When I think of celebrating my 100th, my mind goes back to Ern Holmes Oval in July and kicking the first goal of the day for Pennant Hills in front of a crowd that included my little sister who had flown back from London for one night, so how I'm going to celebrate writing my 100th blog early next year is a no-brainer...I'll be hosting a family day after a Demons pre-season training session in March, 2014.
Kids will be playing, boys will be training, the barbecue will be in operation, there is plenty of room for Mums and Dads to kick the footy with the kids, and the feature presentation will be a replay of the 4th quarter of the Demons 4th Division Grand Final win. There will be copies of my 100th blog available at the family day, but I'll have a special preview reading after training the Thursday night prior over a sausage sizzle.
So come along and join in the new year frivolity, bring the family to the family club and have a snag, a beer, a wine, a kick or all of the above.
Have a tremendous Christmas, and when you sit down to make your New Years Resolution, make it fair dinkum, don't get lost in the big picture, just make small, simple resolutions and make sure you get them done.
Focus on the game plan and let the result take care of itself.
Tuesday 24 December 2013
Monday 16 December 2013
Time to practice what I preach
Since I had my stroke in 2005, I've tried to live my life according to some advice one of my best footy coaches, Big Dan gave me...
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself."
Living my life by focusing on doing the small steps right and not distracting myself with the "big picture" has only brought me success so far, but I've realised that I've been moving away from that formula when it comes to my motivational speaking business, and I need to bring myself back to what I know works.
I feel really confident with who I am and where I'm going right now, so even though I may have plenty of limitations and innefficiencies (it's taken me 32 minutes to write this much of my blog), I'm going to keep running my business on my own. I'm well aware I could make a lot more money if I hired a copywriter, a book keeper and a social media co-ordinator, but making money is the "big picture" or the result of running a business, and it would go against what I've been doing successfully for the last 8 years.
So I'm going to keep plodding along and backing myself in, not so stubbornly that I won't be asking people for help, but I'm going to be practicing what I preach from here on in.
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself."
Living my life by focusing on doing the small steps right and not distracting myself with the "big picture" has only brought me success so far, but I've realised that I've been moving away from that formula when it comes to my motivational speaking business, and I need to bring myself back to what I know works.
I feel really confident with who I am and where I'm going right now, so even though I may have plenty of limitations and innefficiencies (it's taken me 32 minutes to write this much of my blog), I'm going to keep running my business on my own. I'm well aware I could make a lot more money if I hired a copywriter, a book keeper and a social media co-ordinator, but making money is the "big picture" or the result of running a business, and it would go against what I've been doing successfully for the last 8 years.
So I'm going to keep plodding along and backing myself in, not so stubbornly that I won't be asking people for help, but I'm going to be practicing what I preach from here on in.
Tuesday 10 December 2013
Angela saved my life...and then bought me a coffee
"Everyone stares at their band-aid"
The paramedic told me that everytime they're called out to treat a hypoglycaemic reaction (low blood sugar), patients are always fascinated by the plaster that's been applied to cover the prick on their finger where the blood has been drawn for the sugar reading.
The paramedic was next to me with his partner because my girlfriend, Angela had called 000 when I was non-responsive and apparantly had a blank look on my face, as if I was "looking right through" her. My blood sugar level was 1.9 (anything under 3.5 is low) when the paramedics arrived, a level that came about through thoughtlessness borne out of complacency - I've been diabetic for over 19 years, and it's been pretty well controlled so I'm fairly (over) confident that I know how much carbohydrate I need to balance my insulin intake, but this time I got it wrong. I had too much insulin and not enough carbohydrate, so I slipped into a diabetic coma.
Witnessing a stroke survivor slipping into a diabetic coma would freak me out, but thankfully my girlfriend is made of stronger stuff. Not only did Angela stay calm and make the the right decisions in what I can only imagine was a stressful environment, she went and bought me a coffee and helped me get to work 30 seconds early.
This incident has left me with a lot of lessons learnt:
- Diabetes can't be beaten. Whether you've had it for 19 years or 19 days, you can't get sloppy with your control or things might get ugly
- Rain falls on the just and unjust alike, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles
- Give thanks for having good people around you - they might save your life one day.
The paramedic told me that everytime they're called out to treat a hypoglycaemic reaction (low blood sugar), patients are always fascinated by the plaster that's been applied to cover the prick on their finger where the blood has been drawn for the sugar reading.
The paramedic was next to me with his partner because my girlfriend, Angela had called 000 when I was non-responsive and apparantly had a blank look on my face, as if I was "looking right through" her. My blood sugar level was 1.9 (anything under 3.5 is low) when the paramedics arrived, a level that came about through thoughtlessness borne out of complacency - I've been diabetic for over 19 years, and it's been pretty well controlled so I'm fairly (over) confident that I know how much carbohydrate I need to balance my insulin intake, but this time I got it wrong. I had too much insulin and not enough carbohydrate, so I slipped into a diabetic coma.
Witnessing a stroke survivor slipping into a diabetic coma would freak me out, but thankfully my girlfriend is made of stronger stuff. Not only did Angela stay calm and make the the right decisions in what I can only imagine was a stressful environment, she went and bought me a coffee and helped me get to work 30 seconds early.
This incident has left me with a lot of lessons learnt:
- Diabetes can't be beaten. Whether you've had it for 19 years or 19 days, you can't get sloppy with your control or things might get ugly
- Rain falls on the just and unjust alike, but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles
- Give thanks for having good people around you - they might save your life one day.
Monday 9 December 2013
172-Revisiting my Mission Statement
I have started a motivational speaking business, and in looking at how I want to run it, I've been grappling with a conundrum - can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?
It's a question I haven't been able to answer, so rather than get bogged down in philosophical questions that may be purely rhetorical, I'm going to Keep It Simple, Stupid, and make my business goals crystal clear, and not deviate from what I want.
The most important factor in my business pursuits is my personality - I don't want to be a different person in order to secure a deal - in every decision I make I want to be honest, reliable, genuine and compassionate.
My motto in business is simple:
"Be a good bloke."
The most important things I can provide for my family are meaning and security, if I end up with comfort as well, that's just a bonus.
The answer to my conundrum can be found by taking out two words - the question "can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?" can be solved by taking out "a lot." I want my business to make money, but not at ANY expense.
It's a question I haven't been able to answer, so rather than get bogged down in philosophical questions that may be purely rhetorical, I'm going to Keep It Simple, Stupid, and make my business goals crystal clear, and not deviate from what I want.
The most important factor in my business pursuits is my personality - I don't want to be a different person in order to secure a deal - in every decision I make I want to be honest, reliable, genuine and compassionate.
My motto in business is simple:
"Be a good bloke."
The most important things I can provide for my family are meaning and security, if I end up with comfort as well, that's just a bonus.
The answer to my conundrum can be found by taking out two words - the question "can you be a good person AND make a lot of money?" can be solved by taking out "a lot." I want my business to make money, but not at ANY expense.
Barnaby Howarth
"Rain falls on the just and the unjust alike,
but there comes a time when you just have to get over it and go and
play in the puddles."
Money over friends or friends over money?
When I started my business in motivational speaking in March this year, the world had just come out of the GFC, it was still feeling the effects of the Eurozone econonmic crisis and we were going through huge job losses in Australia, so when I wrote my mission statement, I had a decision to make:
Money over friends or friends over money?
I decided to settle on friends over money, but in the early days I thought I may have made the wrong choice - my friendships were fantastic, but I wasn't earning a dollar, but on Wednesday morning I'll be a guest on Eagle Waves Radio, Australia’s first and only radio station dedicated to empowering small business. Their aim is to "level the playing field by giving direct access to the very best business advice guaranteed to inspire practical and profitable solutions." Being invited to a radio program dedicated to helping small business means I must be doing something right in my approach to running a business.
I'll never be called a "ruthless" business operator, but I'll never be called "soft" or "stupid" either, I'm careful to watch my back, but I'm not going to sell my soul and put making a profit in front of keeping a friend.
Diabetic stroke survivor motivational speaking isn't a business model open to a lot of competition, so feel free to have a read of my mission statement in blog 89 (following), and on Wednesday morning at 10am, listen to "Biz Health" with Deb Carr on Eagle Waves Radio at: www.eaglewavesradio.com.au (hit the play button on the right)
The theme for my business model is the same as the theme of my motivational speech:
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself"
Money over friends or friends over money?
I decided to settle on friends over money, but in the early days I thought I may have made the wrong choice - my friendships were fantastic, but I wasn't earning a dollar, but on Wednesday morning I'll be a guest on Eagle Waves Radio, Australia’s first and only radio station dedicated to empowering small business. Their aim is to "level the playing field by giving direct access to the very best business advice guaranteed to inspire practical and profitable solutions." Being invited to a radio program dedicated to helping small business means I must be doing something right in my approach to running a business.
I'll never be called a "ruthless" business operator, but I'll never be called "soft" or "stupid" either, I'm careful to watch my back, but I'm not going to sell my soul and put making a profit in front of keeping a friend.
Diabetic stroke survivor motivational speaking isn't a business model open to a lot of competition, so feel free to have a read of my mission statement in blog 89 (following), and on Wednesday morning at 10am, listen to "Biz Health" with Deb Carr on Eagle Waves Radio at: www.eaglewavesradio.com.au (hit the play button on the right)
The theme for my business model is the same as the theme of my motivational speech:
"Focus on the game plan and the result will take care of itself"
Saturday 30 November 2013
Nothing "dark" about this blog
After 87 blogs, it might have taken me a while but I've realised that the title of my blog, "Thoughts from a dark corner" isn't appropriate. My life is anything but dark, there's so much light in my life I need to wear sunglasses inside. So I'd like to introduce you to my new blog, "Play in the puddles."
The need for a name change dawned on me after I got an email from outgoing Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless saying "you are one ot the bravest people I know (and you can add inspiring)", I also spoke to 2 mates about doing the Kokoda Trek, chatted to my beautiful girlfriend about a road trip to Melbourne next year to watch the Swans play the Demons at the MCG, and then I had a flash of brilliance and made some changes to my motivational speech.
My life could not be any better, so welcome to "Play in the puddles," I hope you enjoy the read.
The need for a name change dawned on me after I got an email from outgoing Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless saying "you are one ot the bravest people I know (and you can add inspiring)", I also spoke to 2 mates about doing the Kokoda Trek, chatted to my beautiful girlfriend about a road trip to Melbourne next year to watch the Swans play the Demons at the MCG, and then I had a flash of brilliance and made some changes to my motivational speech.
My life could not be any better, so welcome to "Play in the puddles," I hope you enjoy the read.
Thursday 28 November 2013
The Sydney Swans - a family club
Outgoing Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless is one of the most successful sporting administrators in Australia, but his farewell dinner last night felt more like a big family party rather than an obligatory "pat on the back" function. As well as leaving behind an AFL team with 2 premiership trophies, Richard Colless has helped create a club that feels like a family.
