Bundarra battles drought and fire

The small rural community of Bundarra - on the NSW north west slopes - has battled drought throughout much of 2009 and then in December fires. Sam and Jenny joined more than 140 local residents and landholders on December 17 for a 'Christmas Special for Farming Families' at the local Sport and Rec club to help lift their spirits after what has been a challenging year. PICTURED ABOVE: Sam and Jenny with Drought Support Worker and organiser, Jenny Croft. PICTURED BELOW: Sam with Vicky Mackey and her daughter Courtney, who also attended the night in Bundarra.

Northern CMA plans future strategy

Staff and directors from Border Rivers - Gwydir Catchment Management Authority spent two days in early December developing a shared vision and future strategy at their annual two-day forum at Inverell. Sam and Jenny Bailey were guest speakers at the forum dinner on December 3 at Inverell RSM Club. They're pictured above with (l-r) Stacey Oswald, Annabelle Monie, Annabel Sides and acting general manager, Rod Williams.

Helifirst theme song wins ASA award

Talented South Australian songwriter, Danny Hooper, has taken out a prestigious Australian Songwriters Association (ASA) award with a song he wrote about Sam and Jenny Bailey's story. Danny's song titled "You Don't Need Wings to Fly" took out the top award in the spiritual section against songwriters entries from across Australia. He gave a rousing performance of the song on the night, the first time it had been seen in public.

Danny and his wife Lea first met Sam and Jenny at a function at Melrose, South Australia, back in 2007 where the Baileys were speaking and Danny was singing. They struck up a special friendship which resulted in Danny visiting their Croppa Creek farm a couple of times, and performing at the local Croppa Creek golf Club.

As their friendship grew, Sam and Jenny became even more aware of Danny's exceptional songwriting talents and that inspired them to ask him to write a theme song for their Helifirst project, which will see Sam become the first quadriplegic in the world to fly a helicopter. He plans to fly into schools to speak to students.

They never dreamt the request for a theme song would lead to such instant acclaim...as the song hasn't even been officially recorded yet.

Sam and Jenny joined Danny and Lea at the ASA gala awards night in Sydney on October 22 to witness him receiving the top award from his peers, and give a rousing performance of "You Don't Need Wings to Fly". Another of Danny's songs received a third place in the Country award, while a third song was in the top 25. Both those songs feature on his debut album "The Legacy", which we highly recommend...in fact it never leaves our CD player! It just gets played over and over and over. Find out more about Danny or buy his CD on his website.

Allied health workers meet in Tamworth

Sam and Jenny spoke at the fourth NSW Rural Allied Health Conference on November 12 and 13 at Tamworth. The conference attracted about 200 allied health professionals from across the state, including physiotherapists, speech pathologists, social workers, mental health workers and others. PICTURED ABOVE: (Back l-r) Linda and Brian Cutler, Julia Greaves (front l-r) Jenny Preece, Sam and Jenny. PICTURED BELOW: Sam and Jenny signing books after their talk on November 13 with one of Jenny's closest friends and physio, Julia Greaves, looking on with Rosie Kew and Craig Knox.

Young farmers gather in Goondiwindi

Participants came from across the Queensland Murray Darling Committee Inc (QMDC) region for the Young Farmers Forum at Goondiwindi Cultural Centre on November 11 and 12. The QMDC, which covers the central southern part of the state, brought together speakers to discuss climate change, labour shortages, natural resource mangement, water, mental health, economics and leadership - all issues high on the agenda for rural Australia. Sam and Jenny spoke at the forum on Wednesday night, November 11, and are pictured above with some of the participants and organisers (back, l-r) Jenny Bailey, Cameron O'Neil, Jessica Gibson, Angie Muller and John Norman, (front, l-r) Sam Bailey and Miles McColl.

Utes in the Paddock art exhibition

Sam and Jenny attended the opening of the 'Ute Artists at The Carrington' art exhibition on October 31. The exhibiton is at the historic Carrington Hotel at Katoomba in the Blue Mountains from November 1 to December 13, between 10am and 4pm daily. Entry is free. Sam and Jenny attended to support their great mate, Belinda Williams (pictured above with her partner Matt Hollingdale in front of some of her art works). Belinda is one of a number of the state's leading artists participating in the exhibition at the Carrington, which features all the artists who have turned a Holden Ute into an art work as part of the unique 'Utes in the Paddock' on Burrawang West Station at Ootha near Condobolin in the NSW Central West. The collection of ute artworks are on private land for the purpose of public viewing and enjoyment. They are already attracting a huge influx of tourists. Find out more at www.utesinthepaddock.com.au

Ag n Chat group brings people together

More than 300 people gathered at the Marrar Hall in the small town north of Wagga Wagga to see Sam and Jenny speak on October 30. It was a wonderful response from a rural community still suffering the on-going effects of drought. The Marrar Ag N Chat group organised the hugely successful evening, which they titled "A Night off with a Bailey(s)". Local hero Scott Reardon also told his story on the night. He lost his leg in a farm accident in 2002 but has gone on to achieve success as a world champion disabled water skier and has recently been accepted into the Institute of Sport track and field team aiming towards the paralympics.

