Anna Cocquerel has overcome significant challenges from early on in life including severe dyslexia, scoliosis which forced her to wear a brace to school and led to bullying, as well as debilitating anxiety. While in senior school, she started acting and was cast to play the role of Coco Astoni for 3 years in Home and Away. Anna wants to give hope to students struggling with learning difficulties, poor body image, anxiety and bullying – giving them tools to overcome their challenges, and understand their own unique value.

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A crowd favourite. Michael will once again take the stage with his ability to capture and inspire teens with his story. Michael is an extraordinary man who defied the odds of a life-threatening cancer to build a life of exceptional achievements. An accomplished businessman and an elite sportsman, his story will make you laugh, cry and inspire you to Stand Tall.

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At 8 years of age Nicola McDermott dreamed of one day becoming the first woman in Australian history to jump higher than 2 metres. After 16 years of training at the age of 24 she was able to reach her dreams and become the first to clear the 2m barrier. Later in the year, she thrilled the nation by clearing 2.02m and winning a Silver Medal in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

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Bella Taylor Smith overcame great hardship early in her life to achieve her dream of winning The Voice Australia in 2021. She stunned Australian audiences with her world-class performances and has been invited by Guy Sebastian to join his sold-out National Tour commencing in April 2022. Stand Tall is thrilled to have Bella sharing her personal story and her incredible singing gift with students.

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Glen Gerreyn will help change your life.

At age 17 Glen, a champion athlete, was struck by an illness that quickly ended his Olympic dreams and sporting career. He triumphed over every challenge, and shifted his focus to community development. His efforts were soon recognised nationally as Young Australian of the Year for Queensland, Community Service.

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The remarkable story of Tony Hoang is the subject of a powerful and confronting 2012 SBS documentary “Once Upon a Time in Cabramatta”.

The young Tony, son of Vietnamese refugees, grew up in poverty in the then drug capital of Australia, Cabramatta. Like many refugees from the Vietnam War, Tony’s parents’ hopes of a safe new home for their families were crushed by the heroin culture that overtook the lives of their children.

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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 never stop chasing your dreams.

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At the age of 13 Dan Smith broke Ian Thorpe's 200m Freestyle Age Group record, and won the most medals in history at an Australian Age Championship. Years later amidst the growing pressure and demand of elite level swim training, he battled with drug and alcohol abuse. After hitting rock bottom, he not only overcame incredible odds in his personal life, but trained and competed at the 2016 Rio Olympic games.

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Joany Badenhorst is one of Stand Tall’s beloved Ambassadors, as well as Co-captain of Australia’s 2018 Winter Paralympic Team, carrying the Flag for Australia at the Opening Ceremony. As Australia’s premier female Para-snowboarder, she won silver and bronze medals in three consecutive Women’s Para-snowboarding World Championships. Joany has beaten all odds to achieve her dreams and has a deep desire to inspire people of all ages to do the same.

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Lance Russell and Ryley Davis are professional freestyle motocross riders from Kurrajong, NSW. Lance has competed internationally, winning prestigious awards like best whip at X-games, and is the only Australian freestyler to land a 360 superman. At 14, Ryley was one of the youngest in Australia to land a backflip at a live event in 2021. They are great friends who are committed to working hard, pushing the boundaries, thinking creatively and persevering. Both have learnt how to conquer fear, believe in themselves, and be resilient in the face of injury. With combined social media followings of over 1 million they love to share a message of chasing your dreams.

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Timomatic is an Australian singer and dancer. He’s appeared on national TV shows like ‘So You Can Think You Can Dance’ and ‘Australia’s Got Talent‘. He’s released singles that have topped the ARIA Charts. Timomatic has been an amazing ambassador for Stand Tall bringing energising and captivating performances for the last 4 years and they get more exciting each year!

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Bursting onto the Australian Music Scene in 2012 as runner-up of the X-Factor, Jason Owen is one of Australia’s most popular young country music stars. Jason grew up in the tiny town of Albert NSW, with a population of just 12 people. This led him in 2019 to found his own charity, ‘Doin It For Rural Aussie Kids’, in support of regional and isolated children. He is excited to be sharing a message of chasing your dreams and following your passions at the Stand Tall Dubbo event in 2022.

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