The Shepparton flood recovery team is hosting Beyond the Game, a free panel discussion about sport, inclusion and disaster recovery featuring AFLW player Tayla Harris, Paralympians Vanessa Low and Col Pearse and disaster expert David Younger.
Echuca-born Paralympian, Col Pearse will share the challenges he faced after he lost his foot as a two-year-old. For the country kid who grew up on a dairy farm, it has been the grounding from hard-working parents and good mates that built resilience in Col that helped him achieve bronze in Tokyo and silver in Paris.
As a young boy, Col had dreams of playing AFL for Geelong and cricket for Australia, but meeting Australia’s most decorated Paralympian Ellie Cole, changed his life and his sporting aspirations.
“Growing up on a dairy farm has made me who I am. Dairy farming is one of the toughest jobs in the world in my opinion. You milk every morning and every night, and you have to look after every cow you have on the farm. Regardless of if it’s pissing rain, it’s 40 degrees or if there’s bushfires on the neighbouring property, the cows still have to be milked.
“On Christmas morning the rules were we had to feed the cows first before we got fed and opened presents. As an eight-year-old, it’s the worst thing ever, as I’ve gotten older and become a professional athlete, I think it’s probably the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I’ve had to learn that nothing in life is ever given, it’s earned.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, it’s about heart.”
To hear more about Col’s journey, Beyond the Game will be held on Sunday, December 15, from 11am to 2pm, at the Main Pavilion Function Room of Sports City on Numurkah Road. To book scan the QR Code, email recovery@shepparton.vic.gov.au or call 0478 257 397.