PICTURED: Sam and Jenny with members of the Marrar Ag N Chat group who helped organised the community night at Marrar Hall on October 30.

Tooma area stunning in green

Sam and Jenny Bailey's visit to speak at Tooma, a small rural community in the Snowy Mountains, proved a picturesque event...as the area is enjoying one of its best seasons in years. More than 100 local residents from the area between Tumbarumba to the north and Corryong to the south attended the rural gathering at the Tooma Hall on October 28. While landholders are enjoying a wonderful season, they have also been ravaged by drought in the past few years. Sam and Jenny stayed as guests of Kate and Stewart Sutherland at Tooma Station, one of the local historic properties. PICTURED ABOVE: The view from the front verandah of Tooma Station homestead. PICTURED BELOW: The front of the homestead.

Having lunch at Tumbarumba the day after the Tooma talk Sam and Jenny caught up with local resident Liz Holstein (standing left) who attended the Tooma event the night before. The Tooma event was initiated by Corowa-based Drought Support Worker, Don Burrowes (standing centre) and another speaker at the night was John Harper (standing right), who started the Mate Helping Mate program to help people coping with depression. Don's wife Wendy (front right) also attended.

Some of the local Tooma residents who attended Sam's talk included (l-r) Suzie Triggs, Richard Triggs snr, Heather Blake, Stewart and Kate Sutherland (who hosted Sam and Jenny at Tooma Station), Richard Triggs jnr, Kerry Blake, Sally Adams and Merilyn Limbrick, (front, l-r) Sam and Suzie Mitchell.

School talk has special significance

Sam Bailey's talk on Friday, October 23rd, to students at St Joseph's Convent at Lochinvar in the lower Hunter Valley had very special significance because it was the dying wish of Louise Considine to attend...because the event was the idea of and organised by her 14-year-old daughter, Breanna. Sadly Louise, 39, lost her battle to a brain tumour only 24 hours earlier but her brave daughter still introduced 'her great mate' Sam to all the students at the school, so they could hear his "inspiring story of tragedy, triumph and romance in the Australian Bush". Breanna's father, Michael, other family members and family friends also attended the event to support Breanna as she fulfilled her mother's dying wish for her to introduce Sam at the school talk despite the sudden lose of her mother...who was diagnosed with brain tumours only six weeks prior to her passing. Breanna, a Year 8 student at St Josephs, decided to ask Sam to speak to her fellow students after seeing him speak at a Rotary function last year at Maitland and reading his book "Head Over Heels", never imagining the events that would unfold in the following few weeks. Sam said, "It's amazing how things happened, almost as if Jenny and I were meant to come into the Considine family's life when they are coping with the devastating lose of their wonderful mother, wife, daughter, sister and friend. While it's obviously an incredibly tough time I hope my story shows that with time, they will be able to get through this with help from their family, friends and the community they live in. Our thoughts are with them through this difficult time."

Sam and Jenny  with (l-r) St Joseph's Convent school librarian Pam Lincoln, Sarah Garland, Tegan Beavis, Breanna Considine, St Josephs principal Paul Greaves and Georgia Maher.

Sam and Jenny with the late Louise Considine's brave family (l-r) husband Michael, parents Terry and Coral Prouse, brother-in-law Anthony Woodcock, daughter Breanna and sister, Angela Woodcock.

ClubsNSW conference a show stopper

ClubsNSW certainly knows how to WOW their members, as Sam and Jenny Bailey discovered when invited to speak at its annual conference on the Gold Coast from October 10 to 13. Held at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, the annual conference attracted well over 1000 delegates from clubs throughout NSW, and was a real show stopper....thanks to an amazing array of spectacular events. Sam said, "Jenny and I spoke on Sunday morning and then attended the Sunday evening dinner event, which was a real show stopper. It had an arabesque theme and was absolutely spectacular, including a jeanie, belly dancers, fire eaters, acrobats, fantastic singing and even live camels!" Sam and Jenny are pictured above with host of the Arabesque dinner, comedian Mark Mitchell (second from left), and fellow keynote speaker, Captain Gerald Coffee (right) and his wife, Susan. Captain Coffee is a retired navy captain who was shot down while flying combat missions over North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He was taken prisoner and spent virtually all of his 7 years and 9 days as a POW in solitary confinement. He now travels the world as a motivational speaker, delivering a powerful message on turning adversity into something with purpose. Find out more on his web page.

