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We know that now more than ever, there is a growing disconnection between parents and their teens, corporates and their employees, and human interactions in general.
This can cause stress, frustration and many arguments within families and the work environment.
gwunspoken looks at the challenges people of all ages have in their relationships with one another and provides experience and advice, allowing all parties to have a voice.... and feel heard.
Join us to hear corporates, parents, educators, teens and the latest advice of how we can in fact live the life we love, in making authentic interactions, because we know... authentic connection is everything.
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Resilience Through Sport: Ian Webster's Inspiring Journey from the Field to Community Building
Ian Webster, a former international rugby league player and accomplished boxer, takes centre stage in this episode as he shares his extraordinary journey from the gritty streets of St. Helens, England, to the limelight of professional sports. Growing up amidst a culture of fighting and resilience, Ian found solace and purpose in rugby, steering clear of the life of crime that beckoned him. Our conversation uncovers Ian's unwavering dedication and the life-changing power of sports, which provided him with a sense of identity and hope, fueling his transition from the field to a role as a mentor.
Ian's sports career is a testament to versatility and grit, having captained the under-21s at just 17 and graced the Super League stage by 19. He candidly recounts the competitive challenges faced, from cutting weight for boxing matches to rivaling the Australian Army champion. His story illustrates the lasting camaraderie forged in sports and the resilience required to navigate the highs and lows. As he shares insights into the mental health benefits of being part of a team, Ian offers a profound reflection on the lessons learned from victory and defeat, emphasising the importance of finding new passions after retiring from professional sports.
Finally, Ian's passion for community building shines as he speaks about his future plans, including starting a community boxing gym and transforming Rockhampton into a music hub. His authenticity and commitment to investing in others underscore the conversation, revealing how engaging with the community can provide both personal growth and mental well-being. Ian's dedication to fostering connections and nurturing future generations paints an inspiring picture of a sportsman who continues to make a significant impact beyond the arena. Join us for an insightful and entertaining chat that highlights Ian Webster's remarkable journey and his enduring influence.
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Welcome to another edition of GW Unspoken, where we discuss stuff we don't typically talk about but probably should. And I've got a very special guest on the line. I've got Ian Webster. How are you, mate?
Speaker 2:What are you Brilliant? I thought you were going to start rapping over the top of that music then.
Speaker 1:Well, the girls chose that music. They said it's a vibe and so if I'm boring, at least I can just redo the music the whole time. It's not fair enough. Good call, I like it. We haven't spoken for a while. We're going to get to that in a sec, but at the moment I'm going to ask you if that's okay to check in. If I said out of five, five being awesome, one being hideous how are you travelling at the moment?
Speaker 2:Oh, three and a half, three and a half. Three and a half, but not willing to roll for a five yet.
Speaker 1:All right, we might get there by the end. And what's something at the moment that you're really grateful for, Webby?
Speaker 2:My family mate yeah, family Wife and two kids yeah.
Speaker 1:Lovely, all right. Well, look, let's get into it. I want to have a good chat to you tonight and we're doing a series at the moment on movement, and what better person to speak to than yourself? I know, from the times we used to work together a lot of respect for you, but for the people who don't know you out there, let's just sum up. Who is Ian Webster? Give us like a 30 to 60 seconds on the spot. Who is Webby?
Speaker 2:30 seconds Elevator pitch Ian Webster. I would like to think it's hard to say myself, but I would like to think this it's hard to say myself but I would like to think people would say former international rugby league player, kind of middle of the road, never really got to the top. Um, always worked as hard as I could, came from nothing over in england at saint ellen's, worked as hard as I could, would never had the most talent, but always outworked anybody around me. Um finished rugby league and the. The principles of success are the same. So I went over into boxing, applied those same principles and then I think within two or three years I was golden gloves champion, queensland champion and australia champion. Um, mate, people should probably know you was that, I believe, when I won the golden gloves. I think you were that, yeah, in townsville, is that right?
Speaker 2:yeah we were there, yeah, yeah. So thanks to you two for coming along and give me a bit of support. That was a crazy night, that one. I don't know if you want to get into it now, but the whole circumstance, the whole circumstance around, it may start.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you remember, but I went up a couple of nights ahead of you guys because I had to cut a heap of weight and weigh in at 79. I went in, weighed in, cut about 10 kilos in those two days. Holy hell, 10 kilos in two days, 10 kilos in two days. I spent about eight hours in the sauna room, 48 hours Anyway. Weighed in on the morning at 79 and the, the guy that was supposed to fight me, dropped out. So I won automatically, went back to the, to the hotel, had a massive feed, was about to get on the beers and my coach phoned me and said oh, mate, you can, you can actually fight if you want to. Um, the army champion has turned up, the australian army champion has turned up and he's happy to fight for the 86 kilo golden gloves if you want to jump it. And that's when I was like, oh shit, I'm just about to get my first beer down me.
Speaker 1:I know the webby, the webby competitive spirit, annoying your brain so young let's go.
Speaker 2:So I jumped on the scales of the bell. I was like, wow, would I still be under? I was 85.4, so I quickly ran down, hopped on the scales, weighed in and then, yeah, the rest was history. I think I put a good beating on him that night. I actually remember, after I think the third or fourth time I put him down in the second round, I looked over to his corner and I said, look, please stop the fight. I don't want to hurt the guy. Well, yeah, and, and they did in the end. So when we were all having a beer later, um, he actually came over and he said oh, I heard what you said to the corner and I want to thank you because there was no way I was quitting and I was like man, the last thing that tough fighter needs is a tough corner. That's the last thing a tough fighter needs. So I was happy, I said something. I felt a bit. You know, I didn't want to hurt anybody, I just wanted to win.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's respectful mate. Yeah, no, well, you've achieved a lot and you know you're a very humble man and again, I've already heard you say already once in the podcast we've only been going for a few minutes about how you know you're just average at this but worked hard within the same principles. But you know you've got to give yourself some credit. We met you obviously out there at rocky and we're looking for a, a mentor. Typically we've gone for teachers to help with our education program that had sort of sport, personal development, strength conditioning and educational in one package and when rachel and I talked to you we just walked away just excited about saying this is the guy who needs to be mentoring our kids and we just fired up that you could help us out with League Tech there, mate, and you're just such a great ambassador for us out there.