When Colless took over as chairman of the Swans in 1993, the club was in trouble - they finished dead last in the AFL in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Since then however, the Swans have played in 14 AFL finals series with 2 premierships, but the Colless legacy is more than just about footy, it's about family.
At his dinner in Sydney's Middle Harbour, where every guest was hand picked by Colless and his wife Susie, the praise for Richard Colless the man was befitting of somebody who built a club the envy of sports organisations around Australia. In her remarks, AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn quoted George Bernard Shaw when he said "Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery, it's the sincerest form of learning," to highlight the point that the Swans have become a model on which other clubs are trying to build themsleves.
Stories of the Swans success flowed freely, but there isn't a lot that hasn't been said about the rise of the Sydney Football Club, what was more intriguing was HOW that success came about, and the one word that was repeated all night was...family.
AFL analyst Mike Sheehan referred to Colless as "the 5th Sheehan brother," but what set the tone of the night was when Susie Colless, before she even mentioned her husband, congratulated her son on his engagement the night before. It was a warm family feel where everybody in the room felt included, and most directly were in Colless' hour long speech, at one point he said "Barnaby Howarth is one of the bravest blokes I know." I felt good when I left at the end of the night.
That is the legacy that Richard Colless will leave behind - people feel good to be involved with the Swans, it's a rags to riches success story, but the success is more than just about win/loss records, as Swans defender Lewis Roberts-Thompson said at an end of season dinner:
"I feel lucky to be part of two families - the Roberts-Thompsons and the Swans."
When Colless took over as chairman of the Swans in 1993, the club was in trouble - they finished dead last in the AFL in 1992, 1993 and 1994. Since then however, the Swans have played in 14 AFL finals series with 2 premierships, but the Colless legacy is more than just about footy, it's about family.
At his dinner in Sydney's Middle Harbour, where every guest was hand picked by Colless and his wife Susie, the praise for Richard Colless the man was befitting of somebody who built a club the envy of sports organisations around Australia. In her remarks, AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn quoted George Bernard Shaw when he said "Imitation is not just the sincerest form of flattery, it's the sincerest form of learning," to highlight the point that the Swans have become a model on which other clubs are trying to build themsleves.
Stories of the Swans success flowed freely, but there isn't a lot that hasn't been said about the rise of the Sydney Football Club, what was more intriguing was HOW that success came about, and the one word that was repeated all night was...family.
AFL analyst Mike Sheehan referred to Colless as "the 5th Sheehan brother," but what set the tone of the night was when Susie Colless, before she even mentioned her husband, congratulated her son on his engagement the night before. It was a warm family feel where everybody in the room felt included, and most directly were in Colless' hour long speech, at one point he said "Barnaby Howarth is one of the bravest blokes I know." I felt good when I left at the end of the night.
That is the legacy that Richard Colless will leave behind - people feel good to be involved with the Swans, it's a rags to riches success story, but the success is more than just about win/loss records, as Swans defender Lewis Roberts-Thompson said at an end of season dinner:
"I feel lucky to be part of two families - the Roberts-Thompsons and the Swans."
Friday 22 November 2013
Play in the puddles and LOVE it
If normal life ever gets you down and you find yourself wondering what the point is, look at the lead story in the news today and say "f*#! it", and head outside and play in the puddles.
Three women have been released from domestic slavery in central London where they had been held for 30 years, and one of those women was 30 years old! There are plenty of calls in response to this story today to know who your neighbours are, and be vigilant about what's going on around us, but rather than get paranoid about the weirdos and weirdness we're surrounded by, look at your own life and feel fortunate about the simple things you've been able to do - watching an Ashes test in an Australian summer, posting a tweet or changing your status on Facebook, or seeing a movie with friends.
The poor girls in the London slavery incident would never have sent an email, the 30 year old lady wouldn't have even had the chance to catch a train to work. Thankfully adversity like this doesn't befall too many of us, but rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, but there comes a time when you have to get over it and go and play in the puddles.
Three women have been released from domestic slavery in central London where they had been held for 30 years, and one of those women was 30 years old! There are plenty of calls in response to this story today to know who your neighbours are, and be vigilant about what's going on around us, but rather than get paranoid about the weirdos and weirdness we're surrounded by, look at your own life and feel fortunate about the simple things you've been able to do - watching an Ashes test in an Australian summer, posting a tweet or changing your status on Facebook, or seeing a movie with friends.
The poor girls in the London slavery incident would never have sent an email, the 30 year old lady wouldn't have even had the chance to catch a train to work. Thankfully adversity like this doesn't befall too many of us, but rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, but there comes a time when you have to get over it and go and play in the puddles.
Wednesday 20 November 2013
84-1 in 8 young Australians die due to alcohol related bad decisions
As a living person it's hard to comprehend how confronting statistics about death are, but consider this one for at least a second, then consider how easily avoided it is:
One in eight deaths of Australians aged under 25 is related to alcohol consumption
1 in 8.
The statistic from the Australian National Council on Drugs report is bad news...imagine if you crossed the road eight times, and on one of those crossings you were guaranteed to be hit by a car...but there is good news...as you can reduce your risk of being hit by a car by not crossing the road, so you can reduce the risk of alcohol related trouble by not making bad decisions.
All the historical statistics in every report ever tabled however could never have the same impact as a single case could:
Imagine if your best friend was THAT one in eight.
Whether you're drunk or sober, make good decisions.
------------------------------------------------------
ANCD report key findings:
- Almost 1 in 8 deaths of people aged under 25 is due to alcohol
- 60% of all police attendances (including 90% of late-night calls) involve alcohol
- One in 5 hospitalisations of people under 25 are due to alcohol
- 20% of Australians drink at levels putting them at risk of lifetime harm
- Almost two thirds of 18-29 year olds drink "specifically to get drunk"
Saturday 16 November 2013
83 - The simple things in life bring me the greatest mung bean doughnuts
When I was young I used to think you had to do something significant with your life to feel you were a "somebody", but on the train on the way home yesterday I realised that just being a decent, everyday man on the street is "somebody" enough for me.
I was sitting just inside the doors of a packed peak hour train when an asian lady (who smelled like fish) walked through the carriage looking for a seat, but as there were none free, I stood up and offered her mine. She looked pretty chuffed and couldn't thank me enough as she got herself comfortable.
A few stops later a few people got off and I was able sit again, and the lady who had taken my seat reached into her dilly bag and came and sat next to me with a little container in her hand. She peeled back the lid and offered me one of her mung bean doughnuts.
Eating a mung bean doughnut was scary, but it was delicious, and it reinforced that I'm definitely not a "somebody," but being just an "anybody" is more than enough for me.
I was sitting just inside the doors of a packed peak hour train when an asian lady (who smelled like fish) walked through the carriage looking for a seat, but as there were none free, I stood up and offered her mine. She looked pretty chuffed and couldn't thank me enough as she got herself comfortable.
A few stops later a few people got off and I was able sit again, and the lady who had taken my seat reached into her dilly bag and came and sat next to me with a little container in her hand. She peeled back the lid and offered me one of her mung bean doughnuts.
Eating a mung bean doughnut was scary, but it was delicious, and it reinforced that I'm definitely not a "somebody," but being just an "anybody" is more than enough for me.
Friday 15 November 2013
Tuesday 8 October 2013
Signed Pennant Hills AFL players jumper - CLARIFICATION
Hi Demons,
Many thanks for the excellent response to the signed Penno jumper auction I have put together, it's looking like it will provide our club with a nice little extra dollar or two.
I want to clarify the list of signatures of names that will appear on the jumper as this was my personal initiative.
There was no input or official affiliation with the club, the names are most likely incomplete or technically inaccurate and I apologise if this is the case.
The jumper will be sold unframed so if any additional names need to be added that won't be a problem.
Any omissions are entirely my fault, and I am sorry if my lack of fact checking meant I have missed a couple of Demons
Regards,
Barnaby
Get around it
I watched a video yesterday with the speakers that will be used for "Give it a crack" on October 18, and despite the fact that I've seen it about 100 times, it pumped me up, and I walked away thinking one thing...
Get around it.
The video is a tribute to the people and passion that make up the Pennant Hills Football Club that Luke Turner and I put together for the Swisse AFL Quality Club of the Year competition - this video wasn't our official entry as it didn't fit the criterea, so it's an unseen, special edition that will be emotionally spectacular on a big screen with full audio.
Tickets have been selling quickly and it looks like "Give it a crack" will sell out, so for a night of fun, entertainment and inspiration, get around it. Send me an email at barnaby@barnabyhowarth.com.au and reserve your spot.
I hope to see you on the night,
Barnaby
Get around it.
The video is a tribute to the people and passion that make up the Pennant Hills Football Club that Luke Turner and I put together for the Swisse AFL Quality Club of the Year competition - this video wasn't our official entry as it didn't fit the criterea, so it's an unseen, special edition that will be emotionally spectacular on a big screen with full audio.
Tickets have been selling quickly and it looks like "Give it a crack" will sell out, so for a night of fun, entertainment and inspiration, get around it. Send me an email at barnaby@barnabyhowarth.com.au and reserve your spot.
I hope to see you on the night,
Barnaby
Monday 30 September 2013
The Pennant Hills Football Club - an unlikely success story
The Pennant Hills Football Club is a sporting success story, but it really shouldn't be. If you wanted to find the least likely place In Australia to find an AFL nursery, you'd go to a local Sydney club with modest facilities whose modest income is thinly spread to field 4 teams in the local competition. You'd go looking for a club that prides itself on producing great people, not great footballers.
Essentially, you'd be searching for the Pennant Hills Football Club.
Realisticly, the Demons SHOULDN'T have produced a single AFL listed player, but they've managed to produce 26. To celebrate the club's success, former club captain (and Sydney AFL Hall of famer) Barnaby Howarth has organised to have a Demons jumper (number 44) signed by all 26 PHAFL players who have been on an AFL list and is auctioning it off to raise money for the club.
The auction will be finalised on October 18 at "Give it a Crack" - a club fundraiser, but an online auction will run until 12pm that 18/10. To place a bid on the jumper, go to: www.32auctions.com/signedpennoafljumper. The current leading bid is $850
The 26 Pennant Hills AFL listed players are:
Kieren Jack
Brandon Jack
Peter Berbakov
Jarrad McVeigh
Stefan Carey
Terry Thripp
Barnaby Howarth
Jackson Potter
Nick Potter
David Brown
Ken Couchman
Tony Redshaw
Lenny Hayes
Jackson Ferguson
Blake McGrath
Ranga Ediwickrama
Mark McVeigh
David Dighton
Adam Chatfield
Scott Reed
Josh Duncan
Aaron Duncan
John Ironmonger (not signed - living in Colorado)
Wes Smith
Pat Wellington (not signed - deceased)
Denis Lenaghan (not signed - uncontactable)
Essentially, you'd be searching for the Pennant Hills Football Club.
