Everyone has an idol when growing up, I was no different…There were a few people on this list but one stood out, that person was my brother Phil. There was something with the way that he conducted himself in training and competition that was inspiring!  There was never an excuse.

I must have been around ten maybe even younger when Phil would invite me down the paddock with a football under one arm. We would kick and pass all the way down to a stretch of dirt where we would do some sprint training, He would handicap me so that he had something to chase and I would do my best to stay in front. Once we were done we would grab the footy and head home. This is probably what ignited my competiveness and the realisation that if you want to achieve something you have to be willing to work for it.
On the 10th of July 2002 he became more than an Idol of mine, he became a life savour. The day that I lost my leg could have ended very differently if not for him and my family.  When faced with a difficult situation their decisions and actions ensured that I am still here. I will give you an idea of this situation. The family farm is located 35km from the closest town, no moblie phone service, roads that
are not clearly named which makes it a nightmare when trying to tell emergency support where you are. So if an accident was to happen in our area the odds aren’t really in your favour. So when my leg was severed down a paddock 2km form our house, there was always going to be a battle to survive.
I remember regaining consciousness on the ground, looking down to discover that the lower part of my leg was no longer attached and realising that I was in a bit of trouble, instinctively I got up and hopped to the ute, where Phil, 16 at the time, drove the fastest trip back to the house I had ever experienced, the decision was made by mum and dad not to call the ambulance and wait, but begin the trip and meet them on the way. Dad wrapped a belt around my leg and Phil grabbed my leg in attempt to slow the bleeding. Dad was faced with a situation that would have had to do one of the hardest things that I could imagine, Drive with his 12 year old son in agony in the back seat knowing that time was short.
Somehow he was able to compose himself and keep the car on the road. We had driven around 25km before we met the ambulance, I can only guess times but it would have been around 35 minutes since the accident and I was now in the care of trained professionals, although I was still not out of trouble, Temora hospital is not equipped in severe cases of trauma, so it was vital to obtain  external support and that came when Snowy Hydro south care were tasked to stabilise and airlift me to Canberra where I would have more chances of survival.

Over the following 3.5 weeks I underwent around 12 operations where the doctors had to amputate my leg higher, then put me back together. Being an amputee is something that I had to come to terms with, But I was soon to realise the amazing support network that I had always had around me but never appreciated. This support not only came from my family who were amazing but  from the entire district. The support that they gave Mum, Dad, brother and sisters, enabled them to keep me in good spirits and get me back home as fast as possible.

Today marks the tenth anniversary since I lost my leg, It is one of mixed emotions, and although the accident took away some of my hopes and dreams, it has enabled me to be a part of something amazing, Three water-ski world championships and now the biggest sporting event for athletes with disability, the London Paralympics. So I think today should be a celebration of what I have rather than what I have lost, which at the end of the day was only a leg!

Phil is still someone that I idolise, but this day made him more than an idol, he became someone that I owe my life to. The word hero gets thrown around regularly; to me my family are my heroes, without them I may not be alive. I am grateful that I have such wonderful people in my life!

Have you ever caught yourself pondering what it would be like to be the best in the world at something? To be part of something so big that you could only dream about. Making my way through primary school there was more time spent dreaming about donning the green and gold before tearing onto the Rugby League field or sprinting down the athletics track with the world’s best by my side, then doing actual school work. There is no hiding the fact that I was more athletic than academic in life, the best part of school was recess and lunch, where I could kick around with my friends and burn some energy.  This dream of being the world’s best was always with me, it didn’t matter what I was doing I was always so competitive.

In a flash these dreams seemed to be shattered, when I lost the lower half of leg in an accident on our farm.  The visions of representing Australia seemed to be destroyed in the blink of an eye. When faced with this situation you have to make a choice, hide from the world or take it as a challenge and attack it head on.  It didn’t take long to decide that this was only going to be a diversion in the dream.  I was keen to push past this inconvenience and ensure that my life would go on. Playing for the Kangaroos was out of the question but there had to be other options to fulfil my dream!

Fast forward a decade, what I thought was only a dream when I was a kid is about to become a reality in 77 short days at the London 2012 Paralympics Although the Paralympics was not exactly what I envisioned as a primary school student, I am about to realize my dream of pulling on the green and gold for as a part of the Australian track and field team.  If someone had of asked me what the Paralympics were in 2002, the answer would have been brief, as it was something that I really knew nothing about.

I am beginning to understand what it takes to become a Paralympic athlete and I am witnessing the rapid progression of the Paralympic sport. The Olympics undoubtedly   the pinnacle of sport, but what has made it the magnificent event it is today?  Since 1896 athletes have been pushing the bar higher to a level where they had no choice but to become professional to keep up with the competition. The Paralympics are 64 years younger than their counterpart, however, I believe that they have progressed faster than its older brother. Over the past twelve years the Paralympics have accelerated at an unbelievable rate, all you have to do it look through the record books, take the men’s sprint events of 100m, 200m, and 400m with 57 world record that can be broken,  93% of these records are under twelve years old!   The level of professional athletes in Paralympic sports is at its highest level in history. This means that the London 2012 Paralympics will be the best Paralympics in history.

When you see an athlete on the podium in London, they are there for one reason, they deserve to be there!  All athletes know that If you have not done the work, you might as well not board the plane, because if you’re off by only 1%, I guarantee that there will be athletes ready to take the opportunity to take that position on the podium.

This excites and drives me, I am aware that there are athletes that have run faster and have more experience, but it is time for a change. New champions will be crowned, old champions will be defeated.  But in this whole process there is only one thing that I can control and that is doing everything possible to ensure that I not only fulfil my childhood dream, but exceed it, by pushing the boundaries and giving it my all. I can’t wait.