Speaker 2:Mate, I still think about this. I still think about this now. Honestly, do you know what? For you two guys, I reckon you were three years ahead of your time because if you think back to the situation with the schools and the reluctance for the parents to let their kids look at alternative education, if it had been three years later when COVID kind of exposed the whole system that it is, I think there would have been so many more people looking for alternative education right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and we were just passionate. It was never a job for us Like even when we were leaving home in.
Speaker 1:Brisbane and thought, okay, we're going to Mackay and Rocky and then we'll come home and we'll go Townsville and Cairns. And it was never like, oh gosh, we're on the road again. It was like we are fired up to see the mentor and the kids and just seeing what they're doing and just seeing your faces was just exciting us. And what you do with those, those young people, was just amazing yeah, no, I think you two deserve credit for that.
Speaker 2:Probably a good story for you. I don't know I won't say his name but a couple of the kids that we had in that class. They're they're married with kids now together.
Speaker 1:So oh, so good so yeah, I don't.
Speaker 2:Can you hear are you getting? Is that you or me?
Speaker 1:what's that?
Speaker 2:oh, you can't hear it. There's some sort of ringing going on.
Speaker 1:Sorry, oh, is it? No, no, I'm ready for the third round, mate, let's go. No, all right, let's get into. Let's get into the webby story. Right, let's talk. Let's talk about Webby growing up. Where do you go? For a bit of history, if that's right? So let's paint the picture. Where were you born? Who were you living with? Schooling? Let's go through a bit of a journey here.
Speaker 2:All right. So, born in St Helens, yeah, lived there all my life until I was 21. But from the age of three, four, five, my life was all fighting. So my family were all fighters. The area that I lived in you had to be able to fight, so that was kind of drummed into the kids. Um, my family were. They weren't travelers, but they were very close to all the travelers so there was a lot of bare knuckle fighting in and around us every week. So violence and and looking at fighting was nothing new to me by the age of four or five years old. And then I found a rugby league team down at Blackbrook Royals now all still only five, and you had to be six, six and a half to play. So my dad took me down and, being the man that he is with a lot of contacts in the area, they let me play a year above my age and it turned out to be a super successful team. National champions went all over Europe just for a local town of 60,000 people. But in our team there was myself. James Robey played 520 games for St Helens. James Graham obviously came over here. So I think out of our group of 17 and six-year-olds that started together. The 13 of us ended up playing Super League, which is unheard of. It's quite astonishing.
Speaker 2:Looking back, mate, look from school. I was in a poor area of St Helens, really poor like gangs and just a really bad place to be. But it was all I knew and great people. Obviously, when I was I don't want to say teenager St Helens, I was kind of already in with St Helens at that stage and they put me into a Cowley language college which was specialized in rugby union and rugby league college which was specialized in rugby union and rugby league. So then my life then became 6 30 am.
Speaker 2:Wake up every morning, cycle to school in the pissing down rain, which was about 15, 16 k's away. Yeah, um, sit in wet uniform all day at school, do what I needed to do straight to saint helens, cycle to saint helens ground, which was all nosy road back then and I think bish me and bish spoke about this. Uh, back in the day there, um, probably 7k. Ride after school straight to training, get there about 4 pm, train until 8pm, cycle home probably another 10k about 9pm at night, freezing cold. Oh, yeah, that was five. That was five days a week. Um, saturday, sunday, I'd be playing all over England on the Saturday um rugby union and Sunday playing rugby league. So my life was literally yeah, it was my brother and sister, joe Cabal. They reckon I was one of those. What are they? Child soldiers?
Speaker 2:You've got a bit of a mouth on there, mate. The way you do it, it was insane. Your aerobic endurance must have been insane.
Speaker 1:So did you use sport as a purpose or an escapism from what you're surrounded by?
Speaker 2:What was the big? I think it gave me an identity. Would he it gave me an identity? That wasn't what everybody expected me to be. Yeah, like everywhere, even to the age of 17, 18, 19 mates to leave in saint helens, there was still everybody expecting me to fall back in and become a drug dealer, dead or in prison by 20. Yeah, so what were you doing? I knew that perception.
Speaker 1:What made you different?
Speaker 2:Well, I mean 14 years of all that efforts to get somewhere. I wasn't willing to just throw it away. Efforts to get somewhere. I wasn't willing to just throw it away. And, luckily for me, the big big truck dealers around the area were close friends and family. So there's times where I messed up. But they were always there. They were never trying to drag me back in. They were always pushing me the other way and they knew there was something there to get out of. Maybe they didn't know.
Speaker 1:Well, I've heard this before, so I've heard this from, and I've been blessed that I haven't been through what you've been in that environment. But I've heard this before where people have said that if they're surrounded by people who are in the local community, who may be drug dealers, individuals, and that sometimes they can still be part of their community, they still look after them because they know they're not like that and they're still protecting them.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, I can tell you firsthand if there was any issue that I ever had, I wouldn't have to drive. I wouldn't have to drive to find help. It would just be a phone call and anything I needed would get taken care of.
Speaker 1:But they would never let me do it myself. If that makes sense, they would always be done for me. So if you're, if you're around that environment a lot webby, and you know you had your passion sport does that mean like, did that sort of affect your schooling, like were you poorly behaved at school or were you driven at school?
Speaker 2:no, no, oh my god, I was always smart, I just wasn't interested. But I just did enough to keep people off my back, education-wise, to let me use this school as a vehicle. Because they were brilliant with sports, yeah, so as long. For example, I got expelled in year 10. Yeah, for letting fireworks off in the playground. 10 yeah, for letting fireworks off in the playground. So, because I'm traveling from a poor area into this big rich area to go to school, I used to buy, you know, buy whatever I could in my area, take it to school and sell it. One day I ended up letting some fireworks off, kicked out. So I said to the, to the head teacher, I said listen, I listen, I won't turn up to any classes. I won't turn up to school, but if you let me do my final exams at the end of year 11, I'll still play for your rugby team on a weekend. And that was a deal that we made.
Speaker 1:Yeah, wow.
Speaker 2:So then I just had to stick around long enough to get that done.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay. And so what happened after school, mate? Like, after you finished, did you go into year 12 somewhere as well?