Realisticly, the Demons SHOULDN'T have produced a single AFL listed player, but they've managed to produce 26. To celebrate the club's success, former club captain (and Sydney AFL Hall of famer) Barnaby Howarth has organised to have a Demons jumper (number 44) signed by all 26 PHAFL players who have been on an AFL list and is auctioning it off to raise money for the club.
The auction will be finalised on October 18 at "Give it a Crack" - a club fundraiser, but an online auction will run until 12pm that 18/10. To place a bid on the jumper, go to: www.32auctions.com/signedpennoafljumper. The current leading bid is $850
The 26 Pennant Hills AFL listed players are:
Kieren Jack
Brandon Jack
Peter Berbakov
Jarrad McVeigh
Stefan Carey
Terry Thripp
Barnaby Howarth
Jackson Potter
Nick Potter
David Brown
Ken Couchman
Tony Redshaw
Lenny Hayes
Jackson Ferguson
Blake McGrath
Ranga Ediwickrama
Mark McVeigh
David Dighton
Adam Chatfield
Scott Reed
Josh Duncan
Aaron Duncan
John Ironmonger (not signed - living in Colorado)
Wes Smith
Pat Wellington (not signed - deceased)
Denis Lenaghan (not signed - uncontactable)
Friday 13 September 2013
Sometimes things just work out for you
Sitting at my table as a guest at the National Stroke Foundation's $250 a ticket fundraiser on Wednesday night where my motivational speech was featured in the silent auction, I got an overwhelming sense that sometimes things just work out for you.
This feeling was an accumulation of events over the past couple of weeks - when I started planning my event, "Give it a crack" to be held in October, I was a little daunted as I have no experience organising events, but people have come on board to help, which makes me feel like things are working out for me. The first help came from an ex-teammates family. That teammates mother has organised kitchen staff, food, tea and coffee, decorating, a pack up crew, and 2 cases of wine, while her husband has arranged to have 17 cases of beer donated.
More help came when Cafe Haus in Thornleigh agreed to donate 150 noodle boxes, so the guests will be treated to sensational food to go with their sensational entertainment. The part of the night I was most daunted by was the audio set up, but an ex-Pennant Hills under 18 player got his hands on the required audio/visual equipment, and will man it on the night.
I could ramble on about how things have worked out for me over the last 8 and a half years (like my 100th game for Penno being played on the Ern, standing on top of Kilimanjaro with my sister and my mate, starting a motivational speaking business that has just got to the point where my message has crystalised and I feel confident about launching it to audiences, being invited to do the Bridge Climb at the end of September by the National Stroke Foundation), but I'm well aware that sometimes things don't work out. If they did, I wouldn't have been diagnosed with diabetes or had a stroke, so I'm not trying to tell you that if you ALWAYS make the right moves, things will ALWAYS work out for you. Sometimes life just sucks and is incredibly unfair, but rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, but sometimes you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles.
I don't have a 10 point plan to overcome adversity, I don't have a saying, a book, an idol or a magic recipe that I refer back to when I'm down, I just try and give everything I have to the task in front of me, then keep moving forward to the next task and let the big picture sort itself out. At this very second though, I feel like things are working out for me, and I wish I had a failsafe formula to help you feel like I feel right now because it feels really good, but I don't. All I can tell you is that what works for me is making what I think is the right decision every time, and sometimes things will work out, sometimes they won't, but when they do, it feels bloody good!
This feeling was an accumulation of events over the past couple of weeks - when I started planning my event, "Give it a crack" to be held in October, I was a little daunted as I have no experience organising events, but people have come on board to help, which makes me feel like things are working out for me. The first help came from an ex-teammates family. That teammates mother has organised kitchen staff, food, tea and coffee, decorating, a pack up crew, and 2 cases of wine, while her husband has arranged to have 17 cases of beer donated.
More help came when Cafe Haus in Thornleigh agreed to donate 150 noodle boxes, so the guests will be treated to sensational food to go with their sensational entertainment. The part of the night I was most daunted by was the audio set up, but an ex-Pennant Hills under 18 player got his hands on the required audio/visual equipment, and will man it on the night.
I could ramble on about how things have worked out for me over the last 8 and a half years (like my 100th game for Penno being played on the Ern, standing on top of Kilimanjaro with my sister and my mate, starting a motivational speaking business that has just got to the point where my message has crystalised and I feel confident about launching it to audiences, being invited to do the Bridge Climb at the end of September by the National Stroke Foundation), but I'm well aware that sometimes things don't work out. If they did, I wouldn't have been diagnosed with diabetes or had a stroke, so I'm not trying to tell you that if you ALWAYS make the right moves, things will ALWAYS work out for you. Sometimes life just sucks and is incredibly unfair, but rain falls on the just and the unjust alike, but sometimes you just have to get over it and go and play in the puddles.
I don't have a 10 point plan to overcome adversity, I don't have a saying, a book, an idol or a magic recipe that I refer back to when I'm down, I just try and give everything I have to the task in front of me, then keep moving forward to the next task and let the big picture sort itself out. At this very second though, I feel like things are working out for me, and I wish I had a failsafe formula to help you feel like I feel right now because it feels really good, but I don't. All I can tell you is that what works for me is making what I think is the right decision every time, and sometimes things will work out, sometimes they won't, but when they do, it feels bloody good!
Friday 30 August 2013
"Give it a crack" is going to be a...cracker
"Give it a crack" is big and getting bigger with the announcement that Auto Cafe in Thornleigh has committed to catering the event, and Sassy Models and promotions will be helping out with serving and on stage promotions.
The line up is settled, tickets are selling quickly, and thanks to Matt Hergreaves from Auto Cafe, and Keira Howarth from Sassy Models and Promotions, the night is all coming together.
It's been built, and people are starting to come, and one of the most pleasing parts about preparations for the night was when one of the performers told me they were "really nervous." That's pleasing because that's what the night is all about: people doing things they've always wanted to do, and despite being unsure, scared, and "really nervous," they're going to get up and give it a crack.
For tickets, visit www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/contact
The line up is settled, tickets are selling quickly, and thanks to Matt Hergreaves from Auto Cafe, and Keira Howarth from Sassy Models and Promotions, the night is all coming together.
It's been built, and people are starting to come, and one of the most pleasing parts about preparations for the night was when one of the performers told me they were "really nervous." That's pleasing because that's what the night is all about: people doing things they've always wanted to do, and despite being unsure, scared, and "really nervous," they're going to get up and give it a crack.
For tickets, visit www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/contact
Friday 16 August 2013
3 new comedy acts settle "Give it a crack" line up
3 young stand up comedians from the Sydney Comedy Store have been added to the set list for "Give it a crack," a talent night by performers who've always wanted to try something, which means the line up is settled and the curtains are ready to open in October.
The 3 comics, Jasmine Reid, Michael Middlemiss and "Stormin" Norman Douglas will be performing at the Fringe Comedy Festival's "Short and Sharp" - where 7 of Sydney’s funniest emerging comedians come together to present a one hour showcase of fresh new comedy.
Now to extend their tours, they will also perform at "Give it a crack," where they will join a motivational speaker, 2 musical acts, 2 readings (one poetry, one from a self written childrens book), a motivational facilitator, and displays of clothes and paintings in the "Oh Well" forum gallery.
Hosted by everybody's best mate, Edwina Dighton, "Give it a crack" will be held at the Thornleigh Community Centre at 6.30pm on Friday October 18. Tickets are $40 each and 75% of proceeds from the night will go to the Pennant Hills Demons Football Club, for bookings, go to http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/events or email barnaby@barnabyhowarth.com.au
The 3 comics, Jasmine Reid, Michael Middlemiss and "Stormin" Norman Douglas will be performing at the Fringe Comedy Festival's "Short and Sharp" - where 7 of Sydney’s funniest emerging comedians come together to present a one hour showcase of fresh new comedy.
Now to extend their tours, they will also perform at "Give it a crack," where they will join a motivational speaker, 2 musical acts, 2 readings (one poetry, one from a self written childrens book), a motivational facilitator, and displays of clothes and paintings in the "Oh Well" forum gallery.
Hosted by everybody's best mate, Edwina Dighton, "Give it a crack" will be held at the Thornleigh Community Centre at 6.30pm on Friday October 18. Tickets are $40 each and 75% of proceeds from the night will go to the Pennant Hills Demons Football Club, for bookings, go to http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/events or email barnaby@barnabyhowarth.com.au
Real life stories need telling - 4 (Alex Fisher-A ballsy journalist)
If it wasn't highly inappropriate or even offensive to say that a girl has balls, that's what you'd say about Alexandra Fisher.
It is however both offensive and inappropriate, so instead this young Walkley award winner should be described as a "gutsy, intrepid adventurer with a burning desire to tell stories that are too often under reported."
On Thursday Alex will pack her own camera equipment and fly to Africa to report on either Rhino poaching in South Africa or the plight of pygmes in the Congo. This trip comes after filming a story on child soldiers in Uganda 1999, and her Walkley award winning piece (for Young TV Journalist) on child sex trafficking in Mexico late last year.
Her decision to film stories in confronting locations on confronting topics springs from her belief that "journalism is about mind, spirit and determination," and despite her parents being a little apprehensive, Alex says "they've gotta deal with it. You've got to do these things while you're young, agile and spirited."
Alex's passion to tell under reported stories is at odds with her modesty - she doesn't see her brave adventures as anything to brag about, she just thinks "everybody is looking for their sense of purpose, and this is my way of finding mine."
It is however both offensive and inappropriate, so instead this young Walkley award winner should be described as a "gutsy, intrepid adventurer with a burning desire to tell stories that are too often under reported."
On Thursday Alex will pack her own camera equipment and fly to Africa to report on either Rhino poaching in South Africa or the plight of pygmes in the Congo. This trip comes after filming a story on child soldiers in Uganda 1999, and her Walkley award winning piece (for Young TV Journalist) on child sex trafficking in Mexico late last year.
Her decision to film stories in confronting locations on confronting topics springs from her belief that "journalism is about mind, spirit and determination," and despite her parents being a little apprehensive, Alex says "they've gotta deal with it. You've got to do these things while you're young, agile and spirited."
Alex's passion to tell under reported stories is at odds with her modesty - she doesn't see her brave adventures as anything to brag about, she just thinks "everybody is looking for their sense of purpose, and this is my way of finding mine."
Friday 2 August 2013
Life without mates list
A mate told me this week that "it's depressing being [my] friend," which might be the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me.
It got me thinking about the value of good mates and how they help you keep your life in perspective, so I wanted to make a list of the things I wouldn't have been able to do without my mates around me.
So here is my life without mates list:
- Be alive
- Kick 2 goals in my 100th AFL game for Pennant Hills
- Get to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro
- Wear lederhosen to a pub in Anglesea
- Be a paid singer
- See the Crowded House "Farewell to the World" concert
- Go to New Zealand on a choir trip
- Have a camping & canoeing trip on the Northern Rivers
- Write my 74th blog
I love the life I'm living, and I wouldn't have been able to be living it without the mates I have around me, so coming up with this list of what I wouldn't have been able to do if they weren't there has been invaluable.
