Ep. 6: From Rugby to Resilience: Carl Webb’s Legacy - Part 2: Damon Keating’s Tribute

In this episode of the Sustainable Success Series, Nichi Morrin speaks with Damon Keating, a close friend of the late Carl Webb, to discuss Carl’s incredible journey from rugby league star to an inspiring figure battling motor neuron disease (MND). Damon shares personal stories about Carl's early days at the Brisbane Broncos, his powerful presence on and off the field, and his legacy of resilience, humility, and advocacy through the Carl Webb Foundation. Listeners will hear about Carl's unwavering spirit, his dedication to helping others even in the face of his diagnosis, and the life lessons he imparted to those around him.

Key Topics Covered:

• Damon and Carl’s early friendship at the Brisbane Broncos.
• Carl’s rise as a talented rugby league player and his reputation as a hard hitter with a heart of gold.
• Carl’s grounded personality shaped by his rural upbringing in Dalby, Queensland.
• Carl’s diagnosis with MND and his transition from sportsman to advocate, founding the Carl Webb Foundation.
• The mission of the Carl Webb Foundation: raising awareness, supporting others with MND, and reconnecting with his rugby league family.
• Carl's legacy of resilience, humility, and the importance of being a good person above all else.
• Damon’s reflections on Carl’s impact on his life and the enduring lessons of acceptance, adaptation, and living fully.

Key Takeaways:

1. Acceptance and Adaptation: Carl quickly accepted his diagnosis and adapted his approach to life, focusing on living fully despite his limitations. 
2. Support and Connection: He emphasises the importance of support networks and reconnecting with old friends and teammates, showing that community and connection are invaluable in tough times.
3. Legacy of Kindness: Carl’s legacy isn’t just about his athletic achievements but also his character. He was known for being a “good bloke,” always supporting the underdog and putting others before himself.
4. Turning Challenges into Purpose: Despite the devastating impact of MND, Carl used his experience to create positive change, raising awareness, and helping others navigate their own challenges with grace and courage with the Carl Webb Foundation.
5. Inspiration to Live Fully: Carl’s journey teaches us to prioritise what truly matters, live authentically, and find joy in helping others, regardless of the circumstances.

Learn more about the Carl Webb Foundation, its mission, and how you can support the cause: 

• Carl Webb Foundation Website: https://www.carlwebbfoundation.org/ 
• Carl Webb Foundation on Instagram: carlwebbfoundation
• Carl Webb Foundation on Facebook: Carl Webb Foundation

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Previous Intro and Outro music: Inspirational Acoustic - Organic Harmony by Sonican; and Andrii Poradovskyi from Pixabay.  Current music: levgen Poltavskyi from Pixabay.  
Disclaimer: This content is general in nature and intended for educational purposes only.  It is not deemed as psychological treatment and does not replace the advice from your health professional or need for psychological treatment.  