Speaker 2:I didn't. I didn't have a chance. Look, no, okay, straight from school, I was already playing against men. I was straight in. So it was a baptism of fire. At that stage, 17 years old, I was playing, I think by 17,. I was actually the captain of the under-21s at St Helens, which was pretty big, that's massive. And then a couple of setbacks got in a bit of trouble a few times. James Robey and James Graham took off into the top team. I stayed in the 21s until I was, I think, and I stayed in the 21s until I was 19, 18 and a half, just out of punishment more than anything, and then, at 19, played Super League then.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, and were they good memories of playing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they made the best. Yeah, the best, the best club, the best culture there was. I can't think of anything negative about the time though, even even as a teenager, the way, the way you looked after, and the whole town is behind anybody that's involved. It's, it's a real community-based club yeah, so good.
Speaker 1:And so what time did you end up like? How long were you? When did you finish there? How are we when you finish at st helens?
Speaker 2:I left St Helens at 2009. So I left, I want to say 2007. We beat the Bronx in the World Cup Challenge, won the Super League and the Challenge Cup that year. And then I signed for Widness. I did a year there and we won the Northern Rail Cup. And then that's when I made the move down to down to Bridgend to play for the Crusaders that had just stood up a franchise. So probably when I was 19. I'm probably off by a year there. I think everything you can move forward a year. So at 21 then I was playing for the Crusaders with all the Aussie lads that had moved over.
Speaker 1:Okay, and was there a difference in skill level between those, or similar Like work ethic, coaching-wise? Was it all pretty similar, pretty similar standard? I don't want you to bag anyone, but was there?
Speaker 2:I mean success, success, I mean success, success. I imagine it this way like 50, 60, 70 years of winning, winning, winning, nonstop, brings a certain culture, and then a team that's in its second year of its life no less talent or the culture was brilliant, like John Dixon was absolutely brilliant. It's just that Daniel Anderson had a whole club and a whole town and a whole city behind him where John was plonked into the middle of South Wales to create a club, and that's what we were there to do. Equally, as good times, we catch up. Most of us are back over in Australia now, so we catch up once a year.
Speaker 2:We were just down on the Gold Coast October 26th for our that would be our 15 or 20 year reunion, and it was brilliant because in the casino, in the bar at the back there, there was probably just 15, 20 of us sat around this bar. We stayed for three nights, each got the penthouse there and on the table at the side of us was the Eels I want to say 76, peter Wynn, yeah, yeah, and the whole club was sat there and we told them what we were doing and they said well, we're on our 50-year reunion, holy shit. Well, I hope we're still doing that in 35 more years. Yeah, it was good to see Holy shit.
Speaker 1:Well, I hope we're still doing that in 35 more years. How good is that? Yeah, it was good to see that camaraderie. You can't replace it, can you? No, you can't replace it.
Speaker 2:Sport does, god knows. I've tried.
Speaker 1:I've tried several times since I retired, but it can't be replaced. And what position were you playing, Webby?
Speaker 2:Were you playing a few different positions or did you have a main team? I went through the whole spectrum. To be honest with you. I started out as a fullback over in England and then St Helens got their hands on me early doors, put a heap of weight on me so I moved into lock and back then lock was a different role. Jason Hooper, paul Schultz thought it was a different role, it was a second six and then their older forwards went, went big, so they moved me into six and then from there I moved into nine.
Speaker 2:And then something funny happened towards the end of my career um in the in the welsh team yes, in harris put me in the centers, which you know. You never usually move back that way. It's usually you always move in as you get slower. But it was just for my defence, so I could. We had Lee Breers in the team, who's an absolute genius with the football, and it was just simply to just take some heat off him. That was my job, breers. He said to me in one of the first meetings. He said, if I make four tackles in this game, you haven't done your job.
Speaker 1:And it was tongue in cheek, but I knew he meant it yeah, okay, and did you have a favourite position out of all those?
Speaker 2:no, no, I just early on in my career, I said to myself how can I make sure I'm in any team that I'm ever in? And it was goal kicking. So I was. I was one of the best goal kickers in every team, every league I ever played in. So I just always worked on that to at least get myself a spot on the bench in any team. Yeah, I'm a defense. I'm obviously just just working hard and being respectful, okay, and so and what's, and so what year did you?
Speaker 1:come back? Did you come over to rocky? Yeah, I'm a defence. I'm obviously just working hard and being respectful, okay, and so what year did you come back?
Speaker 2:Did you come over to Rocky? I came in 2009. Came over here and then that was it. Then I never played full-time full-time anymore, it was just part-time. I'd travel down to the Broncos training every now and then, but Wayne had agreed a deal for me to come over the year before. But then by the time I'd got here, wayne had gone and Ivan Henjak had took over, and he just had different plans, so I wasn't involved in them.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right. Yeah, did that affect you much or did that worry? Did that upset?
Speaker 2:you no no, no, no, it doesn't probably did at the time. Um, but, mate, I was happy playing q cup. I really enjoyed it. Yeah, yeah, I was just gonna say back then q cup was just as good as super league. Okay, so, yeah, no, I enjoyed it, mate, and I was out of the cities. I was living in a nice country town, which is something that I grew up in, which it was good to me, and I've never even thought about leaving Woody. To be honest, I used to fly home every year and do the international stuff.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But besides that, no, heavily invested here Properties and businesses and wife, two kids. I actually had a question here.
Speaker 1:I don't see me leaving here. I actually had a question. You're saying Rockhampton, tell me about it and why, Rocky? That was actually my next question to ask you. You've already answered that You've just got everything set up there. The people.
Speaker 2:The people, 100%. Yeah, the people. There's not enough. There's not too many people, but there's enough that and they're all good people. Um, yeah, I like country towns. I like just. I like not having traffic on my way to and from work. I like, you know if I want to go somewhere, it's not a three-hour drive across the city and wondering how many people are going to be there when you get there, and if it's even enjoyable, I like to stay out of the way, Woody.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's fair enough. Obviously, mate, you've been well adopted by that community. You've been there for a while now and giving back too, mate. I know your guy gives it back a lot. You're a big member of that community as well.
Speaker 2:I love the place. I can't speak highly enough of it what about the heat?
Speaker 1:how you going with that, it's been a hell of a way to like.
Speaker 2:It's 38 degrees there and 9 cent humidity, dodging the crocodiles. Did I ever tell you the story about the first day I arrived for training? But I want to hear. So I left. So I left.
Speaker 2:I left manchester january 6th in 2009, minus 10, all rubbed up 36 hour flight, landed in rocky, still in my jeans and my denim jacket. Beanie hadn't slept the whole way and as I get off the plane, I get hit by all I can describe. It was just a warm smack to the face and there's press and media all down. I was like, oh shit, anyway, so I come walking down. Mate, coach picks me up from the airport, hop in bud, we'll go and get you some training gear. We're on the field in three hours. I was like, oh, jesus Christ. So, so hopped out, went down to the field, showed me around, met some people and he said all right with.
