin put together the glorious video displays for the big screen in the club while Michael also worked, along with Catherine MacRae, on the artwork and graphics for the posters.
The “Big 3” rock stations, ie HTZ-FM, Q107 and ROCK95 all were generous with their promoting and presenting efforts and it was good to see some of the old pals like Gonzo Mark, Joe Cahill, Paul Morris and Al Joynes in the house. Monday Night Hockey League chum Jeff Long from Long&McQuade Music store generously donated instruments as prizes. Brett Gallagher gave a pair of AC/DC concert tickets to be auctioned off. Ron Mitten of Merch Monkey made the popular event t-shirts “I survived the 80’s… Carl Dixon survived Australia”.

Ken Sherwood manned the merchandise table like a warrior and moved those CD’s and shirts to the very end.  All are angels in their own way. Surely there’s a place in heaven for these good people.

 

Old Coney Hatch crew such as Neil McDermott, Rick Pikula and Jon Dalby loomed before me like welcome apparitions. Ed Stone, the recording engineer who did such great work helping me make the CARL DIXON “ONE” CD, turned up to say hello.

Some of the gang from up here in Haliburton made the daunting trek to the Big Smoke to show their support. Thanks Luke and Shelley, Sally and Tim, Sue, and anyone who was there but out of sight. My website wiz, big Muskoka Mark, was there with a jaunty hat and wife Cindy. He did much good work on the ‘net for this show and throughout my accident recovery.
A brace of high school friends pleasantly surprised me, including high-scoring soccer teammate Dave Bumstead, who must win the prize for ‘most-miles-travelled” by coming in from Calgary! Thanks also Nancy, Chris, Don, Steve and Mike. Bring on the North reunion!

Hal and Cheryl, thanks for the cool specs. I felt handsome in them.
Oh yeah, Sonny, thanks again for the evening out in 1991that led to me meeting the love of my life, Betty.



My nephews Adam and Anthony rounded up a posse 50-strong of young metallers to liven things up, and the Ujvari side of the family was well-represented on the evening. Thanks all.
I could go on for a long time like this, and maybe I should, but perhaps I diminish one of the best nights of my life with detail. I must surely have missed some acknowledgements, but I hope you will forgive if you are one of them. A mere six months ago I was hit in the head by a flying car and some cobwebs linger.
The greatest thing about the Full Metal Package show was to feel the joy in the air from those friendly faces together in one place and to feel the love being sent toward me. I am indebted to you all.

My eternal thanks, Carl Dixon

Friday September 19, 2008 How can I convey with mere words the joy of returning to my home and settling my weary world-crossing bones into a chair on my deck? Looking out on my lush, green summer-rain-soaked forest, as a brilliant afternoon sun shone down on me and my dogs rested at my feet, was the fulfillment of a dream which I’d held fast to through all my difficult days in hospital. My family reunited and wonderful friends by our side to welcome the return of my wife and me; of course these things were deeply moving. The power though, of having such a vivid picture of home come to life before me, infused my whole being with a mixture of profound joy and relief. I could not help but weep.

My accident in Australia was described by some attending professionals as the worst thing they’d ever seen. My body was as broken as that car in the photos. Somehow, my spirit stayed unbroken.

I’ve been extremely well cared-for from the first moments of my accident. Vanessa, first on the scene within a minute, who came to the car-side to calm and comfort me, and nurse Andie, second to arrive a minute later, who applied what first-aid she could while awaiting the sirens; both bravely faced the carnage and mayhem.

The Fire and Rescue team from Ballan rushed to the scene and dealt with me with kindness and gentleness during the very long process of freeing me from the terrible wreck ( so I'm told; I wish I could remember that night… no, I don’t). They feared I was a “no-hoper” but still did their best.
The Ballan Police Department, including Rod, the Investigating Officer who came to see me in hospital, and the other police chappy who gave my wife a high-speed escort past the roadblock to Melbourne so she could reach my bedside before I potentially elected to expire; all represented their profession to the highest level of skill and compassion.

The many doctors who worked on my original severe traumas at the Albert Hospital in Melbourne lived up to their reputations as being among the world’s finest. The nursing staffs at the Alfred and especially the Epworth made my days more than bearable; there was a genuine spirit of fun on many days. My physio guys challenged me on a high level every day, treating me like an athlete who had to get back out there. It was motivating to feel that challenge.

The supervising physicians at Epworth, always with a kind word and engaging on a personal level, gave me something to look forward to (Although Mr. Ponsford claimed, disingenuously I thought, to know nothing about the Grateful Dead).

Then there were the many fans and friends who took the trouble to find a way to call me or to send cards, letters, flowers and e-messages. Prayers were flowing in abundance also, as I’ve heard from countless sources. I’ve described in other messages the hope, strength and joy these things gave, but it left an enduring impression on me.
I must also mention Muskoka Mark, my web-master, who was diligent and caring about conveying the messages from me and Betty to the outside world. Thanks, chum.