I love youse all.
It got me thinking about the value of good mates and how they help you keep your life in perspective, so I wanted to make a list of the things I wouldn't have been able to do without my mates around me.
So here is my life without mates list:
- Be alive
- Kick 2 goals in my 100th AFL game for Pennant Hills
- Get to the top of Mt Kilimanjaro
- Wear lederhosen to a pub in Anglesea
- Be a paid singer
- See the Crowded House "Farewell to the World" concert
- Go to New Zealand on a choir trip
- Have a camping & canoeing trip on the Northern Rivers
- Write my 74th blog
I love the life I'm living, and I wouldn't have been able to be living it without the mates I have around me, so coming up with this list of what I wouldn't have been able to do if they weren't there has been invaluable.
I love youse all.
Thursday 25 July 2013
Real life stories need telling - 3 (Opening of"Varnish on King")
"Varnish on King" is a new whisky bar set to open in Perth in the next week, but the story runs deeper than the opening of a new venue, it's also the story of my little brother taking the bull by the horns and dictating the direction of his life as he brings up his young family.
Lachlan (my brother) once told me he was "sick of working for the man," but rather than keep making the same complaint for the rest of his life, when a friend approached him about opening a new bar, he came up with the money and got to work on designing and building "Varnish"
Nelson Mandela once said that courage isn't the absence of fear, but the triumph over it, and if this is true, when "Varnish" opens to the public, it will be be more than a launch, it will be a triumph. Lachlan lives a very comfortable life with his parter Gill and their 2 boys, Oscar and Hugo, but that life was dependent on how hard and smart his boss worked, but now he has given himself the chance to turn his family's good life into a great life.
In today's West Australian newspaper, one of WA's best food critics said that when "Varnish" launches, it will be "the coolest opening this year." He also says that "Varnish" is the "perfect" bar.
So there'll be no more working for the man for my little brother, now he IS the man.
Lachlan (my brother) once told me he was "sick of working for the man," but rather than keep making the same complaint for the rest of his life, when a friend approached him about opening a new bar, he came up with the money and got to work on designing and building "Varnish"
Nelson Mandela once said that courage isn't the absence of fear, but the triumph over it, and if this is true, when "Varnish" opens to the public, it will be be more than a launch, it will be a triumph. Lachlan lives a very comfortable life with his parter Gill and their 2 boys, Oscar and Hugo, but that life was dependent on how hard and smart his boss worked, but now he has given himself the chance to turn his family's good life into a great life.
In today's West Australian newspaper, one of WA's best food critics said that when "Varnish" launches, it will be "the coolest opening this year." He also says that "Varnish" is the "perfect" bar.
So there'll be no more working for the man for my little brother, now he IS the man.
Friday 19 July 2013
Real life stories need telling - 2
Some people inspire by their actions, some people inspire by their words, and some people inspire just by existing, and my friend Besart Hamzaj is one of those people.
Besart grew up in the small Albanian town of Kukes where the challenges of being an everyday citizen are huge. Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, where almost one quarter of the population earn less than US$2 a day. As if potentially earning US$54 a month isn't a big enough challenge, Besart was born with thrombocytopenia with absent radius, or TAR syndrome, which is where you don't have any radius bones in your arms, meaning his hands are attached to his shoulders.He was also born with severely bowed legs, so when he was growing up, all the children used to call him a wizard (a major insult in Albania).
When Moira Kelly from the Children First Foundation was in Albania, she met Besart and decided she could help straighten his legs, so she got Besart flown to Australia where a surgeon at the Mater hospital in Sydney donated his time to perform the surgery to set Besart's legs straight. While he was in Sydney recuperating he lived the life, he got treated like another child in a family that a lot of Australian children would be jealous of. By the end of his stay, Besart was playing soccer in new clothes, was taken out water skiing for a day, and had eaten like a King for his entire stay
The time came though when he had to go home. He went back to Kukes with straight legs, better English and new clothes, but he still had no radius bones in his arms, few job prospects, and people still called him a wizard, but despite the fact he thinks Albania is "mut" (shit), and insisting he has g2g (got to go), he just keeps trying to get by, and that's why Besart inspires me. He hasn't started a charity, or been to the paralympics or climbed Mount Everest, he's just gone to University and is trying to open an internet cafe, but he's struggling. Life is tough enough on it's own, but for Besart, it's even tougher, but he just keeps trying, He wants to get out of the life he's in, but. he gets up everyday and gets through it, and he does complain, but he doesn't whinge
Besart wants a perfect life, but until it arrives, he's going to keep living the one he's been given.
Besart grew up in the small Albanian town of Kukes where the challenges of being an everyday citizen are huge. Albania is one of the poorest countries in Europe, where almost one quarter of the population earn less than US$2 a day. As if potentially earning US$54 a month isn't a big enough challenge, Besart was born with thrombocytopenia with absent radius, or TAR syndrome, which is where you don't have any radius bones in your arms, meaning his hands are attached to his shoulders.He was also born with severely bowed legs, so when he was growing up, all the children used to call him a wizard (a major insult in Albania).
When Moira Kelly from the Children First Foundation was in Albania, she met Besart and decided she could help straighten his legs, so she got Besart flown to Australia where a surgeon at the Mater hospital in Sydney donated his time to perform the surgery to set Besart's legs straight. While he was in Sydney recuperating he lived the life, he got treated like another child in a family that a lot of Australian children would be jealous of. By the end of his stay, Besart was playing soccer in new clothes, was taken out water skiing for a day, and had eaten like a King for his entire stay
The time came though when he had to go home. He went back to Kukes with straight legs, better English and new clothes, but he still had no radius bones in his arms, few job prospects, and people still called him a wizard, but despite the fact he thinks Albania is "mut" (shit), and insisting he has g2g (got to go), he just keeps trying to get by, and that's why Besart inspires me. He hasn't started a charity, or been to the paralympics or climbed Mount Everest, he's just gone to University and is trying to open an internet cafe, but he's struggling. Life is tough enough on it's own, but for Besart, it's even tougher, but he just keeps trying, He wants to get out of the life he's in, but. he gets up everyday and gets through it, and he does complain, but he doesn't whinge
Besart wants a perfect life, but until it arrives, he's going to keep living the one he's been given.
Friday 12 July 2013
Real life stories need telling - 1
There are a lot of people doing amazing things around the world, but because their stories aren't considered "newsy," they go through to the keeper and never see the bright lights of the international media.
If a journalist gets a whiff of an interesting story and runs it past the head of news, one of the first questions they'll be asked is "what's the hook?" For a story to be deemed "newsy" it needs to have a link to current affairs, or be so groundbreaking that the public need to know about it. Some stories though, just don't have a hook, but they still need to be told - people waking up everyday and doing what needs to be done - mowing the lawn, feeding and bathing the kids, going to footy training or getting to work on time are things that should be celebrated, but because they're not "newsy," they're not being told.
One such story that needs to be told is that of a young Australian journalist who packed up her nice, comfortable Sydney life, left her parents and brothers and sisters behind, and took up a job with the Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia. She now works in Afghanistan, most recently for an online Afghan news outlet in Kabul. Catherine James was scratching an itch to tell other people's stories, and it landed her jobs that she doesn't consider earth shattering, but this is exactly the kind of story that needs to be told.
When Catherine moved to Cambodia, she immersed herself in the local culture including living with a Cambodian family. On a day she was invited to eat with a local business contact at any establishment she chose, she asked to go to the most traditional Khmer place. The menu read like a David Attenborough documentary on insects. The only creepy-crawly not on the menu was the gecko, revered as a sign of good luck. Catherine ordered an ant salad - a garden salad with lashings of red tree ants, which she said tasted like a regular salad only crunchy.
When she moved to Afghanistan, things got a lot more serious. After leaving her compound for work one day (a compound where everyone leaves their backdoor unlocked so neighbours can borrow groceries), she hopped in the car with another Western female colleague, their Afghan driver and so-called security guard. As they were driving through town, it seemed to be just another regular day, but as they were chatting away, a Taliban attack on a building broke out in front of them.
The traffic stopped and machine gun fire could be heard all around them. Catherine and her colleague hit the floor and covered their faces with their head scarves - scared to be identified as foreigners - only to hear their driver and security guard open their doors and leave the car. After what seemed like 20 minutes but was probably only 2, the doors opened again and two men jumped in the car and started yelling in Persian at each other. After a brief moment of terror, where the girls thought the two men were kidnapping them as the car cranked into high-speed reverse down the street, they lifted their scarves and realised it was the driver and security guard, yelling because the the security guard had not brought the standard assault rifle he is meant to carry.
Catherine's story needs to be told as she sums up what most of us think about other people's lives. We look at people around us with a hint of jealousy and think "they're so brave/insightful/adventurous, they must have their life together." As she explains though, her life hasn't been all adventure - she's chosen her path, and despite the fact that it's a lot bumpier than it looks from the outside, she's not going to get knocked off.
"Most things I've done, I've stumbled into not really knowing what I'm doing or whether the end result will come good for me. I've been lucky. Extraordinarily lucky. But I am also paying a price. No adventure comes without sacrifice. I think that is the point most people miss. We think its all glory and wonderment. However, it's also fear, uncertainty, loneliness and pain."
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
If a journalist gets a whiff of an interesting story and runs it past the head of news, one of the first questions they'll be asked is "what's the hook?" For a story to be deemed "newsy" it needs to have a link to current affairs, or be so groundbreaking that the public need to know about it. Some stories though, just don't have a hook, but they still need to be told - people waking up everyday and doing what needs to be done - mowing the lawn, feeding and bathing the kids, going to footy training or getting to work on time are things that should be celebrated, but because they're not "newsy," they're not being told.
One such story that needs to be told is that of a young Australian journalist who packed up her nice, comfortable Sydney life, left her parents and brothers and sisters behind, and took up a job with the Phnom Penh Post in Cambodia. She now works in Afghanistan, most recently for an online Afghan news outlet in Kabul. Catherine James was scratching an itch to tell other people's stories, and it landed her jobs that she doesn't consider earth shattering, but this is exactly the kind of story that needs to be told.
When Catherine moved to Cambodia, she immersed herself in the local culture including living with a Cambodian family. On a day she was invited to eat with a local business contact at any establishment she chose, she asked to go to the most traditional Khmer place. The menu read like a David Attenborough documentary on insects. The only creepy-crawly not on the menu was the gecko, revered as a sign of good luck. Catherine ordered an ant salad - a garden salad with lashings of red tree ants, which she said tasted like a regular salad only crunchy.
When she moved to Afghanistan, things got a lot more serious. After leaving her compound for work one day (a compound where everyone leaves their backdoor unlocked so neighbours can borrow groceries), she hopped in the car with another Western female colleague, their Afghan driver and so-called security guard. As they were driving through town, it seemed to be just another regular day, but as they were chatting away, a Taliban attack on a building broke out in front of them.