Speaker 2:Uh, we're in the middle of pre-season now, the boys are all pretty fit. Um, we're gonna do some 100 meter sprints. We're gonna do 30 of them and it's gonna be a 45 45 second turnaround. So you got 20 seconds to get there, you got 25 seconds to rest, we're gonna do 30 of them and it's going to be a 45 45 second turnaround. So you got 20 seconds to get there. You got 25 seconds to rest. We're going to do 30 sprints. I got on, I got to about 24 and passed out, but I wasn't going to quit.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, oh yeah, how much do you adjust? 54, 54 do I'm still trying 54 degree change change in weather and straight into training, with no sleep, with your beanie on, you're on the airport myself but I think, straight from that day, the whole club and the town.
Speaker 2:it would have been easy for me to say I'm not training, I'm not training this week I just jump straight in and once they've seen that he's genuine he's genuine Because there has been people come over before and, kind of you know, throw the towel in and just ease his feet for a bit.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's good, mate, that's so good. So tell me just back up a little bit if you don't mind. So I want to ask you a couple of questions about the rugby league and the sport. Right, so I know you played it from a young age in the union. You're saying as well, but did you learn some life lessons with sport? Like, what was the power of the sport? Like, did it help with your mental health? Did it help with you know community?
Speaker 2:Like tell me some of the things that you got out of sport. Every life lesson, I think, has come from sports. I think just the introspection, self-reflection, learning when you lose, learning where your weak points are and how to work harder, even just winning and losing. I think kids have been robbed of that recently. It's so important to lose because if you don't lose, you don't know what you're going to be good at. And if people keep telling you you're good at everything, then you're going to be good at, and if people keep telling you you're good at everything, then you're going to be good at nothing. And that's the truth. I mean, I truly believe that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, um, community, um was massive. So you know, you go into a team whether it's a rep team, a new local team, all the way up to international squads. You dropped into a room of 25 strangers, or most of them strangers, and by the end of the day you've got 20 new best friends and I don't think that's something that can be replaced without sports. If you think about any other, any other workplace, that doesn't happen. Yeah, mental health, I think you obviously putting aside just the physical activity and the benefits of that, um, chasing a goal and not having a plan b to fall back on whenever times get tough.
Speaker 2:Having that goal in mind and and something to strive for I I think is important. You don't get time to think about things that are relevant in the world, and then the last thing is, I think something that can be replicated later on in life is just having something that's harder than what your normal life is. So choosing to put yourself into something that's so much tougher than every day-to-day activity that you would do the rest of life becomes easy. Mate. Because you're choosing to do this activity that's so much tougher than life, I think you take the option of sitting on the couch all day. All of a sudden, those big things in life are now huge and nothing's bigger than them or tougher than them, and that's when those challenges become kind of I don't know, they can suck you in choosing. Choosing to put yourself into something that's tougher than life, I think is a is a big part yeah, well said of that mental health journey.
Speaker 1:That's huge and and, if you don't mind, like and and pass on this if you want to. But did you have some dark days yourself? Did you go through any?
Speaker 2:Yeah, God yeah, yeah, god, yeah, yeah, god, mate. Daily, I mean every single day, because there's no blueprint of how to do this, how to become a professional athlete, how to stay there. There is no blueprint. It's you work hard and you can get. You can work as hard as you want. If the opportunity doesn't come, you're not gonna. You're not gonna get anything. It doesn't matter how good you are. I can tell you 50 lads that have never even played q cup that are better than some of the lads I know played nrl. That doesn't matter, yeah. So I think there's a lot of self-doubt that can creep in there, man, um, but it's a real tough time.
Speaker 2:For me, retiring was hard because, like you said, look, I was a big part of every team that I was in. I tried to be, you know, the leader in different ways, on the field and off the field. And they say an athlete dies two deaths one when you retire and then one at the end of your life, and that one was hard to replicate. So, again, when I got to that place and I woke up, you know, the next day, for the last 20 years somebody's been telling me where to be, every minute of the day, what to wear. Lunch will be made for you. You'll be here at this time. All of a sudden you've got so much time with nothing to do, and that's when I chose to throw myself headfirst into boxing and work as hard as I could there. You know that came with a different community and again the principles of success were the same. It was just hard work.
Speaker 1:And what happened when you finished boxing? Did you have a low point or did you have businesses and work and family?
Speaker 2:No, I was ready. I was ready, Woody, because I'd slowly made that transition with family and work and what. I wanted to do in life. So it was a good stepping stone, to be honest, because it wasn't a huge 30 best friends you see every single day. It was kind of like a part-time retirement into something that I love and it's twice as hard, by the way, into. Okay, now you've got a family, now you can step off into life and stop running your body into the ground and punishing yourself.
Speaker 1:And do you ever still have bad days now, Webby?
Speaker 2:It's all relative, isn't it, mate? I don't want to sit here and say I don't, because I do. I do, but relative to what it's. You know, somebody's bad days, relative to mine, might be the best day that I could ever dream of, but then my best day could be, you know, something that somebody else along, even three doors down, couldn't even think of. So I don't know how to answer that to me. No, do I get angry yet? Do I miss some of the things I did? Yes, yeah, was I pissed off that I didn't have a Mad Monday to go to for the last 10 years? Of course. So I pissed off that I didn't have a Mad Monday to go to for the last 10 years, of course.
Speaker 1:So what are some of the things that you do now to look after yourself? Just different priorities, mate.
Speaker 2:It's just family. Everything's family for me. Now, kids I've got. So I'm so lucky, honestly. My six-year-old and my nine-year-old are both playing, so I'm coaching their teams. I still go in and do. My six year old and my nine year old are both playing, so I'm coaching their teams. Um, I still go in and do a lot of wrestling stuff with with a couple of teams. Um, uh, I've just had a couple of boxers asked me to start training them. So I'm meeting with a fellow to see about this, this building down the road, and see if we can get that up and running and, if I do, maybe turn that into a community thing where kids can come and train.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nice, that's great. Always give them back, mate. I love that. I want to ask you this question, right because it's just come to me now. There's a guy who works at our school. I'm at a high school here on the peninsula, at Redcliffe, and we've just adopted this Pommy guy. He's from the UK as well and he used to play a fair bit of footy, but he's our sports coordinator and he's just a legend. He's a gun, but he uses the same word you use a lot. He uses the word community and I want to know is this a UK thing Like?