Among our friends at home, Luke and Shelley loyally remained our daily link to Haliburton and friendship, while good ol’ J.D. kept the homestead from becoming an eyesore in our absence.

What are we to each other as people if we don’t have good will and convey it freely? If we’ve received the good wishes or kind efforts of somebody in our life, we must pass that energy on in our turn, not hoard it to ourselves. I have been given the gift of a return to my life through the skill, knowledge, kindness and love of all of you; I will spend all my days remembering this and passing it on. Peace and love to you all,

Carl

photos by Rosie McK

Saturday September 20, 2008

CARL DIXON BENEFIT SHOW:

Good morning everyone.  As some of you may know, Andy Curran has put together a benefit show for Carl at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto for October 30th.  Andy along with a host of other major Metal players in Canada who are great friends with Carl are performing a "FULL METAL PACKAGE" show with all proceeds to go to the Carl Dixon fund to help defray costs associated with Carl's near fatal accident and subsequent 4 months out of country hospital incarceration.

Appearing in this show are:

HELIX
BRIGHTON ROCK
ANDY CURRAN & SOHO 69
RUSS DWARF (The Killer Dwarfs)

Tickets are now on sale at the Phoenix box office as well as Ticket Break I have put a website up for this show which also has a donation page on it should anyone wish to help that cannot make the concert that evening, which you can find at www.fullmetalpackage.com   For those of you attending the show I hope to see you there... Ill be the guy with the funny drivers cap and Carl Dixon One t-shirt on :-)

Hope everyone has a great fall!

Mark Wigston (Muskoka Mark)
 

CARL DIXON'S DARING ESCAPE FROM A MELBOURNE HOSPITAL HAS STAFF SCRATCHING HEADS

Wednesday August 13, 2008

ESCAPE FROM MELBOURNE - (CD wire service) Canadian rocker Carl Dixon has been reported escaped from Epworth hospital in Melbourne, Australia following a 4-month stay in that country’s health system. “He’s just cleared out his stuff and gone” said ward spokesperson Luke Peyton. ”We know he was becoming increasingly agitated and chafing at his restrictions”. Nursing staffers Ellamae, Lynn and Maria-Cecelia, who all refused to divulge their last names, agreed that while Dixon could be a handful at times, the candy and chocolate stash in his room more than made up for it.

Supervising physician Dr. Michael Ponsford is taking the news hard, according to his staff. “We had just planned out a weekly concert series in the ward to feature Carl” reports managing nurse Jackie. “Matching dance lessons in which the Doctor was going to instruct us were set to go. This is a blow, I'm sure.”

As to the elusive rockers whereabouts, nobody has firm knowledge. However, according to nurse Megan, “I’ll wager that silly bugger’s taken off for home back in Canada; he wouldn’t shut up about it”.

The Epworth Transport drivers Dion and Rod, who would normally take Dixon to Melbourne region appointments, would neither confirm nor deny having played a role in Dixon’s escape. One of them was heard to growl “If I had helped him, I wouldn’t be tellin’ you”.

A check of the departures from Melbourne Airport reveals that a passenger Dixon did fly out Aug. 12 via Air New Zealand, but no other information is being made available at this time.

The last word comes from Mr. Dixon himself, who left a note on his hospital bed with the cryptic title:

“Stitches and Sutures and Staples”:
“I woke up one day in a peculiar situation, my love smiling down like an angel over me

She said you’re hurt, you’re in a hospital. No, no don’t try to get up
You’ve been asleep for nine days now ‘cause you’re a mess of injuries
Thank God the worst is over, don’t know how you survived.

You’ve got to do exactly as you’re told now for us to bring you back to life
With all your Stitches and sutures and staples
No time now for all your wishes and futures and fables
Give in to your Stitches and sutures and staples
And dream on.

Ps EPWORTH YOU ROCK!

Friday July 4, 2008 The world is a magical place. In week 13 of hospital captivity, depleted and weakened though I am by injury, I can still see the signs all around me of hope, faith, and love. Humans are such powerful yet fragile creatures, governed by the same immutable laws of Nature as the rest of creation; our systemic responses to disease and tissue damage work in the same way as they do for all other living creatures. Our human minds are the single greatest power on earth. What we generate from our thoughts can be as great as the greatest things ever seen. Our thoughts determine our path; if we find ourselves on a bad path it’s never too late to substitute better thoughts in place of unsatisfactory ones.

