Stephanie Rice is a three-time Olympic Gold Medallist, 5 time World Record holder and had enjoyed a successful 10-year career as a professional athlete. Her success in the pool led to an array of wonderful sponsorship opportunities including JW Marriott and Mercedes Benz. Outside of her work in the media, Stephanie has partaken in consulting roles with the Indian and Australian Government as well as projects for the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
At 23 years old Nedd Brockmann became the fastest ever Australian to run across the country. He embarked on the nearly 4,000km run that took 46 days, to raise money for the homeless charity 'Mobilise.' By the end of his run he had raised $2.5 million. On his final day more than 10,000 people welcomed him home in an emotional finish that will be remembered for years. Nedd's relentless focus on never giving up and continuing to show up has inspired the nation. His incredible achievement and the way he did it has resonated with all ages and demographics and is driving people across Australia to take on new challenges.
Grace Rowe grew up racing motocross as one of the only junior females fully sponsored in Australia. In recent years she trained in freestyle motocross where she became one of just a few women in the country to clear a 75ft gap. In March 2023, she had an accident in training which resulted in a broken pelvis in 6 places. She was airlifted to hospital where she spent a total of 45 nights including 3 surgeries. Over 15 months of rehabilitation, Grace learnt to walk again and undertook trauma therapy. She is now learning to reconcile an experience that brought unprecedented fear and pain, as well as strength and resilience. Grace looks forward to sharing her remarkable story of overcoming adversity.
Derek Rabelo is a blind, big-wave surfer and author who was the first blind person to ride life-threatening monster waves at Pipeline in Hawaii. Derek has overcome significant adversity in life, defying the odds and re-defining what it means to believe in yourself and to never stop chasing your dreams. Derek recently surfed some of the biggest and most dangerous waves in the world in Nazare, Portugal.
15-year-old Jack Berne was only 10 years old when he started an initiative called 'Fiver For a Farmer' to support drought affected farmers. Jack has changed the lives of thousands having since raised over $2 million. He is an inspiration to young people, proving that you are never too young to make a difference. He has shown young Australians that great things can happen when we come together to support one another. Jack and his family continue to start fresh initiatives including school dress up days, presentations and advice on additional ways to support farmers including water conservation.
At 14 years old, Ornella went on a trip to East Timor with her mother, a trip that changed her life forever. When she returned home, she had a passion and a dream to make quality education a reality for Timorese children. At only 15, Ornella founded a charity to begin that work. Ornella’s vision was clear from the outset. She developed close friendships with the Timorese people including President Jose Ramos Jorte whose encouragement helped her found her new charity, BETTER (Building East Timor through Education and Resources). The belief that ignited her vision is as relevant today – education is fundamental to breaking the cycle of poverty. Through education, BETTER empowers the current, next, and future generations to live BETTER lives with choice!
Michael Crossland has the ability to captivate the imagination of young people to encourage and inspire them with his story. Michael has defied the odds of a life- threatening cancer to build a life of achievements as an accomplished businessman and an elite sportsman. His message of hope and overcoming adversity has seen Michael invited back year after year to Stand Tall.