Speaker 2:I know we build communities.
Speaker 1:Whereabouts in the UK is he from? You've thrown me now I don't know. I should know that because he was one of his mates and there's a reason I asked that question because communities it can be looked at.
Speaker 2:Yes, it could be a UK thing. Everything's built in the small towns that kind of border your big cities. It's all community. As soon as you cross that borderline into a city, there's zero community. And that is the reason I asked the question, because that could be the reason he uses that word. You won't find people from London, manchester, newcastle. You won't find them using that word.
Speaker 1:But see, you used that word even coming back to Rocky, didn't you Like? It's important to you. It's important to you, it's important that you're part of a community well, it's the only thing I mean.
Speaker 2:Without it, I don't, it doesn't happen, it doesn't matter how successful I am without it, then there's nothing to share it with, celebrate it with or even use it. For. You know it's. It's a very self-serve, village, self-serving thing. To be successful on your own, I think you need that, you need that curiosity around you and even you know failing. If you're on your own, it's a very lonely place.
Speaker 1:Failing. That's a good point. There's a last Monday I took the girls to they're doing trampolining and I was listening to a. I had a seminar together. I was just online and they're talking about I think it was from the Push-Up Challenge. They're talking about mental health and they're young psychologists and he's gone too and he's open and really easy to relate to and listen to. But he was talking about one of the best things to help young kids with when they're going through some poor, negative mental health. And you know you hear Tony Robbins and that and they always talk about exercise is number one and sleep. Yeah, and he said number one thing to help people with negative mental health is being part of a community Having purpose 100%, fully agree.
Speaker 1:Having purpose being part of something being united together.
Speaker 2:This is nothing new, buddy. This is centuries old. The whole of humanity is built on this. Everything was built around the church. That was all community. We've lost our way that way a lot recently, but ever since mankind has been walking we've always needed community. I fully agree with him. I think that comes first.
Speaker 1:It's interesting that you've just got to get people on the right track with some purpose. So what are you doing now? Mate with yourself.
Speaker 2:It's just marking back to the old saying as well. I can tell you a lot about a man by the people that he surrounds himself with. And if you surround yourself with the wrong people or nobody at all, then you know those dark holes become bigger and easier to get into. If you surround yourself with people that want better for you, then those become avoidable. I think he's right to think communities first yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, it's kind of what you said too, mate. So it's certainly important and I was just thinking, like I know you said to me before you're talking about you know the way you're serving communities, helping the youth and helping you know, maybe get into helping people, boxing and some coaching and stuff. So do you have another five-year plan now? Does it maybe think five years ahead, or does he think I'm just going to do the best I can now?
Speaker 2:No, I'm always thinking ahead. I'm always thinking ahead, buddy, yeah, yeah, always thinking ahead what I want to do. So I've started a management company, dig my toe into the music world. I've got a couple of bands signed. I want to set up a recording studio here. Oh good, here's my, here's my five-year plan. Five-year plan is I want Rockhampton to be the music center of Australia. It sounds incredible, sounds stupid, but there's a few things I've got in place, ready to go that I would like to get it kind of want to build it like the Nashville of of the USA. The problem is going to be the economy and the economy around here. So putting on festivals, putting on bands, open mics I want to open a recording studio around here. I've built one in my house, but I don't really want people around my house all the time. So I look at this building and see if there's room there for that and then just you know, like they say what are you building and people will come.
Speaker 2:I don't worry about whether people are going to think it's successful or not. As long as it's cool, you've got the vision.
Speaker 1:That's right, that's right. And if you keep people behind your vision, mate, that's unreal. That's good, that's really good. All right, well, I hope you've free ticket for me, will come up and have a watch that'd be good. Will you be on stage yourself?
Speaker 2:um, maybe not on the microphone. Maybe on the guitar, not on the microphone, probably not, as you can hear my voice now. I've been punched an elbow in the throat that many times. It doesn't work that way anymore at least you've got an excuse.
Speaker 1:We're talking, I'm talking about um probably less than a week ago. When we came up that time and I think we had a, I don't know we had a night to get out there and we went to a local pub there and Busby Maroo was playing. Remember that.
Speaker 2:Oh, and he got me to come up and sing a song with him.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you guys were singing a song together. That's right, it was awesome. And I remember going like we were just on the beers or whatever, and I remember going, hey, hey, buzzbee, do you want a drink? That's right, yeah mate, I do.
Speaker 2:I remember that I do want a drink.
Speaker 1:I don't know. I said okay, what would you like? He goes no, that's what I want. And I went bitch, that's going to cost me 20 bucks.
Speaker 2:Don't worry. And who knew that 12 months after that he'd be the biggest star in Australia?
Speaker 1:Oh, all right, mate, unbelievable, unbelievable. That was some good times, mate. We've had a good chat already. We could talk to you for ages, but look, I'm all yours, mate.
Speaker 2:I'm in no rush, don't really ask me that. No.
Speaker 1:I'm just you know. I've just put down like a few questions, but you've smashed them out. I just you know I was surprised. I thought that maybe you might have some plans to leave that hot place, but it sounds like you're just going to build an empire there and be the emperor. So do you know what?
Speaker 2:do you know what would it? Because I've got no intention to taking my kids home to see where I grew up. I know people think it's a good thing to do and you know it's humbling or whatever I might, I'm humbling myself. They don't need that, but I would like them to grow up in a country town, small. Yes, yes, sir, thank you, mom. Manners, yes, please, no thanks. And then when they get to the to the age of of doing whatever they want to do, they can choose to go down there. It's not like we're deprived of a city. Whenever we need to travel to Brisbane, you know we travel, we travel quite a lot. So I just want them to have that grounding in in a nice country town where and hard work is before anything. It's hard work getting out of the hoodie, out of bed in the morning, sometimes here in this heat, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah well, I mean, you know we've got four girls between us and we just know that. You know we're sort of navigating that teenage space at the moment, but we're the same. We often take them on holidays and it's always, you know, swags, country, the cattle dogs come out with us and just out environment, there's no technology, there's nothing. We don't actually have much technology here anyway, um, but it's, it's again, it's, it's grounding and you just see those authentic connections come back. You know they just, you know, for half a day or quarter of a day they think they're bored. The next thing they're picking up rods and they're catching flathead off the beach themselves and it's just unreal even my climbing trees and falling out of them.