We can always choose strength over weakness, courage over fear, stoicism over complaint. Sure, it’s not always easy, but it can become a habit if you’re determined to have a good life. I’ve known these things for a long time, but I’ve never had them tested as much as they’ve been during this accident recovery time. My damaged body is doing its job of patching up the broken bits while I work at strengthening. Some days are full of promise while others are setbacks. The thing I have to remember is that those events all occur in my mind. The hope and progress that I feel comes from things like feeling my energy slowly returning and my clarity of thought increasing; progressing up to crutches for walking practice and getting into the physio swimming pool were big thrills in the last two weeks. My right hand is slowly regaining strength and flexibility and I’ve done a couple of very encouraging test runs of playing guitar and singing in a music therapy (!!) session.

With steps forward come the inevitable steps back. I probably need knee reconstructive surgery and some of my broken fingers and toes won’t heal straight. I'm also going to have to learn to walk again.

But you know what? I'm listening to the Grateful Dead “American Beauty” on a gift Ipod from a good friend as I write this, and basking in the feeling of still being here on planet earth. A living, breathing, loving man with lots of life left in the ol’ engine. The body’s a little banged up, the brakes are good, the tires fair. This was not a tragedy; just a slight course correction.

Be good to one another.

Carl

so far behind the pack.  It just wears on me mentally I guess.  That’s when your messages are the greatest help.  Physically my progress is ahead of all expectations and they say I'm a good healer.  It feels good to be up on one foot at least and using my muscles again to build up strength.

When I first came around from the coma I was pretty confused but determined.  I set some goals in those first few weeks which proved to be unrealistic and naďve.  Later, I realized how much of a beating I took and set more realistic goals for my return to regular life first and then performance.  It’s been a long time since I’ve seen home so that’s my first overriding objective.  I miss my trees, and my ponds and, my field and, my house. I have also decided that I must take the summer, at least off from performances to rebuild my strength and I am hoping now to get back in the autumn if all goes as I hope it will.

So many of you have been so kind and encouraging I could never hope to reply individually to all of you so please know that every message whether ten words or a hundred words makes a difference to me and my family.

As always thanks from Carl and the Dixon family.

 P.S.  Hope the photos help illuminate for you what I’ve gone through here.  Having lots of time to think has led me to a few new song ideas for the album I started before the accident.  One that I'm excited about is titled, “Stitches, Sutures, and Staples”.

PICTURES CAN BE FOUND BY CLICKING HERE

Thursday May 1, 2008

Hello everyone.  I’ve been reading Carl your messages over the last couple of days and he has listened, smiled and at times been overwhelmed.  Today I asked him if he felt ready to send a message to all of these wonderful people.  This is what he said.

“To my family, relatives, friends and loved ones of all stripes, I lie here in a hospital bed in Melbourne Australia for almost the third week running following the worst accident in my life. Today I asked for a list of my injuries and was startled to see how bad it looked on paper. They are as follows: head injury consisting of hemorrhage and cerebral oedema, right orbital wall fracture and sever trauma to the globe, fractured right C7 vertebrae, right pulmonary contusion, liver lacerations, pancreatic duodenum, right fractured femur, left fractured tibia, right fractured forearm bones, right open knee, multiple facial lacerations, broken right finger, broken left toe, and over 150 external stitches and staples. And yet, as I sit here today April 30, 2008, I feel like the luckiest man on earth. I’ve now been blessed with the knowledge during my lifetime of an enormous amount of goodwill from the people around me. There has been a huge learning experience for me in dealing with this crisis and in feeling the love around me that has brought me through it. I have many people to thank and will do so on an ongoing basis but first I must give thanks to my wife Betty and my daughters Carlin and Lauren for bravely rallying around me when I needed them most. The friends and relations who have stepped up at this time are too numerous to count, and their good wishes all shine. Please know that I’m working hard to get back on my feet and share the joy of music and the joy of life with all of you again. I will begin to post my own news now that I’m back and well enough to do so. Blessings on you all, Carl.”

Please continue to check in on the site and continue posting your messages.  The energy from your thoughts, prayers and good wishes have created a ripple effect of good feelings. An emotional connection has been generated, and it all radiates from Carl.

I remain ever grateful to you all for your kindness and support.

Betty

Wednesday April 16, 2008

Dear family and friends:

Thank you for your kind wishes and thoughts.  The out pouring of love and support fills my heart with joy.  I will read every note to Carl during his recovery. Carl is the love of my life. He is not like anyone I’ve ever known.  He is a wonderful husband, father, son and friend.  He has brought joy through his music and through the example he sets as a good man.  As I read the notes and messages, I realize that he has touched the lives of many and that others see what I know about Carl.

Carl has a very long road ahead of him but he is strong and he is a fighter.  He has the love of his two girls, his wife, a wonderful family and the greatest friends and fans that any man could ask for.

Keep your positive thoughts flowing; keep sending your messages.  If you haven’t hugged and told someone you love that you do – then please do so.  Life is precious.

Betty

TV show "The Saddle Club" where he daughter plays a staring roll.
We will continue to keep you posted as to his condition as details become more available.

Mark Wigston

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