Transcript

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Welcome to the Sustainable Success Series, the podcast where my mission is to transform the worlds of those living with invisible conditions, supporting them to become their biggest advocates, begin to heal and make sustainable changes to get back being too busy living. We explore sustainable success in health relationships and business. We raise awareness and we relatable stories from people just like you. Driven visionary people who dream of more for their life without sacrificing their health. or being stuck behind those invisible chains. Plus, the insights, knowledge and know how from those in the field. I'm your host, Nicky Moran. I've been through the trenches myself, through trauma, adversity, and invisible conditions. I've combined my lived experience, my learnings, and my diverse knowledge as a clinical psychologist, sustainable success coach, author, rural businesswoman, and entrepreneur to transform my life. My vision is to inspire a global movement for a world where invisible conditions are understood, accepted, and met with sustainable solutions. Empowering people to live with energy, purpose, and fulfillment. And I do this through the Million Scene Movement. Join me and be inspired, be curious, and become excited. This is the Sustainable Success Series. Welcome to this episode. Today, I'm very excited to have a special guest with me, Damon Keating, who was a close friend of the amazing Carl Webb. So welcome, Damon. I'm very happy to have you here. To get started, can you share a little bit about how you and Carl first met? Um, I met Carl in 98. we were both at the Brisbane Broncos, rugby league club. I was a, uh, obviously, Come across with the brothers club and car was a, a prodigy. I think he was a, uh, he was 16. That's right. So he was a bit of a prodigy. He came across anyway. I was in, uh, fitness camp at me, Bun B. Uh, we did like a boot camp for a weekend and, um, I just started We were walking with big backpacks and, Carl beside me. Uh, and we were talking about different things about where we came from. And, um, we found out we're both country boys and we sort of clicked and hit it off from there. But, he just had a, a mature sort of insightful persona, I suppose, about him. Which, and for, and then. I remember asking him his age and he said he was 16. 'cause I was, I was one of the older guys in the group and I was, I felt a bit intimidated because it was, um, full of these Australian schoolboy representatives and all these young, um, the best, best players in the state, I suppose. And I was, I was coming in as a 23-year-old, I think a 22-year-old for a second bite of the cherry at the Broncos trying to, have another crack. So. Carl gave me a discussion about how, if you're, you know, it doesn't matter what age you are, if you're, if you're good enough, you're here, you know, that's all that matters. And, you know, you're on level peggings with everyone else. And I just said, Oh, how old are you, Carl? Because he was, he's a big unit. And he said 16. And I was like, Oh, right, so, so, um, that's how we, that's how, that's the first time I met him. Um, I, I had heard. of him. Um, but there was a few, few of those young guys had, had a few, had a bit of an ego and um, I was like, Oh, that is that Carl Webb. I was, cause he came with, a big reputation. I remember hearing the story about John Dixon. He did a coaching clinic up in Dalby and, um, for the Broncos and, He was explaining how tackling technique, it's not always the biggest player that is the best tackler, because it all comes down to technique. And he, he wanted an example. He asked the kids in the group, he said, so who, who's your biggest hitter in this, in this competition? And, they said, oh, Carl Webb. And, Dicko,, The coach, he said, no, no, I mean, in the first grade competition in the whole region, who's your biggest hitter? And they, and all these kids said, Carl Webb. Meanwhile, Carl was in the, he was in the coaching clinic as a 14 year old. And, um, because like, okay, so Carl's playing first grade out here as a 14 year old, and he's the biggest hitter in the competition. So needless to say, the rest is history with his, his football ability. So He came with reputation, but he also came with a, a grounded personality, I think, thanks to his Dolby upbringing and his, um, his strict, uh, mother, Cheryl, Cheryl, the girl. Yep. And what do you, what was it about Carl that just made him this special person to you and those around him? Obviously, um, he had this, amazing rugby league ability. Um, he, he was an old school player, which made him very popular with the older, older people. He was an intimidator. Um, he was so powerful, so strong, so fast. He had all the attributes, but he just played a beautiful style of rugby league. It was, he could, he had great tackling technique because he had a, he had a boxing upbringing, thanks to Melroy Morrison, the legend out there at Dolby and, um, you know, uh, a lot of those