Speaker 2:It's so important and look it's. It's not for everybody, I get it, but for me it's just important. It's an important part of life for these kids, my kids, sorry. I think it's. It's good for him. What, um, what sports are your?
Speaker 1:the four girls into, oh my, it's crazy. So two girls are into trampolining and they've just finished doing nipple. So three of them, sorry trampolining and nipple and the fourth one nipple and a lot of dance, dance and yeah, but loving, loving, dance, a lot, lot of early mornings and late afternoons and that, but just keeping busy and you know it's good for their bodies and mental health. And chat good, like you talk about community, different friends, like-minded friends, which we love, you know, on the weekends we just went and watched them at a little concert and, yeah, just proud of them. So good Sports are good.
Speaker 2:Good isn't it? That's good, it's so good. I'm we're both of my boys now so they do, obviously, the rugby and rugby union and rugby league, but they're, they're both. So I wanted them to have a team sports and then something where they could do their own thing and try to get better themselves. So they're into jiu-jitsu and honestly, I'll believe, I believe it could be the single best sport for any any kid, girl or boy that I've ever seen. Yeah, right, just as a as a development tool yeah yeah, and I've.
Speaker 2:I've even told people they always say, well, the boys box, nope, if they want to fight jiu-jitsu they can, but no, not doing boxing. I'm not letting them get punched in the head at that age.
Speaker 1:Well, it's so good for their core strength, flexibility, confidence, all those things, isn't it?
Speaker 2:Confidence man. Just the jiu-jitsu. I can't believe it. The change in the kids since they started to now it's been unbelievable. Is that right?
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, we went to part of a neuroscience program for a year and a half after the sports business and when we were there we were helping some kids in trauma that are aged between about 15 and 25. And we had a guest speaker doing I think it was karate or I don't know what he was doing, taekwondo or something, but he was probably about 65, you know, and he's still strong as an ox, like, strong as an ox ridiculous. And you know, and he's still strong as an ox like, strong as an ox ridiculous. And you know, the kids have got a question and answer time at the end and they've gone. You must have had fights in your life, like full on, like in the community, because you know the precious points and you know you can fight. And he said I've never had one physical fight outside of the tournaments, not one. And he said, even now, if I take my family or my wife on a date or go to a dinner, as a family.
Speaker 1:I will sit at the very back, in the very corner, so I can face everything Back to the wall. Just be aware, just be aware.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm the same. I'm the same. I see my one of the boxing gyms I used to be at there was a black belt in jiu-jitsu, brazilian fella, the happiest man you'll ever meet. And I said to my boxing trainer one day I said for somebody that's in such a violence and he has it, he's got a PhD in violence that's what he does. I said, for somebody that's so involved in violence, why does that man smile every second of every single day? And my boxing coach said to me wouldn't you if there was nothing in the world that you couldn't be scared of? Wow, that's insane.
Speaker 2:So even around all these fighters, top level fighters here, he said boxing is not jiu-jitsu. As soon as you engage in a fight with a jiu-jitsu person, it's over. There's nothing you can do. You can't cheat the system by being athletic. It's a system that takes time and if you haven't put the time in, you can't beat it. He's put 35 years into it and that's why he doesn't fear anybody that he's ever around. It was just, it was just a great outlook on and it was a. It was an honest question that I asked, but the way he answered it just yeah, it blew my mind, that's unreal right, unreal words of wisdom.
Speaker 1:Everywhere it's always about the association things. You pick up nuggets of gold, you know. All right, mate? Well, look, I've got some really interesting, fun questions for you, if that's all right coming up. But I just want to ask is there anything else that I've missed that you wanted to share? There's some great learnings out there and hopefully a fair few of the kids at school listen to these podcasts when they're at gym. I tell them to stop listening to little life skill lessons and do some heavy metal music while you're training, but they love little guests. Mate, you've got some negative goals in them.
Speaker 1:So thank you.
Speaker 2:Was there anything else that you wanted to share, mate, that I hadn't asked? Oh no, I don't think so, mate. I think you pulled it all out to me there.
Speaker 1:I think it's really important, mate, what you've spoken about. It's so good to say a refreshing chat to you again, mate. So this is the serious question time. You ready? Yeah, here's your quick questions. So quick questions for quick answers. I'll try.
Speaker 2:I promise.
Speaker 1:I'll try, but I like to think of all things before I say them here we go ready, here we go, favourite song ever or right now, because there's two different ones alright, well, give us both. I know you want to right now Zach Topp.
Speaker 2:Use Me. It's fantastic. Anybody that wants to listen to it, go and get it. Favorite song ever Oasis Don't Look Back in Anger.
Speaker 1:All right, beautiful. What about a favorite movie of all time, man on Fire, denzel? Yep Love Denzel.
Speaker 2:Does Webby have?
Speaker 1:a favourite meal? Yes, steak. I thought you were going to say steak. Yes, there's your answer Steak and radio Favourite drink.
Speaker 2:If you want to be specific, ribeye.
Speaker 1:Ooh, the premium. Okay, All right.
Speaker 2:Favourite drink. Oh, the next one. Sorry, favourite drink. Um, I don't drink much nowadays, so I'm just going to say cappuccino.
Speaker 1:Okay, what about your favourite sport? Is it league?
Speaker 2:No, what is it? I like MMA because it incorporates both jiu-jitsu and boxing. You're not going to get in a ring, are you? No God, no, okay, you've seen my body mate. There's injuries everywhere.
Speaker 1:What about Webby's favourite leisure activity, golf? All right, do you have a? Handicap yes nine, that's not bad.
Speaker 2:No cool, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:If I asked your wife what would she say?
Speaker 2:your most annoying habit is Playing the guitar when the kids are asleep, oh okay, she hates it, would you say. Your most annoying habit is playing the guitar when the kids are asleep, oh okay um, she hates it.
Speaker 1:This do you have. Do you have like a favorite? I was gonna ask you before you have a favorite player you played against or with?
