|
Farmer, pilot, husband and best selling author who defies the impossible
Sam Bailey is a stand out inspirational speaker. He’s also a farmer, pilot, husband and best selling author who has achieved incredible success from a wheelchair.
Sam Bailey has an amazing ability to take his audiences on the journey of his life. It’s a rollercoaster ride that promises to make people laugh, cry, appreciate what they’ve got and realise that nothing is impossible.
Sam tells his story in his own down-to-earth laconic style that captures the great Australian spirit of ‘having a go’ and he’s changing the lives of people of all ages, and all walks of life.
One of Australia’s leading speakers and MCs, Robyn Moore said, “Standing ovations don’t happen often in Australia, however Sam Bailey’s story is so powerful it lifts people to their feet.”
Sam’s talk chronicles his life, from a childhood growing up wanting to be a farmer just like his dad, through to the day his life changed forever at the fork in a road in the Northern Territory and its aftermath. The road accident turned the schoolboy sporting hero and outback jackaroo into a quadriplegic.
But Sam’s is not a story of sadness – rather of triumph. You can hear how he turned tragedy into hope and how he beat the odds to fulfil his life-long dream of being a farmer. Despite being paralysed with only limited use of his hands and arms, and an intolerance to heat and cold, he went home to the family farm – against the advice of the medical experts.
He learnt to ride a four wheel motor bike, which became his legs around the property, devised a hoist to lift him into the farm machinery and converted tractors, the harvester, front end loader and dozer so he could drive them.
He learnt to drive a car again, travelled overseas and even tried snow skiing.
As if he hadn’t already achieved enough – he climbed his very own Mount Everest when he learnt to fly an ultralight aircraft.
But Sam’s story is much more than that.
It’s also a story of love and romance that will send your spirits soaring.
Sam found his soul mate in former Tamworth-based ABC radio Rural Reporter, Jenny Black – who he proposed to live on regional radio. The real-life proposal jammed the phone lines and the fax ran out of paper.
Their story appeared on ABC TV’s Australian Story in 2000 with an overwhelming response and then in April 2006 hit the bookshelves in their book Head Over Heels – A story of tragedy, triumph and romance in the Australian Bush. Within weeks it was on ABC Books’ best sellers list….and has now sold almost 50,000 copies.
Today they live and work together on their beef cattle property in northern NSW, in between travelling the country telling their story and giving inspiration to others.
With the support of a Commonwealth Bank Sponsorship, the couple have had a Robinson R44 helicopter modified to enable Sam to become the first quadriplegic in the world to fly a helicopter. The helicopter will be used to fly into schools, where Sam can talk to students and inspire them to fulfil their own dreams in life.
|