The traffic stopped and machine gun fire could be heard all around them. Catherine and her colleague hit the floor and covered their faces with their head scarves - scared to be identified as foreigners - only to hear their driver and security guard open their doors and leave the car. After what seemed like 20 minutes but was probably only 2, the doors opened again and two men jumped in the car and started yelling in Persian at each other. After a brief moment of terror, where the girls thought the two men were kidnapping them as the car cranked into high-speed reverse down the street, they lifted their scarves and realised it was the driver and security guard, yelling because the the security guard had not brought the standard assault rifle he is meant to carry.
Catherine's story needs to be told as she sums up what most of us think about other people's lives. We look at people around us with a hint of jealousy and think "they're so brave/insightful/adventurous, they must have their life together." As she explains though, her life hasn't been all adventure - she's chosen her path, and despite the fact that it's a lot bumpier than it looks from the outside, she's not going to get knocked off.
"Most things I've done, I've stumbled into not really knowing what I'm doing or whether the end result will come good for me. I've been lucky. Extraordinarily lucky. But I am also paying a price. No adventure comes without sacrifice. I think that is the point most people miss. We think its all glory and wonderment. However, it's also fear, uncertainty, loneliness and pain."
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Monday 8 July 2013
Put a fork in me, I'm done
People have been trying to convince me to keep playing footy now that I have played my 100th, and I've been told there are rumours that I was considering it, but I want to set the record straight:
I'm done.
The most compelling argument to keep playing was that no matter what happens if I chose to keep going, the memory of yesterday can't be erased, which is a good point, and a fortunate one, as those memories were perfect. From sending the under 18's onto the Ern after smashing the changeroom door, to breakfast with my whole family, to the call from GWS Giants captain Tom Scully wishing me luck, to the "Fat's 100" shirts, to the reserve grade side's come from behind win, to leading fourth grade down the longest guard of honour I've ever seen, to 2 goals in a winning team, to singing our victory song twice, to first grade handing Manly their second defeat in 2 and a half years, to a few beers at the Epping Club. There wasn't one part of the day that could have gone better.
My most compelling argument to retire though, is that 8 years ago I was a footballer who retired on someone else's terms, but on Saturday afternoon, I was a footballer who retired on MY terms.
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I've recieved so many messages of support during my 4 game comeback, and I wanted to thank everybody who helped to make all my football memories perfect ones.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
I'm done.
The most compelling argument to keep playing was that no matter what happens if I chose to keep going, the memory of yesterday can't be erased, which is a good point, and a fortunate one, as those memories were perfect. From sending the under 18's onto the Ern after smashing the changeroom door, to breakfast with my whole family, to the call from GWS Giants captain Tom Scully wishing me luck, to the "Fat's 100" shirts, to the reserve grade side's come from behind win, to leading fourth grade down the longest guard of honour I've ever seen, to 2 goals in a winning team, to singing our victory song twice, to first grade handing Manly their second defeat in 2 and a half years, to a few beers at the Epping Club. There wasn't one part of the day that could have gone better.
My most compelling argument to retire though, is that 8 years ago I was a footballer who retired on someone else's terms, but on Saturday afternoon, I was a footballer who retired on MY terms.
--------------------
I've recieved so many messages of support during my 4 game comeback, and I wanted to thank everybody who helped to make all my football memories perfect ones.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Saturday 6 July 2013
Game 100 - Match report
If you could slur in a blog, this entry would be a disgrace. I've just been out having beers after the most enjoyable day of footy I've ever had. There were no parts of it that were more memorable than any other, but every part was sensational.
It all started at 5am Friday morning when my sister arrived from London for one night to watch the footy today, she flew out about an hour ago, but while she was here, it meant our family were together for the first time in 2 and as half years. The emotion of today has been snowballing ever since, after speaking to the U/18s this morning, I ran out to the longest guard of honour I've seen in my life. There were Penno players, Penno supporters, all wearing specially made "Fat 44, 100 games" shirts, and opposition players from the game before ours, even the opposition we were about to play, Manly, were there.
The regular captain of our team, Boxy, told me he was stepping down so I could lead the team today, so after running out for what was to be the most enjoyable 2 hours of my life, I felt like I was contributing for the 2nd time since I had my stroke (the first being in game 99). After having an air swing trying to get a kick on my left, I ended up kicking a goal on my right. I was about 80 metres out, picked up the footy while fending off 6 blokes, just as a freak hurricane hit Ern Holmes Oval, so I ran to 70 and kicked a barrel that sailed through at post height.
I thought kicking 1 goal in my hundredth was a good result, but just as an earthquake came through at the same time the wind picked up to 70 knots an hour towards Manly's goal, I took a hanger over 12 Manly players, and despite feeling like I'd broken my leg when I landed, I burned the other 6 players with my electric pace, and from about 55 out on my wrong side, I slotted the sealer that won us the game.
If I could have sat down before I played my comeback game 4 weeks ago, I never would have dared to imagine it would have turned out so perfectly. If I put all the emotion of getting diabetes at 14 then playing AFL for the Sydney Swans, and a few years later getting bashed and having a stroke, then writing a book,. climbing Kilimanjaro, and filming 2 documentaries, I'd be really proud of my life. But after today, one of the proudest things I can say about my life is thast I'm a footballer who retired on his own terms.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
It all started at 5am Friday morning when my sister arrived from London for one night to watch the footy today, she flew out about an hour ago, but while she was here, it meant our family were together for the first time in 2 and as half years. The emotion of today has been snowballing ever since, after speaking to the U/18s this morning, I ran out to the longest guard of honour I've seen in my life. There were Penno players, Penno supporters, all wearing specially made "Fat 44, 100 games" shirts, and opposition players from the game before ours, even the opposition we were about to play, Manly, were there.
The regular captain of our team, Boxy, told me he was stepping down so I could lead the team today, so after running out for what was to be the most enjoyable 2 hours of my life, I felt like I was contributing for the 2nd time since I had my stroke (the first being in game 99). After having an air swing trying to get a kick on my left, I ended up kicking a goal on my right. I was about 80 metres out, picked up the footy while fending off 6 blokes, just as a freak hurricane hit Ern Holmes Oval, so I ran to 70 and kicked a barrel that sailed through at post height.
I thought kicking 1 goal in my hundredth was a good result, but just as an earthquake came through at the same time the wind picked up to 70 knots an hour towards Manly's goal, I took a hanger over 12 Manly players, and despite feeling like I'd broken my leg when I landed, I burned the other 6 players with my electric pace, and from about 55 out on my wrong side, I slotted the sealer that won us the game.
If I could have sat down before I played my comeback game 4 weeks ago, I never would have dared to imagine it would have turned out so perfectly. If I put all the emotion of getting diabetes at 14 then playing AFL for the Sydney Swans, and a few years later getting bashed and having a stroke, then writing a book,. climbing Kilimanjaro, and filming 2 documentaries, I'd be really proud of my life. But after today, one of the proudest things I can say about my life is thast I'm a footballer who retired on his own terms.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Friday 5 July 2013
"Give it a crack"
When people hit a certain point in life, they can start asking themselves "What if I had just done that thing I always wanted to do?" There are a lot of reasons why people don't take a risk and try something new, but if lack of opportunity was one, that excuse is going to be taken off the table thanks to "Give it a crack", a night of entertainment by people who just want to try something they've never had the chance to do.
The idea for "Give it a crack" came to me after reading a post on the "Oh well" forum at barnabyhowarth.com.au (http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/forum) from a neighbour who wants to do some "public speaking/facilitating to help motivate people to make their lives more meaningful". While I was trying to find somewhere she could do some speaking, I came across a youth festival in America and it became obvious that opportunities to express our creativity become rarer as we get older. "LIVE on Washington," is an outdoor music and arts festival organised by the city's college and high school students that showcases young talent, with bands, solo musicians, dance troupes, live visual art demonstrations, a mixed-media portrait painting booth, roaming poetry readings, and a skate park. It's a festival that is oozing creativity, and it left me asking a big question:
Where do mature-aged people go to express themselves artistically once they graduate from university? When student festivals dry up so too, it seems, do opportunities for people to try new things in front of a live audience. After trying to find a place where my neighbour might be able to present in front of a crowd, it seems such a place doesn't exist, so I had to create my own, and "Give it a crack" was born.
The event will take place on Friday October 18 at 7pm, but get there early to browse the "Oh well gallery" - a display of paintings, clothing and other things people have completed with help from the "Oh well forum." Tickets are $40 or $400 for tables of 10, and currently the line up has 2 motivational speakers, 2 accoustic guitar performances, 1 slam poetry reading, 1 reading of an author's own work, and potentially a stand up comedy set. If you want to show your talent and perform, or to book your tickets, send an email to http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/contact, and let's get our creativity ON!
* 75% of the proceeds from the night will go to the Pennant Hills Football Club
------------------------------------
For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
The idea for "Give it a crack" came to me after reading a post on the "Oh well" forum at barnabyhowarth.com.au (http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/forum) from a neighbour who wants to do some "public speaking/facilitating to help motivate people to make their lives more meaningful". While I was trying to find somewhere she could do some speaking, I came across a youth festival in America and it became obvious that opportunities to express our creativity become rarer as we get older. "LIVE on Washington," is an outdoor music and arts festival organised by the city's college and high school students that showcases young talent, with bands, solo musicians, dance troupes, live visual art demonstrations, a mixed-media portrait painting booth, roaming poetry readings, and a skate park. It's a festival that is oozing creativity, and it left me asking a big question:
Where do mature-aged people go to express themselves artistically once they graduate from university? When student festivals dry up so too, it seems, do opportunities for people to try new things in front of a live audience. After trying to find a place where my neighbour might be able to present in front of a crowd, it seems such a place doesn't exist, so I had to create my own, and "Give it a crack" was born.
The event will take place on Friday October 18 at 7pm, but get there early to browse the "Oh well gallery" - a display of paintings, clothing and other things people have completed with help from the "Oh well forum." Tickets are $40 or $400 for tables of 10, and currently the line up has 2 motivational speakers, 2 accoustic guitar performances, 1 slam poetry reading, 1 reading of an author's own work, and potentially a stand up comedy set. If you want to show your talent and perform, or to book your tickets, send an email to http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/contact, and let's get our creativity ON!
* 75% of the proceeds from the night will go to the Pennant Hills Football Club
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Thursday 4 July 2013
Support for a footballer
We try to make decisions in life based on what's good for us individunally, and if other people like what we've decided to do, that's just a bonus. When I made the decision to come back to playing footy, which I couldn't have made without Chicken (the person, not the food), I thought "This will be pretty cool, I like playing footy", but the support I've recieved has completely overwhelmed me.