boxers, they know how to throw a punch, but they also know how to throw their shoulder into people. And Carl, Carl's, uh, technique was as good as I've ever seen, him and, um, Tony Carroll, they were both in our, in our squad and yeah, they're, they're as good tackling technique as I've ever seen. But the thing about Kyle, like you, you'd look back on his life. It was the person that he was. He, he wasn't, um, he had, he had no ego. But a mate of his from, from Dolby, Timmy Gaul, he teaches up in my kid's school here in Brisbane at, Moggill. And, whenever we'd meet, we'd just talk Kyle. For, for half an hour. Cause, uh, Kyle's Timmy Gore was a big fan as well. And, we're talking about how he was just so, he said he just had a, a ground, like he, he was the underdog himself with his life. He had a, he had a pretty tough upbringing. Um, and he, he just loved the underdog. And, um, Timmy said once, he said, Kyle could have been a bully because he was twice the size of everyone else. But, but he wasn't a bully. He's the bully of the bullies. And I love that saying about Kyle because he'd always look out for the, the underdog, the little kid or the, you know, um, he just had a massive heart, big heart. He loved people. Um, and obviously he loved the, the competitiveness and the collision of a contact sport, something he thrived in. Um, But the biggest thing was what he brought to the team. He's a, he was a definite team man. And his prowess on the field, uh, was equal to what he did off the field with, you know, just conversations and friendships that he struck up and formed. Um, he's genuine concern for his teammates. Uh, he'd take time to speak to their families. Um, he had time for all fans and that after games. He just, he just had a massive heart and a great, great persona. It was, it was great to be around. And, um, that's why he's so popular. You don't, um, you don't hear a bad word said about Carl Webb. No, never. He's just one of those amazing people that just lights everyone up. Yeah. Yeah, sure do. So, Carl was eventually diagnosed with MND, motor neurons disease and I understand you were alongside him in that journey. Yeah. And when that happened, how did you find that that that impacted you and your relationship with Werby? Um, he rang, I think it was about six months before he had some concerns with, his hands and that sort of thing. He thought it might've been a, nerve because, you know, there's a fair bit of wear and tear playing NRL for as long as you did, and especially as hard as he used to play the game. So, Um, we thought, Oh, you better get that checked out. And then it, it sort of, his symptoms, his doctor picked it up and sort of steered him towards MND and, and said, you've got all the symptoms of this and we need to check this out to make sure that's not it. And that sort of went for about three months. We had biopsies, um, sent to, um, to America and, Unfortunately, even right at the end, there is a disease that masks MND that's not fatal. Um, so we'd sort of had and we're praying and, and, um, just hoping for the best, but unfortunately we got the bad diagnosis. Now Carl, Carl's one of my best mates. Um, he, he's like a little brother to me and my, my brother. Um, and we sort of. We just accepted he would be the uncle of our kids and, you know, he was going to be part of our life for a long time. So I was pretty devastated, obviously, as you would expect. But also, just the, the shock, I suppose, was, was, it sort of blew me for about two or three weeks. So I remember ringing him and he wouldn't take a call and then I text him and he said, mate, I'm all right. Um, I'll ring you next week. Uh, all good. So I sort of gave him a bit of space that three weeks. And my life at that stage, I was thinking, I'm going to go down a big hole here cause it's a pretty heavy, heavy hit, um, to cop, um, losing, and I didn't know enough about the disease and, all that sort of stuff. So. After about three weeks, he just rang and I said, what, I said, what are we doing? What's happening? And he goes, I want to, I want to set up a foundation. He said, I, he said, I've got to, I want to give back to all these, um, services. I want to use my, my profile, uh, to boost awareness and, and raise money for fellow sufferers. And I want to. I want to host, I want to host lunches that I can get all the boys back together. and I was just, it was a mate like to hear that and, and to in the three weeks that I hadn't really heard from him, he was studying the effects of the disease, everything about the disease. It was like a PhD cause, Kyle was, he was a fantastic sportsman, but he's also very intelligent guy. One of the most intelligent I'd ever met. And, um, this was his new journey and his PhD. So he, he studied every bit of literature he could get, spoke to all the specialists. Um, and, and this was his new team, I suppose, that he he'd signed onto. And, um, just the way he accepted it and, and found peace with it so quickly. Um, it was, it was, it was good for the rest of us. So I know me personally, I was like, Okay, he's got this, he's got this and I'm just going to support him. And because I, when you, when you set up a foundation, a charity to give back to people, there's that element of, um, you actually feel good. So in some ways flip this horrible diagnosis, terrible news, he's flipped it and, he's made a positive out of it. So much positive came from it because he was such a great bloke. And as I said, um, when, when you, when you get a rise to notoriety or, you know, Um, fame, um, they say it's how you treat the people on the way up is how you get treated on the way down. 