Mr Campbell struck the sandbar and shattered his C5 and C6 vertebrae which severed his spinal cord and resulted in him being a quadriplegic.

That fateful day was 32 years ago, and the Tuross Head man has now written a book to detail his life and experiences in a wheelchair.

"I am able to move my arms a bit, but I can't move my fingers," Mr Campbell told the Bay Post. "I've got movement in my biceps, but not my triceps.

"People will get confused because they'll see me move my arms, but I've got partial movement loss in all four limbs which is the definition of a quadriplegic.

"I decided to write my book because I turned 50 last year, and I wanted to get my life story out there while I still can. Becoming a quadriplegic takes some years off your life, and I've had a few medical problems recently.

"It took me about five months to write. I spent six hours a day using the keyboard on the screen and typed about a page an hour."

Mr Campbell's book titled 'Rantings of a Mad, Discombobulated Cripple: Three Decades Living as a Quadriplegic' is his third book after he published two children's book in 2017 and 2020.

The book details his life since the accident in Surf Beach.

"We were down from Canberra for a holiday when it happened," Mr Campbell said.

"I'd just finished my first year as an apprentice wood machinist, and I'd finished the army reserves about three months beforehand.

"After the accident I did rehab in Sydney for about seven months, and then moved to the Central Coast and lived by myself up there for 23 years.

"I've had carers who would come and help me a few times a day, but I was by myself outside of that.

"Then I had a run of medical problems, so that's when I moved back down here to my parents' place. I live in a little granny flat out the back, but mum and dad are always there in case of an emergency."

Mr Campbell has kept himself busy with several projects and skills in the three decades since his accident.

"I'd always been into computers in high school, but after my accident I got right into it and did a course in Canberra," he said.

"I've done video editing and webpage design, and I started painting about 10 years ago. 3D Printing is the next thing I want to get into."

Mr Campbell said the Tuross Head community had been "fantastic" to him since he moved back to the South Coast.

"They've been really supportive of everything I've done," he said.

"(Moving back) didn't worry me at all. I'd been to Surf Beach a few times since the accident, and one of my goals has been to go floating out in the water in a biscuit or something similar."

Mr Campbell's book is available for purchase at his website, Dead Dingo Designs.