And then it happened.

May 2012 -  NYLD Wellington

Recently I was fortunate enough to escort 10 of the student leaders from Pomaria Primary School to Wellington to attend the NYLD conference at the Michael Fowler Centre.  

NYLD is an annual event held at a number of main centres around New Zealand, it's aim to ignite the spark within our potential leaders of tomorrow.  Every year the event is filled with inspirational role models, 2012 was no different.  The eyes of my charges lit up at they listened to the adventures of Jamie Fitzgerald as he regaled them with stories of rowing the Atlantic and walking across Antarctica, they laughed with CameronCalkoen who despite being born with Cerebral Palsy, has gone on to become an international athlete, and successful public speaker.  

But for me the defining moment was the first speaker after the break for morning tea.  To be honest I had skimmed through the list of speakers on the flight down and had totally missed the name Cassandra Treadwell, if I had known what was coming, I still could not have been prepared for it's impact.  

So blown away by the content of her presentation, I found tears streaming down my face as my fingers were frantically texting a friend to share that I was hearing first hand what could quite possibly be answer to my dream.   My mind was racing, I was punching as many details as possible into my phone, so I wouldn't forget a thing.  I had to contact this amazing woman, I had to know more....

Sea Anchor or Keep Rowing?

So They Can