Daring to dream big a life lesson for all

After a horrific accident while working as a stock hand in a Queensland feedlot, Raelea Foley was left with a permanent brain injury.

‘It’s very hard to educate someone about a brain injury when they don’t have one,’ says Dust Off Brain Bust Raelea Foley. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

After a horrific accident while working as a stock hand and penrider in a Queensland feedlot, Raelea Foley was left with a permanent brain injury and told she might not be able to work again.

One Sunday morning in 2018, Ms Foley she was carrying out normal duties cutting out mixed cattle and checking for any injured ones on a property near Dalby in the Darling Downs.

She took her eyes off the animals for a split second to open the gate, and a bull charged at her.

Ms Foley managed to stay on her horse, but less than 10 minutes later a different bull slammed into the side of her, snapping her reins, knocking her off her horse and leaving her unconscious on the ground.

“My horse came straight down on me and it had just rained so the whole pen was like a mud pit,” Ms Foley said.

“I remember the whole thing vividly right up until I hit the ground.”

The accident cracked her skull, leaving her with a serious head injury and life-long damage to her right leg.

She was airlifted to Brisbane hospital and remained unconscious for seven hours, and then spent six weeks in recovery.

While the accident was horrific, Ms Foley said getting back to work was harder.

A career-driven person, she was desperate to get back to doing what she loves but found employers lacked understanding about her injuries and pain she still suffered. She felt isolated, and discovered there was a real gap in the bush in support or understanding for people with head injuries.

Determined to do something about it, Ms Foley started Dust Off Brain Bust, a support group and charity to raise money and awareness for people suffering brain injuries in regional Australia. “It’s very hard to educate someone about a brain injury when they don’t have one.

“I was heavily medicated and still in a lot of pain when I went back to work but over time it became too overwhelming.

“We’ve had overwhelming support from people who wanted to come on board and support the charity.”

Ms Foley’s work has earned a nomination for the Shine Awards, which focus on the untold stories of rural and ­regional women.

A partnership between Aus­tralia’s leading rural/regional masthead The Weekly Times and Harvey Norman, the fifth annual Shine Awards recognise unsung leaders and ­innovators making a ­difference to their communities.

On top of her work to support people with a brain injury working in agriculture, Ms Foley is passionate about being a leader for her generation and is in the running to become the ­National Rodeo Association’s rodeo queen.

Ms Foley said she hoped becoming the sport’s ambassador would show other people suffering brain injuries to dream big.

“You shouldn’t be judged for having a disability but actually your ability to do something,” she said.

“It’s another way I hope to show the next generation that it doesn’t matter what you look like or what you can’t do.”

The winners of the Shine Awards will be announced in November