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LINK TO... INTERVIEW: MEET STEVE ELLIOTT AND HIS ‘UTE’ WHEELCHAIR
Meet Steve Elliott and his ‘ute’ wheelchair
Dog musterer Steve Elliott is said to be the only person to compete in cattle dog trials from a wheelchair. He spoke to Jayne Keogh.
Rodeo saddle bronc riding may not be the most dangerous activity in the world, but it is right up there in the top ten with test pilot, bomb disposal expert and snake catcher. The wild unbroken horse with the rider onboard is confined to a small chute until the gate is flung open and the horse is released. Whilst the rider tries to stay on the horse’s back for at least eight seconds, the horse has other ideas and tries to get rid of the rider, as quickly as possible.
Saddle bronc rider Steve Elliott from Winton, in Western Queensland was engaged in that hobby when the world stopped for him.
“In 2003 I was bucked off a horse called Spaghetti Western at the Black River Rodeo.” His spine was partly severed, leaving him quadriplegic as well as damage to movement in his hands.
He spent the next seven months in hospital in the spinal unit of the Princess Alexander Hospital unit in Brisbane returning home, carrying the knowledge that his condition was “as good as it was going to get”. Elliott has lived in the country his whole life, growing up on a farm using a horse for transport on his grandfather’s sheep and cattle station. He helped his father train racehorses, paving the way for his passion for saddle bronc riding on the rodeo circuit.
Understandably he was shattered, could not envisage a life of a disabled person and spent the next two years grieving in bed. He purchased a computer, taught himself how to use it and played solitaire. Needing to adjust the bed height he went into the farm shed to forge some metalwork. Now to city folk that seems very odd, but not to country people. Due to the tyranny of distance, farmers need to be mechanics, metalworkers and carpenters to repair machinery and vehicles on site, but Elliott found his disability didn’t prevent him from working in the forge.
In another one of those key turning points in life local farmer and dog trainer Keri Prandolini asked him to design and forge a branding iron for her son, which led Elliott into the blacksmithing business. He has crafted nearly 1000 and one of his clients is Gina Reinhart, so we can assume it’s a success.
Prandolini suggested Elliott have a pet as a companion. An uncle bought him his first border collie Princess Jilly, and Prandolini was so impressed with his talent and intuition with dog behavior, it turned into an occupation. “The local community helped me out with a modified four-wheel drive wheelchair and Hilux so I could attend sheepdog trials and muster cattle and sheep.” His business spread and with the help of family and friends he got a modified air-conditioned horse float accessed by a ramp with an ensuite shower and toilet.
Prandolini heard the ABC was looking for dog trainers for a new show, Muster Dogs, and once again, that key of life turned again. The program is popular with city viewers, who are mostly unaware of the big shift in the country from human to canine workers. “Border collies and kelpies do not shy away from hard work,” Elliott said. “They run all day, herding cattle into their pens and keeping them in check.” As farmers around the country grapple with workforce shortages, are some of the most efficient workers in the industry. These loyal animals do not have an off switch and keep going for as long as the chores takes. As young people prefer to earn high wages in the mines, more farmers are starting to use working dogs, paying big dollars for a good dog.
Most dog lovers have seen the show which told Elliott’s story and how he progressed through the training stages despite his disability. It established him in his business of running training programs all over the country and coaching individual animals.
His fame also turned him into an actor in the ABC series Total Control with Deborah Mailman. Originally having a ‘roll on’ part, when the director saw and spoke to him, the episode was rewritten to give him a speaking role.
The scene sees him, an attempted suicide patient, offering Mailman’s character a puppy, to distract her from telling him to take his medication. He enjoyed working with the actress,” We clicked after a little bit and got on really well,” he said, “It was fun to work with her.”
WORKSHOPS WITH ROYAL FLYING DOCTOR
On that note, Elliott has also taken on the role of working with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in their mental health program. The two-day workshop involves attendees training young pups to become working dogs, while also working on developing a ‘toolbox’ of mental health and wellbeing skills to assist in navigating the challenges of life and supporting others.
RFDS Outback Mental Health Clinical
Lead Dr Tim Driscoll said the two activities had a natural synergy.
“An event like this is aimed at developing skills in working dog training, while also helping to develop skills to get through those ‘dog days’ and helping others to do the same,” Driscoll said. “The connection people form with working dogs delivers huge benefits for their overall mental health and is well documented. There is often a strong sense of trust and connection formed with working dogs.”
If anyone knows what a ‘dog day’ is in terms of mental health, it’s Elliott, given his journey.
He is open about himself. “I was not a very educated person, I hated school and just wanted to work on the land.” He was shy and a bit timid, but now the way his life has turned out, is quietly confident about his skills and abilities as a person.
“The dogs motivate me to get out of bed every morning,” he said. “Some days you just don’t want to get out and then remember you must let them out and continue with the day. It’s a pretty good feeling when you see the dog work after training them because what you put into them you get out and it’s very rewarding.”
Elliott is a role model for how to deal with what can happen in the blink of an eye.