'cause you only get you 11 seconds of fame or whatever, and then you're back down. Yeah. And 'cause he was such a great bloke with a big heart who had time for everyone, time for the underdog, spoke to kids, you know, fans. He, he never had an ego. Which is, you know, out of anyone, he could have had an ego and people would have, you know, allowed him to have an ego, but he never did. And, so people came from everywhere. Um, they flocked in support of him. Not because he was, uh, the greatest rugby league player I've ever seen. Um, or him and Matty Bowen. But, um, it's because he was such a good bloke. he's just a decent human and, cared for other people. And, and the way he did this, it wasn't about him. It was about helping other people and, leaving a legacy, I suppose. And, and he's done that. And it was, it was great to be part of that because you did get, you got to say goodbye to him too, and, and, you know, tell him you loved him. And he probably got sick of me telling him. I love that. Um, everyone got to say goodbye and he wasn't hit, he wasn't hit in a car accident or whatever. we got to say, and he found peace with it and he accepted the journey and, he did it with, you know, quite nobly and, um, yeah, inspirational stuff. Before we started the podcast, I was chatting with you, and you said something, and I just have to share the clip, it was amazing. And you said about how he accepted and then he would adapt. Yeah. So, those, those that don't know motor neuron, it's a, it's a slow, it's a slow downward spiral of your physicality. And, you take this man who was, On the sporting field, there was none tougher, none stronger, none, no more athletic person than this guy. So he, he had the physicality, and then for him to, to watch him lose that physicality with such grace, he, he would adapt to, um, uh, but the motor neuron community, they, they say you can't, Can't do things how you used to do them, but you can still do them. So he would use his big brain to find out, you know, ways of doing stuff. And, and, he would adapt, to a new mindset. And then that's how he did those things. Now, his use of Siri was amazing, especially with the admin around, Uh, the, the foundation and, you know, organizing. We did a lot, uh, podcasting and, uh, interviews with, you know, different media, uh, situations. It was all done by him right to the end. He was amazing. Siri did cop a few, uh, few, uh. Yeah. So, but, um, they were good friends, him and Siri, and, they had a mutual respect. Yeah. Oh, I can just imagine Webby doing that. Can you tell me a little bit about the Carl Webb Foundation and its mission? As I said, Carl wanted to give back. He was He was such a humble guy who, you know, when, when he saw all these services and how they were going to help him on this thing, he was floored by it and he said, I've, I've got to, I've got to give back. That was his initial like reaction to this. Not, Poor me. You know, I'm a, I used to be a, an origin superstar. Poor me. Now look at me. There was none of that ever. And it straight away is, is on the, on the front foot, took it head on. And he said, I want to give back. I want to create awareness, for this disease First time I ever heard about it was, um, Was the Burgess brothers father, and Sam's story about how his father got diagnosed and he, he said, I'm, I'm gone. I'm, I'm moving out. I don't love you kids anymore. Uh, separated from the wife and went and lived on a, in a unit on his own because he the disease and he knew it'd be a drain on his family. So again, nobly, um, he's, he didn't want to put his family through that. So he moved into a unit, in Bradford and then Sam as a 16 year old moved in with him. He said, I'm going with dad. I'll get it. Someone's got to look after dad. So he, he went and lived with his father. And, um, same thing. He took his father to every footy game, every every training session. And, Sam was saying in the middle of winter, he'd got his father out of the, out of the wheelchair. And he said, I just remember those 23 stairs I had to carry him up to, to his bed. And like that story itself is probably why Sam Burgess is such a, a legend. Um, not only footy field, but as a man, and that's the thing. It is a devastating disease, but there's a lot of positives that, that do come out of it because you see humanity and, and, love of, uh, what, uh, some people, the way they show. So Carl chose to use