Speaker 2:oh, that's so tough. Yeah, I do, and you're gonna be surprised. The favorite player I ever played with was a man called Neil Wyatt. Okay, the Wasp, neil Wyatt, I think. If you go back and ask any of the Broncos lads from 2000 to 2009, they'll say the same thing as well Against. I can't say favourite because I hated playing against him, but it probably would have been Manu Vatavai. Okay, only because at Wales, as a hooker, you defended at six off the scrums. Okay, yeah, and the Kiwis had the wingers coming off, coming off the back fence from a scrum, so there was nowhere to hide and it was quite insane. But Aaron Gutenbeil was quite good, actually as well. Okay, played against him. Obviously, cam Smith, darren Lockyer, thurston they're all givens, but just a little bit outside the box. Those two were good. They were different.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right. What about are you a funny man? Any favourite jokes, or anything like that? If I put you on the spot and said like, oh, I'm on the spot for a joke.
Speaker 2:How blue can we be? Is this for kids? Or I can click the censor? Yes, I've got a dark sense of here and you know me, woody, I don't want to go and spoil your ratings with the teenage kids, mate.
Speaker 1:What about a favourite saying? Do you have a favourite saying like quote or anything? Do you have anything that sort of got you going before a boxing match or a game? Do you have anything in your head like a slogan or a saying?
Speaker 2:No, nothing like that. There's something I've always told myself good things and bad things is this too shall pass, Okay, and it's just always to remind myself not to get too high on the highs or too down on the lows.
Speaker 1:That's good. I like that. That's good, all right. Well, let's progress. You've done very well on the quick questions, so let's go on to the next. This gets higher in complexity, by the way, as you can tell this one is now called one-word answers, so you're going to have one word associated with these ones, and the first one you're going to love. Are you ready? It is coffee.
Speaker 2:What do I say? Just one word back. Yeah, you didn't explain the game.
Speaker 1:very well, woody, listen here, mate. I've had many punches in the head here, so I'm saying I'm right here, I'm not playing a game, but I can't win.
Speaker 2:I need to know the rules. What are we doing?
Speaker 1:Always need the details, don't you? Nothing's ever changed. Go on, so you mean word association? Okay, I have to stop you now. Another blast in the past, sorry.
Speaker 1:We're talking about a time when we chatted to the community about League Tech coming into Rockhampton and I was up on stage and I think Petra was in the background, but then Rach and you were sitting on the table and she kept saying that you were playing with her pen, she was playing with your pen or something in your book, and she kept playing, feeling it, and you said it was annoying you because it wasn't nice and straight, yes, and she did it for weeks afterwards and I knew something was off.
Speaker 2:And then, I think like three weeks later, I looked around in her face and she was laughing her head off. I was like you've been doing that on purpose, haven't you? She's like yep. I was like you've been doing that on purpose, haven't you? He's like yep. It's been winding me up for a week. I've got the biggest old CD. See, lad was doing it at work to me. Every time I walked out my office door I've got a little mat, a little foot mat, where you wipe your feet on the way in and he'll give it a little kick. So it was just off centre. Every time he walks in and out. So if I I'm looking at it going, who the F keeps messing with me? Man, I've got to stand there, straighten it back up. It's insane. It drives me insane.
Speaker 1:She said after that thing? I said oh no. I said no, it was good. She said what did we keep saying to me Are you doing this on purpose? I said what were you doing? She goes. I was just flying with a pen or he kept straightening it up and I kept. I didn't think I was doing it. She reckons he goes.
Speaker 2:He's like are you doing it on purpose? No, she knew, I guarantee she knew. She knew what she was doing, even just little taps on the corner. So it wasn't in line with the edge of the desk. I was like, oh no, who did that? It was only her next to me.
Speaker 2:So does that mean freak at home too? Does anything have to order in its place? And it's a strange thing. It's. Yeah, if it's, if there's something. If the kids lose the remotes, I'm done. I'm done for the day. If I wake up in the morning and the apple tv remote's not on the same place at the bench that it should be, my day is ruined. I've got to go for a run. That's strange, isn't it? Even just saying that out loud, I'm starting to realize how stupid that is.
Speaker 1:So if I could break into your house and I would put the knives and the forks in a different place.
Speaker 2:It's all insured. Just move everything around. Yeah, if I put the knives and forks in a different place.
Speaker 1:would you be upset? Yeah?
Speaker 2:I'd rather you put me in a car.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, all right, we didn't get very far on this game, sorry, okay, one word association. We've done coffee. How about tea? Did you give me an answer for coffee? Lovely, I didn't. What's the answer for coffee? So, tea's lovely. What's coffee Better? Okay, boxing Tough, going to work, necessary Family, everything, rugby league, everything.
Speaker 2:Rugby league, life that's just life, yep.
Speaker 1:Sleep Impulsions A cold beer, yeah, nah, nah, okay, mindfulness.
Speaker 2:Where do I go with that Mindfulness? Mindfulness, um, oh, you got me woody. This is good. This is good, this is good, you got me. Mindfulness.
Speaker 1:Does anything ever take over?
Speaker 2:Oh wow I don't want to use a boring word Mindfulness.
Speaker 1:Aided. Oh, that's a big word, all right, no, I couldn't think of anything better. What about soccer?
Speaker 2:I'm going to get so much shit with this Soccer. What?
Speaker 1:did you mean to say Football?
Speaker 2:I was going to say I was going to say. I was going to say it's the wrong word. In one word, Soccer doesn't exist. It's football. Okay.
Speaker 1:Friends.
Speaker 2:Importance.
Speaker 1:All right Social media.
Speaker 2:Useless.
Speaker 1:Nice, all right, you've gone okay in that one. Okay, I'm going to give you like a five-hour chat.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got me with mindfulness. I'm still trying to think on that one.
Speaker 1:You have to let that go. You can't go silly about that, I can't. When you go to bed tonight, you're not going to be able to sleep, are you?
Speaker 2:I'll text you at midnight. I've got it.
Speaker 1:I've got it, give me a bell mate, I'll be away. It's a draw. Can we do the whole podcast again? I've just got the internet. Yeah, all right, we're up to our last round. Are you ready? I am Okay. What are we doing? Well, you're going to answer these questions. No, you can answer this a bit.
Speaker 2:Oh, just questions, yeah All right.
Speaker 1:Do you want me to detail it out?
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Do you want me to give you some bullet points about what we're doing? Here we go.
Speaker 2:Well, you've just gone through two rounds and then you said we're going to have a last round. Are you ready? I was like what's he doing? What's he doing with the last $20? If I get down to the last $20, put $5 away for each kid and learn how to turn that $10 into $50. And then the same thing I'll put $10 for each kid and learn how to turn that $30 into $100.