Sam and Jenny with some of the key organisers for the ClubsNSW annual conference Anne Fitzgerald, Executive Manager Marketing (left) and Raelene Breakwell, Executive Manager ClubKeno Holdings.

Principals gather from across Oz

Primary School leaders from all sectors of primary education, including government, catholic and independent schools, joined key stakeholders and international education leaders at the 2009 Australian Primary Principals Association (APPA) national conference in mid-September on the Gold Coast. Sam and Jenny spoke on the closing day of the event, September 18. Sam is pictured above with one of the organisers, Hilary Backus, who is also principal of Indooroopilly State School, in a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland.

Tara men warned about health issues

The warning was loud and clear - "have regular checkups and see your doctor if anything seems abnormal, particularly once you're over 40 years of age." That was the message to farmers and local residents from the Tara area at a Rural Men's Health Night on September 2 at the Tara Memorial Hall. More than 50 men attend the evening, which included a talk from Sam and Jenny Bailey; a local doctor who talked about prostate problems and a local farmer, whose heart problems resulted in a heart transplant.

Ekka helps shape 'Future Directions'

The RNA Future Directions Commitee with support from the Australian Government's Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Foresty organised the inaugural "Learning to Lead" seminar series during this year's 2009 Royal Queensland Show (Ekka). Sam was one of a number of speakers during the event from August 7 to 10. He's pictured above with (l-r) participants Ian Pursehouse, and organisers Warwick Frazer, Susanne Schick, Karen Williams and Alicia Kirkman. Sam and Jenny are pictured (left) with another committee member, Kirstie Fossett.

Fertiliser industry gathers at Coffs Australian Fertiliser Services Association members gathered from across Australia for their annual conference during the first week of August at the Pacific Bay Resort at Coffs Habour on the Mid North Coast of NSW. Sam and Jenny spoke to participants on Tuesday August 4 and are pictured above with (back, l-r) John Harrison, AFSA National Project Officer; Kerry Walker; Steve Howson; his wife Sally McConachy, AFSA secretary; Jan Harrison; and (front left) Richard Walker, NSW President AFSA. Jenny lived next door to Richard and Kerry Walker for five years when living at Tamworth, where she was the ABC Radio Rural Reporter from 1992 until 1999. "It was so great catching up with them again after all these years," she said. Find out more about the AFSA on their web page.

 Novartis dinner 'a lot of fun'

Staff from the Novartis' animal health division took their fun to a new level on July 28 when they wore fancy dress for their conference dinner. The theme was 'ancestors' and staff came up with some intriguing ancestral connnections which added an atmosphere of fun and frivolity to their dinner, at which Sam and Jenny also spoke. Sam is pictured above with some of the participants including (back l-r) Colin McKay - who won the prize for the best costume, Andrea Tamke, George Bebonis, Sarah Waugh, Neil Seaman, Georgia Connell (front l-r) Joe Scammell, Brooke Hardy and Duncan Thomson. A great night was had by all.

Testimonial:

 "Thanks a lot Sam and Jenny for having shared your impressive and touching story with our entire team. You reached our hearts and minds and you put life into a new perspective. There is probably no better way in demonstrating real "can do" and what we can achieve if we are really trying in making most out of life. You gave us great inspiration and motivation," - Dr. Ralph Heuser, CEO Novartis Animal Health

Visit to West Wyalong a great hit

Sam and Jenny had a fantastic trip to West Wyalong in the NSW Central West on June 25 and 26, with more than 230 people attending a community event at the West Wyalong Services and Citizen's Club. It was a night for the whole family and it was great to see so many kids and young people amongst the audience. The event was organised by a wonderful band of local service providers including (pictured above with Sam and Jenny, l-r) Lisa Minogue, Rural Financial Counsellor; Sarah Heinjus, Community Support Worker and Jan Bruce, Drought Support Worker. Sam said, "We came away thinking that that rural community is lucky to have such a great support team of dedicated people...not just in Lisa, Sarah and Jan...but also their colleagues who are helping support rural communities, many who are still in drought after many years. There has been some rain in the area but the drought is far from over...it will take years for farmers and their communities to recover financially."

Sam and Jenny also visited local schools during their time in West Wyalong. See more on the 2009 Schools News page. 

Sam resumes public speaking in Perth

Sam and Jenny Bailey were back on the public speaking circuit in mid-June when they headed to Perth in Western Australia to speak. It was their first public speaking appearance since Sam broke the femur in his right leg in March.

Sam and Jenny spoke at The Mortgage Gallery national conference at Burswood Entertainment Centre on Friday, June 19....speaking to more than 130 members and staff. Sam and Jenny are pictured above with the man who began the company, John Bignell and conference organiser, Jenny Dyer, who helped organise the event.