his profile, to give exposure. But also he wanted to get the boys back together. That that was a big thing for him. Because when you have that inevitability and everyone has excuses these days, I can't go because I've got X, Y or Z. But Carl, Carl was facing it and and he prioritized things and and Him getting the boys together and getting everyone back, you know, not just the boys, of course, it's the girls, but mainly the boys that he played with and their partners and families because getting them back together and being a, you know, it's, it's good energy. It's good to reignite friendships. And yet, you know, you have, you have all that. It's, it's just good, good for community. And it's, and that was He just, he loved that energy, loved getting people back together and having a laugh about old times and stuff like that. So that, that was a big, that was, that was his main reasons for the foundation. It's grown since that, uh, Brisbane Broncos and, the, the Queensland Origin team and also, Cowboys have been fantastic. The way that, the support they've given. Because, not because of Carl was such a great player, it's because, because of the bloke Carl was. So, those clubs have proven that they're more than just clubs, they're, they're a family for these players after football and they're in their families and, um, it's a, it's a good feel and I'm, I'm sure Carl will be humbled and honoured that, his legacy's been, been respected by those, those clubs and, especially the Queensland MaroonS. Absolutely. So it's amazing the things that you have mentioned that has been going on with the Queensland Maroons and the Cowboys and, um, the Culver Foundation. How do you believe Carl's legacy will continue to inspire others both on and off the field? Um, I love his logo. We did his logo because he had, the stars tattooed on his elbow. So that was his star. One, two, four is his origin number. And then that's the Broncos colors. That's the Queensland Moraine colors, our web foundation. When I put this on, it's like, um, uh, Superman S for me, like his legacy for me personally is, just being able to handle things, that come up in your life, to prioritize, the things that matter and not to sweat the stuff that doesn't matter. And, and I take that daily into my life, through being part of, um, Carl's journey. From the community, I went up to Townsville the other week. We, we launched these caps up there. We sold about, I think about 600. So the North Queensland people, they're just trying themselves. Behind this message, I suppose, but it's, um, You'll definitely be buying one of those. Yeah, I think it's, um, that Too Busy Living as his logo, rings in my mind because you have to live your life, you have to prioritize, you have to be, the other thing is, um, you have to be a good person and you He, coming from Dolby, it doesn't matter if you're an origin superstar, a, um, you know, a doctor, whatever, if you're not a good bloke in a community like that, none of it matters. Absolutely. The pinnacle is to be a good bloke first, and, and that's, that's his legacy. For me, personally, that's, that's it. But obviously. Adversity, being able to show up in adversity, being able to keep moving forward. You know, he was a family man. He just adored his kids. But he loved his friends as well. And, uh, I don't know. I think for me personally and the people that know him, knew him closely. It's just inspirational because everyone, everyone goes through tough times. Everyone has, you know, things that come into their lives at different times, but you just, you look to people like this for strength. Um, you look at their, their journey, their, their message and, you know, it, it, it helps, it helps people. And it's definitely a legacy of strength, and adversity. Yeah, absolutely. And the way he did go through that adversity and the way he managed it was with the resilience and so humble and just raw and relatable. Yeah. He's just absolutely amazing. With the smile on his face. Yeah, always. Yeah, he just, and he just loved making people laugh. Um, and a big heart and yeah, I spoke to Shane Webkey, I think it was at the golf day and, we had a, we had a moment there and he, he, um, he said, you know, for everything Carl did on the footy field, it sort of pales in significance of what he's done since diagnosis. He said, this is massive. And, um, he said, you know, Shane was like a big brother to, to Carl as well. It was big Webby and little Webby in that squad. And, Shane, Shane was as tough as you'd get on the footy field and he, he, he knew Carl and knew Carl's potential and, he had a big soft spot for him, but he, he just said the enormity of what Carl's done since diagnosis, blows the footy career out of the water. And, and I just, I just think people are relating to that because, you know, we, we put these sporting stars up on a pedestal and we think they're superheroes. Some of them think they're superheroes as well, uh, but Carl never did. No. Carl, Carl had, you know, he had a bit of spunk