Join us for our second Lunch for the Stars at the spectacular Noah's on the Beach, with Steven Bradbury as our guest speaker!

At Grow a Star, we help young people to realise their dreams, and we are delighted to announce that our guest speaker, Steven Bradbury, is someone who knows all too well about the importance of having dreams and how realising them can change your life.

Speed Skater Steven Bradbury collected the most unlikely, unthinkable gold medal in the history of the Olympics. Australia’s first Winter Olympic Gold medal!

He tells an amazingly inspirational story of triumph over adversity, of how he underwent years of obsessive training, pain, setbacks, sacrifice and life threatening injuries and of how he armed himself with the information and tools he needed to achieve this amazing success.

In 1991, Steven was just 17 and a member of Australia’s short-track relay team that won the World Championship in Sydney in 1991, the first world title won by Australia in a major winter sport.

Subsequently selected for the Olympics in Albertville in 1992, he was eliminated in the semi-finals. Two years later, in Lillehammer, he was considered a medal contender in the individual events, but he was hampered by crashing opponents and did not reach a final. However, he did win Australia’s first ever winter medal — a bronze in the 5000m relay.

A year later, he was involved in the first of two career-threatening accidents. In a crash in Montreal a rival’s skates sliced through his right thigh, requiring 111 stitches and 18 months recovery time. In 2000, in Sydney, he crashed into a barrier during training and broke his neck; he was told he would never skate again. He had been among the world’s best 8 years prior, but he was considered in the twilight of his career by the time he made it through to the Salt Lake City 1000m final. Strategically factoring the likelihood of an accident, he skated behind the front runners and the plan paid off. His four rivals all collided and he skated alone past the finish line to be dubbed “the Accidental Hero”.

The win left him with conflicting emotions, but he eventually accepted it as a reward for 12 long years of toil. It was the first ever gold medal won by an Australian at the Winter Olympics, and also the end of a career which had embraced four Olympics, an earlier bronze medal, much sacrifice, and some horrific injuries. "Obviously I wasn't the fastest skater. I don't think I'll take the medal as the minute-and-a-half of the race I actually won. I'll take it as the last decade of the hard slog I put in."

After the Games, Steven began his new career as a motivational speaker and a television commentator for Australia at the 2006 Winter Olympics. He published his autobiography, Last Man Standing, in 2005. "Doing a Bradbury" has entered the Australian lexicon as the epitome of an unlikely success against all odds. In 2002, he was awarded the Don Award by Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Named after Sir Donald Bradman, it recognises the sporting achievement of the year which has inspired the people of Australia. In 2007, he was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his Olympic gold medal win and inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 2017, he was a Director of the Olympic Winter Institute.

His story is combined with some Aussie larrikin, a little political incorrectness, and some proper belly laughs. Steven doesn’t call himself a stand up comedian, because he only does the standing up bit...

ABOUT GROW A STAR

Our sporting themed business lunch aims to raise $20,000.00 which will go directly to our Grow a Star program, an innovative, youth mentoring and scholarship program that helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome the financial obstacles that are preventing them from following their dreams.

This first of its kind program was initiated by Home in Place in 2012. Since its launch, the program has assisted hundreds of people to pursue their academic, artistic and sporting goals at grassroots and representative levels.

It is open to any young person between the ages of 10 -18, engaged in education, training or employment who can demonstrate a need for assistance.

We believe that encouraging generational change through empowering young people, has far reaching, long-term, positive effects with the community.

Get your tickets today and help us change the lives of young people in our region today!

SPONSORS

Thank you to our wonderful sponsors:

BEYOND BANK

HIC SERVICES

BROADLEY SIGNS

NOAH'S ON THE BEACH

There is a COVID-Safe plan in place for this event and we will continue to monitor and follow advice from NSW Health to ensure you and your guests have a safe and enjoyable experience. You will be notified immediately if restrictions are tightened.