My sister flew out of London a few hours ago, she arrives at 5am tomorrow, watches me play my 100th game for the Dees on Saturday, then flies back at 9pm that night. Last weekend, Pennant Hills Football Club President Peter Campbell kept our home ground open so that I could play my 99th, even though it would have been closed 99 999 times out of 100 000 due to the soaking from the Sydney rain it copped during the week.
I don't think this comeback is anything special, in fact it's kind of selfish coming back to play 4 games to reach my own personal milestone, but some of the messages of support I've recieved have blown my mind, and I wanted to share a few of them:
My sister flew out of London a few hours ago, she arrives at 5am tomorrow, watches me play my 100th game for the Dees on Saturday, then flies back at 9pm that night. Last weekend, Pennant Hills Football Club President Peter Campbell kept our home ground open so that I could play my 99th, even though it would have been closed 99 999 times out of 100 000 due to the soaking from the Sydney rain it copped during the week.
I don't think this comeback is anything special, in fact it's kind of selfish coming back to play 4 games to reach my own personal milestone, but some of the messages of support I've recieved have blown my mind, and I wanted to share a few of them:
Fat your an absolute bloody legend
John Porter
Will there be a live feed available (for your 100th game) for those overseas fatman?
Nathan Ryan
So, the #Wallabies and #Raiders lost. This story with my mate @barnabyhowarth puts it all in perspective. #AFL http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-
@CraigNorenbergs
It's the whole Cheers thing. " some times you want to go where everybody knows your name". Penno just feels like home no matter how long since you've been.
Please make sure Chicken has the bar well stocked Saturday
Warwick Jackson
Penno is a great place Barnes, and it's people like you that make it a great place. I remember you cheering me on in my 150th mate. Sorry I can't be there for you in your 100th but we are all right behind you. Go Barnes.. "Every heart beats true "
Justin Kerley
I'd love to ramble on about how good it feels to be a footballer again, but I have to get some work done before training tonight...
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Monday 1 July 2013
There's no I in team
Whether your team is a sportsclub, a choir, a political party, a bookclub or a charity, a study by the University of Western Sydney says our sense of belonging comes from sharing things as a ‘we’, rather than doing it alone as an ‘I’.
The report's author, Joanne Cummings' study was on music festival fans, and as one herself, she decided to do the research after attending a festival where she felt "there was a feeling in the air of belonging." She found that festival-goers felt they were part of a family because they shared things that made them happy. One such festival-goer, Rick explained what makes him happy about the scene:
"you just rock up in a paddock with all your drugs and books and whatever for two or three days and you might actually meet some people and talk and stuff like that."
In a 900-acre paddock in Somerset, England, around 135 000 people found where they belong. The Glastonbury festival was held over the weekend with the Rolling Stones as the headline act and Prince Harry, footballer Wayne Rooney, supermodel Kate Moss among the guests.
The Glastonbury festival started as a hippie gathering of 1,500 people in 1970. It is now one of the biggest music festivals in the world with 58 stages and formal accommodation. The Rolling Stones formed in London in 1962, and quickly started referring to themselves as "The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band."
Whether you're a stoner, a Stones fan or if you've never been to a music festival in your life, it makes no difference for people looking for the place where they belong. Finding your place in the universe is just a matter of working out what you love, finding some other people who love the same thing, and hanging out.
Just make sure you're not an imposter, or chances are you'll get found out:
"you can be one of those like horrendously wanky people that’s just like ‘I saw these guys like five years ago when you know they were just a garage band and they were so much better then’ you know what I mean?" Festival-goer Heather warns, "But most of the time people are just laid back and there for a good time and everybody is just happy to have a bit of a chat."
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
The report's author, Joanne Cummings' study was on music festival fans, and as one herself, she decided to do the research after attending a festival where she felt "there was a feeling in the air of belonging." She found that festival-goers felt they were part of a family because they shared things that made them happy. One such festival-goer, Rick explained what makes him happy about the scene:
"you just rock up in a paddock with all your drugs and books and whatever for two or three days and you might actually meet some people and talk and stuff like that."
In a 900-acre paddock in Somerset, England, around 135 000 people found where they belong. The Glastonbury festival was held over the weekend with the Rolling Stones as the headline act and Prince Harry, footballer Wayne Rooney, supermodel Kate Moss among the guests.
The Glastonbury festival started as a hippie gathering of 1,500 people in 1970. It is now one of the biggest music festivals in the world with 58 stages and formal accommodation. The Rolling Stones formed in London in 1962, and quickly started referring to themselves as "The World's Greatest Rock & Roll Band."
Whether you're a stoner, a Stones fan or if you've never been to a music festival in your life, it makes no difference for people looking for the place where they belong. Finding your place in the universe is just a matter of working out what you love, finding some other people who love the same thing, and hanging out.
Just make sure you're not an imposter, or chances are you'll get found out:
"you can be one of those like horrendously wanky people that’s just like ‘I saw these guys like five years ago when you know they were just a garage band and they were so much better then’ you know what I mean?" Festival-goer Heather warns, "But most of the time people are just laid back and there for a good time and everybody is just happy to have a bit of a chat."
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Saturday 29 June 2013
99 down, 1 to go
In the 98 games I'd played for the Demons before today, I've never seen a footy ground take so much rain and stay open, I've never been so happy to be so sore, I've never worn goggles in a game, and I've never heard a crowd cheer so loud for a turnover.
Pretty much the only sports grounds open in Sydney this weekend have been the SCG, the SFS, Olympic Stadium, and Mike Kenny Oval in Cherrybrook. The rain fell almost non-stop in Sydney from Monday to game time, but after telling club President Pete Campbell that I'd play a game in the car park if it meant my brother in Perth and my sister in London weren't flying over to watch me play game 99, strings were pulled and the game went ahead.
After a walk to the middle to inspect the water damage the ground had sustained with the J-Bone, we went back in the rooms and I put my new sports glasses on which meant I could see the footy...a liberating experience. After a soggy warm-up, the game started and the Dees were playing like their hadn't been a drop of rain for months. We were throwing our bodies in and working hard, we just weren't working smart.
With my new glasses, I felt like I was contributing - tackling, kicking off the ground, shepherding and deft touches to teammates. in the most miserable conditions there's beer since the SCG on Friday night, there was nowhere I would rather have been. And then I got a kick, and the crowd went wild.
Hoops busted through a tackle at half forward, and looped a handball to me at centre-half forward, and because I could see, I caught the ball and threw it on my left towards the goals. The crowd erupted, and I thought the ball might be a sneaky chance of clearing the pack and skidding through for a goal, but reality disagreed with me and the ball fell 20 metres short and straight into the arms of one an opposition defender.
So that's 99 down, and 1 to go. It's hard for me to describe what this comeback has meant to me, but that attempt will come after 100, so stay tuned, and go you Dees.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Pretty much the only sports grounds open in Sydney this weekend have been the SCG, the SFS, Olympic Stadium, and Mike Kenny Oval in Cherrybrook. The rain fell almost non-stop in Sydney from Monday to game time, but after telling club President Pete Campbell that I'd play a game in the car park if it meant my brother in Perth and my sister in London weren't flying over to watch me play game 99, strings were pulled and the game went ahead.
After a walk to the middle to inspect the water damage the ground had sustained with the J-Bone, we went back in the rooms and I put my new sports glasses on which meant I could see the footy...a liberating experience. After a soggy warm-up, the game started and the Dees were playing like their hadn't been a drop of rain for months. We were throwing our bodies in and working hard, we just weren't working smart.
With my new glasses, I felt like I was contributing - tackling, kicking off the ground, shepherding and deft touches to teammates. in the most miserable conditions there's beer since the SCG on Friday night, there was nowhere I would rather have been. And then I got a kick, and the crowd went wild.
Hoops busted through a tackle at half forward, and looped a handball to me at centre-half forward, and because I could see, I caught the ball and threw it on my left towards the goals. The crowd erupted, and I thought the ball might be a sneaky chance of clearing the pack and skidding through for a goal, but reality disagreed with me and the ball fell 20 metres short and straight into the arms of one an opposition defender.
So that's 99 down, and 1 to go. It's hard for me to describe what this comeback has meant to me, but that attempt will come after 100, so stay tuned, and go you Dees.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Thursday 27 June 2013
Good things happen to good people
When my comeback to playing football became a reality, I knew it was going to be cool, but I didn't think I'd missed it as much as I have. I've been completely overwhelmed by how much this comeback has meant to me - being on the field with the boys has been sensational, but some of the things people have done to support me through this has blown my mind.
My comeback came about after a conversation with Pennant Hills' all time greatest club official, Chicken (Ian Parker), where I told him I was disappointed that I was stranded on 96 games when I had my stroke. I'd put a line through my football career, as I thought my physical impairments after the stroke would be too hard to overcome, but when Chicken told me a couple of weeks later that he'd spoken to Jarrod Myers, the coach of the Demons 4th division team who was more than happy for me to play 4 games so that I could reach 100 games, I was reminded why I love playing footy for Pennant Hills - it's a club full of good people doing good things.
One of the physical impairments I thought would be too hard to overcome, was my eyesight. My vision without my glasses (which have a big prism in the lens to help me see) is fuzzy at best. On the field I could make out a red, football shaped blur coming towards me, but that was as good as I thought things would get, as I couldn't wear my glasses on the field, and contact lens' can't be made with the prisms I need. But my teammate, Luke Turner, arranged a collection from the footy boys, and they all chipped in to buy me a pair of sports glasses. So now I'll be able to see while I'm playing and training thanks to the kindness of a bunch of good blokes.
If my mind was blown by the support I've got from the footy club, it was completely torn to shreds by the support my family have shown. My 2 brothers both said they'd come to the game with their families and watch, and if anyone pulled out of the side, both said they'd love to play. The fact that one of my brothers lives in Perth and was due to open a new bar he co-owns 2 days before the game was humbling, but when my sister Skyped yesterday morning, I was flabberghasted. My baby sister Ashley, told me she was flying to Sydney for 1 night, watching the game, then flying back to London the same night!
Acts like these help remind me why I love being a Pennant Hills footballer, it's a place where good people do good things. It's Scarlo lending me shorts and socks to play in, it's Sam and Di, Harold, J-Bone and Booker giving me lifts home, and Seb giving me lifts to training, it's Olivia digging her knuckles into my old calves, it's holding a banner with Jude to celebrate the Rat's 200th. The Pennant Hills Football Club gives me a place I feel I belong.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
My comeback came about after a conversation with Pennant Hills' all time greatest club official, Chicken (Ian Parker), where I told him I was disappointed that I was stranded on 96 games when I had my stroke. I'd put a line through my football career, as I thought my physical impairments after the stroke would be too hard to overcome, but when Chicken told me a couple of weeks later that he'd spoken to Jarrod Myers, the coach of the Demons 4th division team who was more than happy for me to play 4 games so that I could reach 100 games, I was reminded why I love playing footy for Pennant Hills - it's a club full of good people doing good things.
