Featured Speakers
Sam and Jenny Bailey
A story that will inspire you
Every once in a while, along comes a speaker who stands out from the crowd.
Sam Bailey is one of those. A farmer, pilot, husband and now best selling author, he has achieved all of those from a wheelchair….and has an incredible ability to take an audience 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, from all walks of life….from adults to children as young as primary school age.
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 Kosciusko” 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.
am 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 been reprinted nine times. It has proved popular with all ages, including many children and young people….with many saying it has changed their lives.
Today they live and work together on Sam’s family property in northern NSW, in between travelling the country telling their story and giving inspiration to others.
Now they are also working towards their next big goal – for Sam to become the first quadriplegic in the world to fly a helicopter.
They plan to write a second book about the journey as they work towards their goal of learning to fly a helicopter together, and ultimately flying into schools to speak to students and inspire them to fulfil their own dreams in life.
The Commonwealth Bank – one of Australia’s largest public companies – is so inspired by Sam’s dream of flying into schools it is helping financially. It’s part of its on-going commitment towards community projects.
You can find out more information about Sam and Jenny at their website www.sambailey.com.au
Every once in a while, along comes a speaker who stands out from the crowd.
Sam Bailey is one of those. A farmer, pilot, husband and now best selling author, he has achieved all of those from a wheelchair….and has an incredible ability to take an audience 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, from all walks of life….from adults to children as young as primary school age.
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 Kosciusko” 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.
am 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 been reprinted nine times. It has proved popular with all ages, including many children and young people….with many saying it has changed their lives.
Today they live and work together on Sam’s family property in northern NSW, in between travelling the country telling their story and giving inspiration to others.
Now they are also working towards their next big goal – for Sam to become the first quadriplegic in the world to fly a helicopter.
They plan to write a second book about the journey as they work towards their goal of learning to fly a helicopter together, and ultimately flying into schools to speak to students and inspire them to fulfil their own dreams in life.
The Commonwealth Bank – one of Australia’s largest public companies – is so inspired by Sam’s dream of flying into schools it is helping financially. It’s part of its on-going commitment towards community projects.
You can find out more information about Sam and Jenny at their website www.sambailey.com.au
Mr Sanjiv Dubey
Sanjiv has been appointed as a Director of Pulse Australia, an industry body representing all sectors of the pulse industry in Australia, from growers and agronomists through to researchers, merchants, traders and exporters. Sanjiv is
Trading Manager - Pulses at Gardner Smith OzEpulse based in Milsons Point, Sydney. He holds a Masters degree in Economics/International Trade from the Delhi School of Economics and an MBA. Sanjiv is on the Executive Committee of the international pulse body CICILS IPTIC and also sits on the Grain Trade Australia panel of approved arbitrators. Mr Graeme Foote
Graeme is the Managing Director of Agricultural Marketing Consultant company McCaulay Dalton and Company. He has held a number of positions with the industry after gaining his Bachelor of Agricultural Economics from the University of New England in Armidale, NSW. These have included a research economist and marketing manager (Coarse Grains) for GrainGrowers Ltd, General Manager of the Grains Division for Continental Grain Australia, and as the Trading Manager for Marubeni Australia. In July of 2000 Graeme and business partner Peter Roach formed McCaulay Dalton & Company and offered Australian business’ agricultural marketing support.Over the past 10 years of operation the company has grown to offer marketing support to 3rd country business as well as ocean freight support to
international clients however the ethos has remained the same whereby the business is a relationship and long term partnerships is what McCaulay Dalton & Company aims to develop. Susan McDonnell
Susan is the Grain Growers Ltd Field Officer for Northern NSW and Queensland. She has been heavily involved with the National Crop Quality Report. This is a survey-based system where growers contribute samples to be labratory tested, creating a database which will become a tool to promote and market Australian wheat to international buyers. It also creates opportunity for contributing growers to benchmark themselves against others.
