Australian Paralympian and triathlete Brant Garvey visited three Toowoomba schools last week, as part of a project being launched by Tilly’s Crawler Parts, a proud local business. 

Brant spoke at the Tilly’s team day earlier this year and inspired the staff with his personal story of the challenges he has faced as a congenital above-knee amputee, choosing to pursue a career as a triathlete. Tilly’s General Manager Lance Hinrichsen was excited to find a speaker who has overcome real-life obstacles to achieve great things, and to encourage the staff to take on Brant’s motto of ‘no excuses’ in their work and personal lives. 

From this connection, the concept of the Tilly’s Resilience Project was born. Looking to find a way to make a difference in the lives of young people in the areas where the team, and their customers live, work and raise their families, Tilly’s has chosen to bring Brant to Toowoomba to speak with local students about the importance of personal resilience, particularly when dealing with issues like bullying. Brant is sought after as a motivational speaker across Australia and loves working in schools to see students achieve their potential.

Brant visited Highfields State Secondary College to speak with over 200 Year 8 students, followed by a session with students participating in the Sporting Talent Excellence and Potential (STEP) program. The College’s values of Kindness, Persistence, Resilience, Respect and Responsibility have led them to be involved in the Tilly’s Resilience program. Brant also visited Year 3-6 students at Toowoomba Grammar Junior School and spoke with Year 9 students at The Glennie School.

Students and staff alike were entertained and inspired by Brant's amazing journey from not running one step to being the first Australian above-knee amputee to complete an Ironman Triathlon. It's an incredible feat, swimming 3.8km, riding 180km and then running a full marathon.

Tilly’s looks forward to extending the project with more schools in Toowoomba and beyond already expressing interest.  Schools are invited to contact Tilly’s General Manager Lance Hinrichsen by emailing lance@tillys.com.au for more information.