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A skint Aussie athlete trapped in London needed to get home in time for his daughter's birthday - so he came up with a unique idea.

Bonkers javelin thrower Reg Spiers decided to strip off naked and sit in a box for the entire journey across to the other side of the world.

In 1964 he came to Britain to recover from an injury that interrupted his athletics career, after narrowly missing out on the Tokyo Olympics.

When he realised he would not make the games, he decided to take up a job working at an airport to earn some money to fly home.

(Image: Marcus McSorley)

But during his trip, the unlucky hopeful was mugged of his wallet containing all of his savings while staying in the capital.

He needed to get back to Adelaide in time for his daughter's birthday, a matter of weeks away.

He said: "I've come up with this mad scheme to get back to Australia in a box. Who can say it won't work? Let's give it a shot."

"I just got in the thing and went. What was there to be frightened of? I'm not frightened of the dark so I just sat there.

(Image: Marcus McSorley)

"It's like when I travel now if I go overseas. There's the seat. Sit in it, and go."

Having had years of experience in the export cargo section, he was an expert in cash on delivery with freight.

So Reg set about building a custom-made box that could fit him inside - along with some straps to hold him while it was being moved around.

The external part of the crate was covered in paint and addressed to a fake Australian shoe company.

Inside, he packed some tinned food, a torch, a blanket and pillow plus two plastic bottles (one for drinking and one for relieving himself).

He added: "I'd seen animals come through all the time and I thought, 'If they can do it I can do it.'

(Image: Marcus McSorley)

"I got out of the box between London and Paris, dying for a leak," says Spiers. "I peed in a can and put it on top of the box.

"I was stretching my legs and all of a sudden, because it's a short distance, the plane began to descend.

"A little panicky I jumped back in the box, and the can full of pee was still sitting on top."

Luckily for Reg, baggage handlers in France thought it was a prank played on them by their English counterparts.

He then travelled to Bombay where he soaked up the sun and stripped off his clothes before making the final journey to his Australia homeland.

When his crate arrived, baggage handlers were swearing about the size of it but he didn't want to give himself away - not just yet.

Then when he arrived and his crate was placed down on the floor - and it was time to celebrate.

"I knew they would take the box to a bond shed. When they put me in the shed I got out straight away.

"There were cartons of beer in there. I don't drink but I whipped a beer out and had a drink of that."

A book has now been written about Reg's adventures called Out of the Box.