Local Artist And Icon Receives National Recognition

Dave Conway says he is here for a reason.

Dave has been nominated for Blind Australian of the Year in recognition of his work throughout the Mackay community and the disability sector.

“It feels amazing to be nominated,” Dave said with the widest of grins.

“To get a phone call about that, that someone had nominated me, I was just on cloud nine million.

“I was just floating.”

Dave’s story is one of action, of risk, but not one of regret.

At the beginning of his final year of an environmental sciences degree, Dave was rock climbing at Mount French, west of Brisbane.

“I loved it as a hobby,” he said.

“I was actually training to compete in the Extreme Games in 2004 but at the start of the year, the 19th of February 2004, life stepped in and redirected where I was going.”

Dave fell 20 metres while lead climbing when his top anchor came loose in a crack in the rock, sustaining substantial damage to his back, pituitary gland and optic nerves.

He spent 17 days in a coma and when he awoke, he was surrounded by his family.

“When I woke up from my coma, I couldn’t talk because I had a breathing tube in and I was totally blind, but I felt so safe and so loved so I just went with what happened to me,” Dave said.

Thus began a long road to recovery and rehabilitation – Dave ultimately spent the next 15 months in hospital in Brisbane.

With little to no memory of the accident, Dave’s family took him downstairs one day for a chat.

“Mum and dad and my brother and my sister, we’re a very close family, so they told me everything I went through, what they think happened in the fall, and I almost died three times in intensive care, so I knew that I was here for a reason,” he said.

“I’ve got to grab life with both hands and just run with it.”

Dave said one of the best conversations came when his family all accepted his accident because he was doing something he loved.

“Looking back at all my actions, I’m glad I can speak very highly of my accident,” he said.

“Through having a sport accident, I count myself lucky because I can talk about what I went through with no regrets.”

Dave started creating art in the spinal unit in 2004 and, after moving back to Mackay in 2005, he continued to create charcoal drawings.

“I’m lucky I got to move home with my family because it gave me time to really find myself,” he said.

While he still creates charcoal drawings, Dave prefers more colourful, high flow paintings and sells his colourful paintings through his business Art from the Blind Side.

“The art I do these days is the bright colours because they inspire me because I can see them better and just to see how colours interact with each other,” he said.

Dave says art provides therapy and a welcome distraction from the chronic pain of his spinal injury.

“The art really helps with keeping myself distracted from the pain as well as giving me a hobby, giving me an interest and also giving me a small business,” he said.

“It’s also great therapy for my eyes.

“As my ophthalmologist has said, when using the muscles in my eyes, somehow, that’s repairing things.”

Along with his artwork, Dave is kept extremely busy with his work in the community and the disability sector; work that has been recognised by his nomination for Blind Australian of the Year.

He works as a disability advocate, an access consultant, a state-wide convenor assisting people who self-manage their NDIS plans.

He’s worked alongside Mackay Regional Council, Mackay Hospital, IDEAL Placements, Mackay Advocacy, Sporting Wheelies and Queenslanders with Disability Network.

He’s a frequent host and speaker at forums and schools, he’s published a book and has even delivered a TED Talk.

“All the work I do, I really enjoy it,” he said.

“It’s been really self-satisfying but also, I’ve been really proud to be nominated as Blind Australian of the Year.

“All this work I do makes sense.

“People are paying attention, it’s pretty cool.”

The Blind Australian of the Year Award is announced later this month.

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