One of the physical impairments I thought would be too hard to overcome, was my eyesight. My vision without my glasses (which have a big prism in the lens to help me see) is fuzzy at best. On the field I could make out a red, football shaped blur coming towards me, but that was as good as I thought things would get, as I couldn't wear my glasses on the field, and contact lens' can't be made with the prisms I need. But my teammate, Luke Turner, arranged a collection from the footy boys, and they all chipped in to buy me a pair of sports glasses. So now I'll be able to see while I'm playing and training thanks to the kindness of a bunch of good blokes.
If my mind was blown by the support I've got from the footy club, it was completely torn to shreds by the support my family have shown. My 2 brothers both said they'd come to the game with their families and watch, and if anyone pulled out of the side, both said they'd love to play. The fact that one of my brothers lives in Perth and was due to open a new bar he co-owns 2 days before the game was humbling, but when my sister Skyped yesterday morning, I was flabberghasted. My baby sister Ashley, told me she was flying to Sydney for 1 night, watching the game, then flying back to London the same night!
Acts like these help remind me why I love being a Pennant Hills footballer, it's a place where good people do good things. It's Scarlo lending me shorts and socks to play in, it's Sam and Di, Harold, J-Bone and Booker giving me lifts home, and Seb giving me lifts to training, it's Olivia digging her knuckles into my old calves, it's holding a banner with Jude to celebrate the Rat's 200th. The Pennant Hills Football Club gives me a place I feel I belong.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Monday 24 June 2013
My Mother's mojo
I just pulled out some osso bucco for lunch that my Mother made and froze a few weeks ago, and it made me think about how lucky I've been to grow up in the family I've grown up in.
It's a bit sad that my Mother still makes my lunch for me at 33 years of age, but it's something that she does so well and so often without expecting praise, that it is at risk of being taken for granted, but nobody takes my mother for granted. My mother is like a tube of Selley's liquid nails, when things look shaky, she steps in with her tambourine, has a glass of wine and makes things better. Her parents were the "liquid nails" of our family, but after the death of her mother (where Mum played that bloody tambourine as people were leaving the funeral), Mum has taken over that mantle seamlessly, hence the osso bucco for lunch.
Mum recently said to me that she felt she was "losing her mojo," and as I consider myself something of a mojo loss and retrieval expert, I wanted to give her my thoughts on her comment. Mum is a bit like Superman in the scene where he catches Lois Lane and she says to him "You've got me, but who's got you?" She's had people's backs for as long as I can remember, but now it seems she's wondering who's got her back, and the answer is everyone. Mojo isn't a matter of what you're doing, it's a matter of how you perceive the importance of what you're doing - making osso bucco probably sucks, but the act of making lunch for your son is beautiful.
If Mum needs any reassurance to help her perceive the importance of what she's doing, and thus reboost her mojo count, she just needs to look in her own garden, where the 4 seeds she first planted nearly 36 years ago have flowered into a television channel manager with a wife and children, all with impeccable manners, who all live in the home they own, a diabetic stroke survivor who is getting ready to play his 100th AFL game for the mighty Dees, a co-owner of a new bar that's due to open in Perth in the next month, and a globe-trotting event manager who lives and works in London.
If mojo is about perception, you don't need to do anything differently, you just need to step outside your situation and see how important what you're doing is.
Postscript:
I just got back from lunch and the osso bucco was sensational.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
It's a bit sad that my Mother still makes my lunch for me at 33 years of age, but it's something that she does so well and so often without expecting praise, that it is at risk of being taken for granted, but nobody takes my mother for granted. My mother is like a tube of Selley's liquid nails, when things look shaky, she steps in with her tambourine, has a glass of wine and makes things better. Her parents were the "liquid nails" of our family, but after the death of her mother (where Mum played that bloody tambourine as people were leaving the funeral), Mum has taken over that mantle seamlessly, hence the osso bucco for lunch.
Mum recently said to me that she felt she was "losing her mojo," and as I consider myself something of a mojo loss and retrieval expert, I wanted to give her my thoughts on her comment. Mum is a bit like Superman in the scene where he catches Lois Lane and she says to him "You've got me, but who's got you?" She's had people's backs for as long as I can remember, but now it seems she's wondering who's got her back, and the answer is everyone. Mojo isn't a matter of what you're doing, it's a matter of how you perceive the importance of what you're doing - making osso bucco probably sucks, but the act of making lunch for your son is beautiful.
If Mum needs any reassurance to help her perceive the importance of what she's doing, and thus reboost her mojo count, she just needs to look in her own garden, where the 4 seeds she first planted nearly 36 years ago have flowered into a television channel manager with a wife and children, all with impeccable manners, who all live in the home they own, a diabetic stroke survivor who is getting ready to play his 100th AFL game for the mighty Dees, a co-owner of a new bar that's due to open in Perth in the next month, and a globe-trotting event manager who lives and works in London.
If mojo is about perception, you don't need to do anything differently, you just need to step outside your situation and see how important what you're doing is.
Postscript:
I just got back from lunch and the osso bucco was sensational.
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Saturday 22 June 2013
Game 98 - Match report
Last week I played football for the first time in 8 years, but this week I got to sing the club victory song for the first time in 8 years, and it felt REALLY good.
It was a tight game at three-quarter time, but Pennant Hills played the last quarter like how I've tried to live me life: they just focused on the game plan, and the result took care of itself. We won the game by 40 points.
The game could have gone either way at 3/4 time, but the Demons had faith in their game plan and their mates, and it started to show on the scoreboard. Thanks to some super human efforts from some of the mighty Dees, (Hoops had so many tackles his arms were sore after the game, and Darch - the fittest bloke at the Pennnant Hills Football Club - ran harder than I've seen a footballer run in a long time) Pennant Hills Div 4 went into the rooms and sang the victory song.
The game was won because we didn't get distracted by the thought of winning, we just focused on the task that lay in front of us, did it as well as we could, and went back in the rooms after the game and sang the song with gusto.
"It's a grand old flag..."
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Thursday 20 June 2013
The Comeback in The Age
Senior sports writer for The Age
A Sydney footballer beats the odds to push for 100 games, writes Peter Hanlon.
Monday 17 June 2013
CEOs to put their money and their mouths on the streets
A group of Australian CEO's are going to see what life is like on the other side of the fence when they leave their green pastures for a night, and take part in the CEO Sleep out on the streets of Australian capital cities.
The CEO Sleep out is an event that aims to raise funds and awareness for homelessness accross Australia by having business leaders sleep on the streets and experience what it is to be homeless in winter.
For one CEO, sleeping on the streets will be something of a homecoming. After leaving an abusive and then hostile home at 14, Gary Poole spent a part of his life on the streets of Melbourne. His earliest memories are of his father being abusive, so along with his mother, he left for a life of uncertainty.
His mother found true love, but Poole didn't fit into that happily ever after scenario.
"I was the baggage," Poole said, "so I made a very difficult decision then to leave home."
As a 14 year old boy, he slept on the streets with other grown men which was daunting, but he eventually found his way.
"It was scary, but as painful as it was; it wasn't as painful as it was to be at home." Poole told ABC News.
"The first couple of nights it was the local park, in the toilets, and then I learnt the train stations were a good place to get comfortable."
Being immersed in life on the streets made Poole more certain he had to get out, he spent his complete life savings of $327 on a computer course, and was motivated during his studies by the chance to give himself a better life.
"I studied night and day until I got the highest score that anyone ever got in that course - out of pure desperation."
After a few years, and a few jobs in the computer industry, Poole found himself in a unique entrepreneurial position in the serviced apartment trade, which led to his quick rise to CEO.
Now Poole is the owner operator of a luxury bed and breakfast in the Gold Coast Hinterland, but on June 20, he'll join other business owners to see how brown the grass is on the other side of the fence.
The CEO Sleep out is an event that aims to raise funds and awareness for homelessness accross Australia by having business leaders sleep on the streets and experience what it is to be homeless in winter.
For one CEO, sleeping on the streets will be something of a homecoming. After leaving an abusive and then hostile home at 14, Gary Poole spent a part of his life on the streets of Melbourne. His earliest memories are of his father being abusive, so along with his mother, he left for a life of uncertainty.
His mother found true love, but Poole didn't fit into that happily ever after scenario.
"I was the baggage," Poole said, "so I made a very difficult decision then to leave home."
As a 14 year old boy, he slept on the streets with other grown men which was daunting, but he eventually found his way.
"It was scary, but as painful as it was; it wasn't as painful as it was to be at home." Poole told ABC News.
"The first couple of nights it was the local park, in the toilets, and then I learnt the train stations were a good place to get comfortable."
Being immersed in life on the streets made Poole more certain he had to get out, he spent his complete life savings of $327 on a computer course, and was motivated during his studies by the chance to give himself a better life.
"I studied night and day until I got the highest score that anyone ever got in that course - out of pure desperation."
After a few years, and a few jobs in the computer industry, Poole found himself in a unique entrepreneurial position in the serviced apartment trade, which led to his quick rise to CEO.
Now Poole is the owner operator of a luxury bed and breakfast in the Gold Coast Hinterland, but on June 20, he'll join other business owners to see how brown the grass is on the other side of the fence.
Saturday 15 June 2013
Game 97: Match report
I've played in a night final on the MCG for the Sydney Swans, I've captained a Sydney AFL representative team, I got best on ground in the Pennant Hills Demons first premiership, and I won Best and Fairest for a reserve grade team in the VFL, but today's game for Pennant Hills fourth division was the most significant game I've been a part of.
Talking to the "J-Bone" on the way home made my last few hours that much more special. J-Bone (Jackson Turner - one of my teammates) asked me what had happened the night I had my stroke, so I told him about the fight, the torn artery and the blood clot lodging in the tear, but it was when I told him I was in a coma for 4 days and my family and friends were told to come and say goodbye, that I realised today might be the best game of footy I've EVER been a part of.The fact that it was at Rosedale Oval in front of about 50 people made it even better - some of the 50 people were some of my best mates from football, my brother and his family, Gus and Col came down, and of course my 19 teammates (we were 2 short)
Today's game ended in a draw (it was 44-44 at one stage!), but it wasn't the result that reminded me why playing footy is such a privilege - for 2 hours everybody in a red and blue jersey threw everything they had into the game to help their mates try and win, and when it finished in a draw, some blokes were bummed, others were proud, but whatever we were feeling, we were feeling it together.
Word must have got around at the Moorebank Magpies (our opposition) that I was playing a come back game after 8 years, as one of their players came up to shake my hand after someone in their team had just kicked a goal to level the scores and the siren sounded, and said "tough way to end a comeback." And I thought to myself, "No mate, that was beautiful."
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Thursday 13 June 2013
Footy's back after an 8 year drought...
On Saturday I will play my first game of AFL for the Pennant Hills Demons in 8 years, and whatever the level above excitmemet is, that's what I am right now, but I'm surprised at what I'm most excited about for my return game.