Sam and Jenny also found time to speak to Perth Business Swap for the second time...speaking at the meeting on Wednesday morning, June 17. They spoke to the group at a similar time last year. Sam is pictured below with Perth Business Swap members (l-r) Tony Longbottom, president Trina Panormo, Heidi Cornelissen and Heike Silke.

Sam also spoke at Marmion Primary School on Thursday, June 18. See more on the Schools page.

Support for drought ravaged south

The south of NSW and much of southern Australia generally is still affected by drought. On March 5 and 6 Sam and Jenny Bailey visited farming communities in the southern Riverina to help bouy the spirits of local residents. They spoke at small country halls at Womboota and Wanganella, with more than 100 people attending both nights which were organised by the Corowa-based NSW DPI Drought Support Worker, Don Burrowes.

Sam and Jenny at Womboota with (l-r, back) Luke Barlow, Malcolm Starritt, Alistair Starritt, Gerard James, Paddy Flanagan and Jacqui Starritt and (front, left) Fran Graham.

 

Sam met Dom and Emilia Greco at the Wanganella farm family gathering.

 Sam caught up with some mates at the Wanganella Hall farm family gathering on March 6 (l-r) Peter McCrabb, Colin McCrabb, Jim Dickson and John Stephens.

Young dairy farmers learn leadership

On March 3 Sam and Jenny Bailey spoke at a dinner which was part of "Leadin - A Young Dairy Farmer's Leadership and Development Program". It was a great night at a unique venue called "Heaven in the Hills" near Maleny on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. Sam and Jenny are pictured above with participants: (l-r, back...everyone standing) Paul Roderick, Ruth McInnes, Craig Teese, Janine Teese, Victoria Menkins, Donna Fitch (front), Theresa Kunde (back), Sue Dowling, Rachael Parkes (front), Di Gresham (back), Ray Gresham, Julie Gerber, Roslyn D'Adonna, Hannah Martin, Kathrine Colachie, Jackie Kyte (event organiser); and (l-r, front) Barb Bishop (trainer/educator), Jenny Bailey, Sam Bailey and Andrew Kath.

Fundraiser for injured rugby player

The rugby family rallied to raised funds for injured player, Mark Tonga on Saturday night, February 21, with a huge fundraiser at ANZ Stadium in Sydney. (He's pictured above with Sam Bailey.)

The dinner included a who's who of the rugby world plus many supporters, family and friends of Mark, who suffered a high level spinal injury while in training with West Harbour Rugby Union Football Club. Sam spoke at the function along with various other guests including General Peter Cosgrove; Peter Fenton, Peter Fitzsimons, Nick Farr-Jones, Matt Burke, Simon Poidevin and Mal Meninga. Kamahl sang during the function.

Sam had a special surprise for former Wallaby Simon Poidevin. He read to the audience of more than 800 people a letter Simon wrote to him when he was in the spinal unit at Princess Alexandra Hospital back in 1987.

The letter reads, "Sam, There's not a lot I can say to ease what I'm sure is a very difficult change in your lifestyle. However mate I can say that I feel deeply for how you would feel even without knowing you. Injuries often go through my mind before games of Rugby and I've seen a few mates hurt badly and have the courage to carry on - you'll do the same. Warmest regards, Simon Poidevin."

Sam told the audience how he idolised Simon Poidevin at the time - in fact he still believes he was one of the best rugby players of all time - and how much the letter meant to him at a time when he was coping with a life-changing accident.

Sam finally got to meet his schoolboy hero, Simon, on Saturday night (pictured above)....and was able to thank him for that gesture of kindness 22-years-ago.

Sam and Jenny pictured at the Mark Tonga fundraiser with (l-r) Brad Dubberley (coach of the Australian Wheelchair Rugby team), Ian Alker (who works for Australian Rugby), and friends Carissa and Richard Tombs. Both Ian and Richard attended the same school as Sam, The Armidale School (TAS).

  

Sam caught up with TAS old boys, Josh Smith (left) and Ian Alker (right) for lunch on Sunday, February 22. (Pictured l-r) Josh with his son Jack, Mins Alker with daughter Elly, Cate Smith and daughter Zoe, and Ian with youngest son Sam. Toby Alker is standing at front with Sam Bailey.

First 2009 talk for Prescare 

Sam and Jenny Bailey's first speaking engagement for 2009 was for Prescare staff at Surfair International, Marcoola, on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland. PresCare offers a diverse range of residential and community aged care services from Mackay to the South-East corner of Queensland, employing nurses and carers skilled not just in clinical care, but also providing a quality living environment. Prescare, a part of hte Presbyterian Church, is also know for its strengths in advancing dementia and palliative care practices, and adopting some of the latest aged care technology to make life easier. Find out more about Prescare. Sam is pictured above with (l-r) Prescare CEO, Ray Tuttle; staff member Val Dunlea, visitor Ronda Vijsma and organiser of the conference, Ken Howatson.

 

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