Speaker 1:So basically, you're going to gamble it.
Speaker 2:No, no, no. Learn how to turn it into you got 10 bucks.
Speaker 1:You got no food. You ain't got 10 left I'll tell you what I can do with 10.
Speaker 2:Right, you want me to tell you what I'd do with 10. Yep, I'd go down to the. I'd go down to the one dollar shop here. I'd buy 10 a call. Can I go and sell it for $3 each and do that 50 times.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's what I want to hear. That's gold. That's good. I don't think I'm going to ask the other question now. That's the answer. That's good, all right. What if Webby gained another $5 million?
Speaker 2:What would you do with the $5 million? Another $5 million. Put it with the other $5 million. What would you do with the $5 million? Another $5 million. Put it with the other $5 million. I think I would $5 million at this stage. No, worries, doesn't go as far as it sounds like it should. I think I would properties gone. I would probably I would keep investing in watches. I would probably keep investing in watches. I don't think they're going to stop.
Speaker 1:What if they're?
Speaker 2:going to stop watching. Sorry, I love my own joke here. Kids are in bed. That's sad. That's the crowd. I'll let that bit out. Five million, it would be something along the lines of high interest long term Okay, and it would be for the kids. It wouldn't be for me.
Speaker 1:Thinking of others again. Right, You're a legend, Roddy. What about if Webby was down to his last meal? He's on death row. He's got one more meal to go. Yep, what's he having? Steak.
Speaker 2:Rib eyeye, medium rare, probably a kilo of it. If I could go to Nando's and get some chips with the perry salt on, I'd put them at the side of it oh, look at you, you know exactly what you want. Yeah, I've never thought about that before every hangover felt like death row, and that's what would get me out of it. Okay, what about this one? Every hangover felt like death, and that's what would get me out of it?
Speaker 1:Okay, what about this one? Would you rather have one wish now, or three wishes in five years' time? And you can't have one wish to wish for more wishes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a tough question, this isn't it? One wish now or three wishes in five years?
Speaker 1:A lady at work actually asked me this question. She said you've got to ask this question on the podcast and I said, roddy, I've got a guy tonight who is a legend.
Speaker 2:I've heard it before and I don't think there's a right answer, but I think I'd take the three and five, so then I can pass one to each person in my family nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's nice. All right, I'm just trying to make it. I'm trying to think of how your brain would go coming up with those three wishes be a little bit of nonsense happening there, wouldn't it all right? What about this one? I think, one wish.
Speaker 2:One wish right now would be it'd have to be self-serving, which it's hard. Three well, obviously, the the disclaimer is when I get the three and five, I want to give two away yeah, so what would you do with the one wish now I was making a deal with it. One wish now, fucking I wish my neighbour's dog had stopped barking that's us here, you know what I should do.
Speaker 2:You know what I should do? I should go and put it in my garden and see how he likes it. Go on, you idiot alright, and see how he likes it.
Speaker 1:Go on, you're idiots, all right. Oi, I'm the one with the jokes here, mate, you can just pop down there. All right, here's one that you will love. This one, webby's now trapped on an island. He's only allowed to take three people, and who are they and why?
Speaker 2:and it can't be your family members. What's the purpose? To rebuild civility or just survive? No, no, we're not going to overanalyze.
Speaker 1:It's up to you. You can be anyone in the whole world, even people you haven't even met. You can have three people on the island, ooh.
Speaker 2:Are they dead?
Speaker 1:or alive, let's say, in all time, over time. So they can be dead if they want, but they won't be dead on the island. They can be purposeful on the island.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, okay.
Speaker 1:Who are you taking and why Elon Musk?
Speaker 2:Elon Musk. I'm fascinated by the way he thinks and I think he'd get us back up and running. Wherever we were Going to need some entertainment, I'd take willie nelson. Oh, two reasons I love him. I need to annoy other people that don't? That's fun for me and. Robbie Fowler okay, why he's just, he's got from where we're from, okay, and he knows how to have a good time. So why he's God from where we're from? Okay, and he knows how to have a good time.
Speaker 1:He'd be entertained in a bad situation.
Speaker 2:He'd put me in the bad situation. That's what I'd enjoy. Yeah, nice.
Speaker 1:All right, mate. Three serious questions to finish off. All right, Any regrets in life?
Speaker 2:Plenty, lots, really, yeah, oh God, yeah, okay, lots, mate. People say that they don't have regrets. They're either delusional or they haven't learned the regrets. I've got lots of regrets, None of them significant enough to bother me now, but just not having the knowledge that you probably need at 18 to stay out of trouble, knowing what could be coming your way, thinking you're invincible. I think everybody could probably have the same ones to different parts of their life.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. What about the best thing you've ever done?
Speaker 2:The best thing I've ever done.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Dear Lord.
Speaker 1:I mean having my two sons.
Speaker 2:I can't beat that. I know it's selfish, but I don't think I can beat that mate. I've got children.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, with you, with that one, that's good, all right. That one, that's good, all right. Last one and this is one about this is more like a physical one. It's not a physical one. So when Webby looks in the mirror, what does he see? Not a physical one. So when you look, looking at the physical characteristics, what are some of the?
Speaker 2:things. You see, as a man gotcha, um, the flawed person that tried hard at everything he did, never gave up on anything. I ever tried. I was never scared of being the worst person at something, knowing that I had to work to get better at it and, once I'd started, never giving up until I was better and better, if not the best, at it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, nice, I think I saw that in you, mate, in a year and a half. So good, mate. Mate, I want to thank you for coming on the show. I want to thank you for coming on the show.
Speaker 1:I want to thank you for being open, expressing what, everything you know, the rawness and just the humble man that you are, and I just really hope people get a lot out of this podcast and hearing you know the things you've been through. I know we could unpack a lot of those things and be here for hours and be loved to do that actually, but but you know just I am yours any time.
Speaker 2:I'm more than happy to come back on whenever you want me, buddy.
Speaker 1:It'd be awesome. I just love the stories, too, that you know just being so humble and still about community and about investing in others, mate, so you're a legend, so I just want to thank you for that.
Speaker 2:Oh, there's some bad ones as well, mate. I've lived a few different lives. It's not all good.
Speaker 1:No, but I mean, like you said, you've learned from your past and you always want to get better, and I think you can obviously hear that in your voice, yeah. I appreciate you coming on mate. Thank you, talk to you soon, bye, bye.
Speaker 2:Bye.