Graham Spackman
Graham
Spackman is senior partner in Emerald-based agricultural consulting firm Spackman Iker Ag Consulting. The business provides independent agronomic and business management advice and services. Clients are dryland and irrigated cropping and mixed enterprise farmers, and agribusinesses in Central Queensland. | Mr George Pallett
George is an International Grains Trader at Gardner Smith OzEPulse based at Milsons Point, Sydney.
Mr Todd Jorgensen
Todd is the President of the Australian Mungbean Association as well as the Managing Director of Associated Grain, based in Dalby, QLD.
Mr Klint Forbes
Attend South Plains College in Ag Business & Ag Economics. Klint has been farming row crop for
24 years. Farmer producer of many crops such as: guar, cotton, peanuts, wheat, silage, sunflowers, and milo. Founder of West Texas Guar, Inc., Chief operator officer for the past 14 years of West Texas Guar, Inc. Serves as director of production contracting and agronomy. West Texas Guar, Inc. is the only company, outside of India or Pakistan, that process guar fromseed through production to final product. Interviews and Articles have been published in the Wall Street Journal, Country Wide magazine, Progressive Farmer and in numerous farm and agriculture publications. Klint is married, and has two daughters. They Live on the family farm that has been in his family for five generations. He was chosen to serve on the Texas AgriculturalLifetime Leadership Program from 2011-2012. (link to tall.tamu.edu) He participates in the program under South Plains Soil Conservation board, and a member of Texas Farm Bureau. Stephen Welsh
Stephen is CEO of North Queensland & Pacific Biodiesel a Biodiesel company
based in Cairns, Australia since its formation in 2007. This role involved the construction of the new facility in Cairns in 2008. The company has used a range of feedstocks for Biodiesel production including – Waste cooking oil,Tallow, Palm oil, Soybean and sunflower oil. The wide range of feedstock experience has assisted in developing accurate economic models for the production of Biofuel and the all relevant input costs. |
Mr Peter Woods
Peter Woods is the Chief Executive Officer of Wheat Exports Australia (WEA). He has 35 years experience in the agriculture industry including management and operation of rural enterprises.
Prior to joining the former Wheat Export Authority, he was regional manager (southern NSW, Victoria & South Australia) for Castlegate VGS, marketing a wide range of stock feeds sourced from the food, beverage and brewing industries and marketed to dairies,
feedlots, pigs, and poultry and feed compounding businesses.
Previously, Peter was the Chief Executive Officer of the Gilgandra Marketing Co-operative Limited, where he introduced and managed grain pools for members, long-term contracts, chemical supply, logistics and crop inspections. Peter was actively involved in developing an export strategy for grain through an umbrella co-operative – Netco.
Peter has lectured in agricultural marketing and finance at the University of Sydney and Orange Agricultural College, leased a property in the Bathurst district where he ran a 4,000 sheep enterprise based on producing 2,000 fat lambs, wool and sheep trading handling 20,000 head per year. Peter managed large corporate properties in the Wagga Wagga area in the 1980s.
Prior to joining the former Wheat Export Authority, he was regional manager (southern NSW, Victoria & South Australia) for Castlegate VGS, marketing a wide range of stock feeds sourced from the food, beverage and brewing industries and marketed to dairies,
feedlots, pigs, and poultry and feed compounding businesses.
Previously, Peter was the Chief Executive Officer of the Gilgandra Marketing Co-operative Limited, where he introduced and managed grain pools for members, long-term contracts, chemical supply, logistics and crop inspections. Peter was actively involved in developing an export strategy for grain through an umbrella co-operative – Netco.
Peter has lectured in agricultural marketing and finance at the University of Sydney and Orange Agricultural College, leased a property in the Bathurst district where he ran a 4,000 sheep enterprise based on producing 2,000 fat lambs, wool and sheep trading handling 20,000 head per year. Peter managed large corporate properties in the Wagga Wagga area in the 1980s.