Whether you think footy is a noble pursuit of human excellence, or just a bunch of boofheads running around chasing a bit of pigskin, there are elements about football that people from both sides of the fence can appreciate, and those are the elements I'm so excited about.
I'd love to take a hanger, kick a 70 metre barrel out of the guts, or kick a goal after the siren to win the game, but what I'm looking forward to the most is all the off-field normality. It's turning up to the game early and walking out to the middle with Cousy and Laino talking about Cousy's hammy, getting shorts and socks off Scarlo in the rooms, sitting down and pulling my guernsey over my head, getting my ankles strapped by the physio and throwing an offcut of ankle tape at the back of someone's head.
Then to cap off the day, the excitement continues when we go back to the club and have a beer after we've belted out the victory song.
It's a grand old flag...
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Whether you think footy is a noble pursuit of human excellence, or just a bunch of boofheads running around chasing a bit of pigskin, there are elements about football that people from both sides of the fence can appreciate, and those are the elements I'm so excited about.
I'd love to take a hanger, kick a 70 metre barrel out of the guts, or kick a goal after the siren to win the game, but what I'm looking forward to the most is all the off-field normality. It's turning up to the game early and walking out to the middle with Cousy and Laino talking about Cousy's hammy, getting shorts and socks off Scarlo in the rooms, sitting down and pulling my guernsey over my head, getting my ankles strapped by the physio and throwing an offcut of ankle tape at the back of someone's head.
Then to cap off the day, the excitement continues when we go back to the club and have a beer after we've belted out the victory song.
It's a grand old flag...
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For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Tuesday 11 June 2013
44 is back
For information about Barnaby's motivational speaking, go to: http://www.barnabyhowarth.com.au/
Monday 10 June 2013
Bionic eye a reality
Close your eyes and walk around a room where children have been playing, or put on a blindfold and try to imagine why you find your partner so beautiful, or put a cardboard box over your head and cross the road. Now imagine that's how you lived your life everyday, but someone just told you a pair of glasses had been invented that would help you see for the first time. Well that just happened, with the unveiling of the prototype of the world's first bionic eye.
If successful, the bionic eye has the potential to help over 85 per cent of those people classified as legally blind. It is hoped the device, which involves a microchip implanted in the skull and a digital camera attached to a pair of glasses, will allow recipients to see the outlines of their surroundings.
It is a team of Australian industrial designers and scientists who have brought the bionic eye to the world, and with trials beginning next year, Professor Mark Armstrong from Monash University in Victoria says the bionic eye should give recipients a degree of extra mobility.
"There's a camera at the front and the camera is actually very similar to an iPhone camera, so it takes live action for colour and then that imagery is distilled via a very sophisticated processor down to, let's say, a distilled signal."
"That signal is then transmitted wirelessly from what's called a coil, which is mounted at the back of the head and inside the brain there is an implant which consists of a series of little ceramic tiles and in each tile are microscopic electrodes which actually are embedded in the visual cortex of the brain."
Professor Armstrong says is it is hoped the technology will help those who completely blind, enabling them to navigate their way around.
"There's a number of different settings ... so you could set it to floor mapping for example and it creates a silhouette around objects on the floor so that you can see where you're going."
Johnny Diesel said "You never miss your water 'til your dry," and for people who have never been able to see, they've been dry for a long time, so Professor Armstrong believes the bionic eye might help people experience things in a completely new way.
"What we believe the recipient will see is a sort of a low resolution dot image, but enough... [to] see, for example, the edge of a table or the silhouette of a loved one or a step into the gutter or something like that," he said.
"So the wonderful thing, if our interpretation of this is correct - because we don't know until the first human trial - [is] it'll of course enable people that are blind to be reconnected with their world in a way."
How does the bionic eye work?
- A digital camera embedded in the glasses will capture images.
- An eye movement sensor inside the glasses will direct the camera as you turn your head.
- Digital processors will modify the images captured by the camera.
- A wireless transmitter will then present the image that you are "looking at" to a chip that has been implanted at the back of the brain.
- The chip will then directly stimulate the visual cortex of the brain with electrical signals using an array of micro-sized electrodes.
- The brain will learn to interpret these signals as sight.
If successful, the bionic eye has the potential to help over 85 per cent of those people classified as legally blind. It is hoped the device, which involves a microchip implanted in the skull and a digital camera attached to a pair of glasses, will allow recipients to see the outlines of their surroundings.
It is a team of Australian industrial designers and scientists who have brought the bionic eye to the world, and with trials beginning next year, Professor Mark Armstrong from Monash University in Victoria says the bionic eye should give recipients a degree of extra mobility.
"There's a camera at the front and the camera is actually very similar to an iPhone camera, so it takes live action for colour and then that imagery is distilled via a very sophisticated processor down to, let's say, a distilled signal."
"That signal is then transmitted wirelessly from what's called a coil, which is mounted at the back of the head and inside the brain there is an implant which consists of a series of little ceramic tiles and in each tile are microscopic electrodes which actually are embedded in the visual cortex of the brain."
Professor Armstrong says is it is hoped the technology will help those who completely blind, enabling them to navigate their way around.
"There's a number of different settings ... so you could set it to floor mapping for example and it creates a silhouette around objects on the floor so that you can see where you're going."
Johnny Diesel said "You never miss your water 'til your dry," and for people who have never been able to see, they've been dry for a long time, so Professor Armstrong believes the bionic eye might help people experience things in a completely new way.
"What we believe the recipient will see is a sort of a low resolution dot image, but enough... [to] see, for example, the edge of a table or the silhouette of a loved one or a step into the gutter or something like that," he said.
"So the wonderful thing, if our interpretation of this is correct - because we don't know until the first human trial - [is] it'll of course enable people that are blind to be reconnected with their world in a way."
How does the bionic eye work?
- A digital camera embedded in the glasses will capture images.
- An eye movement sensor inside the glasses will direct the camera as you turn your head.
- Digital processors will modify the images captured by the camera.
- A wireless transmitter will then present the image that you are "looking at" to a chip that has been implanted at the back of the brain.
- The chip will then directly stimulate the visual cortex of the brain with electrical signals using an array of micro-sized electrodes.
- The brain will learn to interpret these signals as sight.
Thursday 6 June 2013
Sheedy prefers the carrot to the stick
A "spray" from the coach of any sports team is entertaining, but GWS Giants AFL coach Kevin Sheedy believes abusing players is an 'old school' tactic that gets in the way of educating players, and there's no room for it in today's game.
Sheedy's message that education and communication is more important to a player's development than an old-fashioned spray is one that coaches of all sports would benefit from taking on board, but his team is in it's second year of competition, so his view that the carrot is more effective than the stick is reassuring from the man in charge of moulding "basically an under-20 side."
"Most of them don't have a car licence and are heading towards their 21st birthday in the next year or two." Sheedy said about his young side.
His views on the futility of belittling players by berating them have been formed over a lifetime as a player and a coach in the AFL, it was a match in 2001 when he was coaching Essendon against North Melbourne when the power of positive reinforcement helped the Bombers to notch up the greatest comeback in the AFL.
Essendon were more than 10 goals down in the second quarter but Sheedy was surprised at how positive his coaching group remained. The coaches made the decision that "It's no good ridiculing players and taking their heart and soul out." Sheedy said "We had to get them to believe immediately that the game was still there to be won"
Getting players to believe they could turn around a 10 goal defecit by helping them look on a negative situation positively was probably easier when coaching a reigning AFL premier, but coaching a group who have probably never eaten a push pop or seen an episode of The Goodies is a different prospect. Under the care of Kevin Sheedy, the Giants look like they're in safe hands. The wise man says that helping young players to find their mojo is more important than winning games
"When you're in the situation of building a young team, you better give them belief and confidence they're moving in the right direction, even though they're being beaten by an opponent."
Sheedy's message that education and communication is more important to a player's development than an old-fashioned spray is one that coaches of all sports would benefit from taking on board, but his team is in it's second year of competition, so his view that the carrot is more effective than the stick is reassuring from the man in charge of moulding "basically an under-20 side."
"Most of them don't have a car licence and are heading towards their 21st birthday in the next year or two." Sheedy said about his young side.
His views on the futility of belittling players by berating them have been formed over a lifetime as a player and a coach in the AFL, it was a match in 2001 when he was coaching Essendon against North Melbourne when the power of positive reinforcement helped the Bombers to notch up the greatest comeback in the AFL.
Essendon were more than 10 goals down in the second quarter but Sheedy was surprised at how positive his coaching group remained. The coaches made the decision that "It's no good ridiculing players and taking their heart and soul out." Sheedy said "We had to get them to believe immediately that the game was still there to be won"
Getting players to believe they could turn around a 10 goal defecit by helping them look on a negative situation positively was probably easier when coaching a reigning AFL premier, but coaching a group who have probably never eaten a push pop or seen an episode of The Goodies is a different prospect. Under the care of Kevin Sheedy, the Giants look like they're in safe hands. The wise man says that helping young players to find their mojo is more important than winning games
"When you're in the situation of building a young team, you better give them belief and confidence they're moving in the right direction, even though they're being beaten by an opponent."
Monday 3 June 2013
Larrikinism can make people a character or a peanut
When men are gentle, fair and kind, they are forgiven the odd bit of larrikinism, in fact it can be seen as charming, but when larrikinism is taken too far, it is just flat out rude. There is no doubt that there is room to be a good person AND a bit of larrikin, but as my Grandmother used to tell me - "Everything in moderation..."
While not being the catalyst to make comment on societal behaviour, the resignation of Swimming Australia's president Barclay Nettlefold after accusations of making an inappropriate remark towards a female staff member in a lift at the Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide last month is the straw that broke the camel's back
Nettlefold was appointed after the Australian swimming team's limited success at the London Olympics, and was in charge during the "Stilknox probe," where the mens 4x100 metre relay team interrupted their teammates games preparations as they went on a late night, sleeping tablet fueled rampage of stupidity. If the accusations against Nettlefold are proven true, his rein over the inappropriate behaviour of members of his own team has some "pot calling the kettle black" similarities to Eddie Maguire giving advice to 13 year olds about racial tolerance.
Rare acts of larrikinism when interspersed with human decency by good people can be legendary. When Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh told South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs "You've just dropped the World Cup," after Gibbs dropped Waugh while he was on 56 (he went on to make 120 runs on the way to Australia winning the World Cup). Waugh's infamous jibe highlights how thin the line is between "larrikinism" and "inappropriateness." Waugh not only got away with his comment, he was praised for it, not because of the semantics of what he said, or who he said it to, but because he is, at heart, a good person.
Good people who have an odd larrikin streak are referred to as "characters", but larrikins with an odd streak of decency are referred to as "peanuts." So we could all take my grandmother's advice and use everything in moderation.
Good people who have an odd larrikin streak are referred to as "characters", but larrikins with an odd streak of decency are referred to as "peanuts." So we could all take my grandmother's advice and use everything in moderation.
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