Kiwi reality TV contestant reveals 31-year secret about dad's farm death
A New Zealand farmer and adventurer competing on Alone Australia has revealed for the first time the tragic accident that fatally injured his father, saying he has never spoken about it with anyone, not even his wife.
Clint Waghorn, a 57-year-old off-grid sheep and beef farmer, spoke about his father after surviving 37 days alone in the remote wilderness of Sapmi, Finland, where he is competing against nine Australians in Season 4 of the hit survival series.
As hunger, exhaustion and isolation mounted, Waghorn reflected on a day nearly 31 years ago that changed his life forever.
“It’s been nearly 31 years since he passed away. I’ve never talked about it with anyone. Not even my wife,” he said.
“I’m not even sure if I can, to be honest.”
Waghorn told the camera he had spent a spring day helping a neighbouring farmer while his father remained at home carrying out jobs around the family farm.
Kiwi contestant Clint Waghorn opened up about the farm accident that killed his father nearly 31 years ago. Photo / Alone Australia
Returning later that afternoon in a farm ute, he came around a corner to find his father approaching from the opposite direction on a four-wheeler.
“He didn’t see me. He hit the front of the ute. It was enough for him to fly over the handlebars.”
The bike plunged down a bank while his father was left badly injured beside the driveway.
“I went and got help, called the ambulance. By the time they got there, he was deteriorating. We knew there was something badly wrong.”
Sheep and beef farmer Clint Waghorn has recalled the day his father (pictured) was fatally injured, depriving him of a parent and his closest mate. Photo / Alone Australia
An air ambulance was called, but his father died on the way to hospital.
The loss was devastating for Waghorn, who described his father as a parent and a mate.
“Dad and I were bloody close. We hunted together, we fished together, worked together, drank beer together, watched sport on TV together.
“To lose your dad and your mate in one blow like that, bloody hell.”
Clint Waghorn says the death of his father taught him to make the most of every day, a lesson that drives him as he battles to outlast nine Australians in a reality TV show. Photo / Alone Australia
The revelation marked a rare display of vulnerability from the self-reliant farmer, who has built a life around resilience and endurance.
Living off-grid on a remote sheep and beef farm, Waghorn powers his property with solar energy and raises much of his own food. His outdoor credentials include a 10,000km sea-kayaking expedition around Alaska, which became the subject of a book, and a 14-day solo survival challenge in the New Zealand wilderness.
But despite a lifetime spent tackling physical hardship, Waghorn said the memory of his father’s death remained difficult to confront.
He said the tragedy shaped his outlook on life.
“If there’s one thing I took from that fateful day all those years ago, it’s make the best use of what time I’ve got every day.”
The reflection came as Waghorn continued battling dwindling food supplies more than a month into the competition.
“You can fish all day, be nothing, nothing, nothing. Then suddenly you get one bite and it just can make everything worthwhile.”
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