about him and a, and a bit of confidence, but it was like a role he, he was playing. And the, the beauty was Carl off the field and the people, you know, the people who didn't know him off the field. I think he's this aggressive, you know, intimidator. But off the field. He was a big softie with a big heart and a big smile, and, um, loved a. Yeah, I loved the chat and loved, loved a good, a good time. That's for sure. Oh, he definitely loved a good time. Oh my God. I've been to the club a few times with him. He definitely loved a good time. But he was like this cheeky little teddy bear or big teddy bear. That's it. Yeah. And he, he was a great, a great person. And as we said before, no one would have a bad word to say about, about him. And even a member, um. When he went public with his diagnosis, Bailey, the, the guy that he had to tussle with, um, in the origin, I think there's a photo of Carl choking, choking him over there. He was, he was one of the first guys that reached out to Carl and that's the beauty of the rugby league community, you know, um, there's a lot of egos and there's a lot of, you know, uh, in that group. But if one of one of them is down on their luck, they all, they'd soon rally and, in support and, seeing that as a, you know, um, a right hand man to Carl through this journey. It was, it was fantastic. And it's reignited my love for rugby league. That's for sure. Um, I always love the game, but it's like a support network for these, for players and for people. And it's like a little community within, within a larger community. It definitely feels like a supportive community that rallies around each other. Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Yep. No, I, like I've had my own traumas and my health being threatened in the past and it made me realize. Life's short, you only get one crack. And then seeing what Webby did, with what he was living with, it made me have that strength to be able to Step out and actually have a go at raising that awareness and helping other people who are living with these conditions because yeah, the way he did it is just inspiring and I just admire him so much. Yeah. Cause he, he had, he had that gratitude of his life and he reflected on his life and he did it quickly. And he found God in a way because He had that gratitude. He also had that ability to give back. And they say that's, that's what life's about. Like you have, you have that, you know, gratitude for how blessed we are, empathy for other people. And then he had the right mindset to turn it into something, his last chapter and, and not, not go in a downward spiral and drag all those that loved him with him. He, he tries to upward spiral. And took us all with him. Like I was so grateful for that last chapter to spend with him and to share it with him. And just the amount of times I'd just look at this bloke and shake my head and just go, 'cause he, he went to another dimension. 'cause it is like he could release, um, you know, the stuff that. Would weigh a normal person down because he didn't have to worry about that, but he just went to this new dimension and, and we got, we got a glimpse of that and it's something I'm very grateful for. And, um, that's him though. He was so generous at, at heart. And, if he could give back, he would and, and at every opportunity and, and that's just what he did, but to have that mindset, not everyone has it. And, um, I'm envious because, I need to have more of that type of mindset, and I think everyone does, so. It's not, it's not all about you, uh, and just listening to you, it sounds like he is this angel in an upward spiral, like just moving in an upward spiral, just all that love and that empathy and that generosity and that humbleness and hearing you talk, you said you need more of that. It does sound like you have a lot of that. Well, I do, I have gained that and I've, I've been through stuff as well in the last couple of years and um, I just used his blueprint, what he did and it's definitely helped me through mine, nothing on as big as him, but, uh, in a minor way of it's helped me through, through my struggles and, um, I think, I think that would help other people as well. The Colburn blueprint. That's it. Looking back, are there any moments with Carl that particularly stand out or were meaningful to you? Um, that first conversation when I met him, again, we talk about mindset, but he instilled in my low confidence sort of person, uh, mind frame that I was in, and instilled this. and this what if type thing. And, I think it was two years after that conversation. I got, I played first grade with Carl for the Broncos. So I, I, I don't know if that would have happened if I hadn't have had that conversation with him at that time, because from that conversation, I then turned, me being self critical into, uh, Oh, well, I am here. for a reason and maybe I could do that. But it's just that little thought, maybe I could, instead of I'm too old and you know all that. So it was that. Um, there's so many. But, the trip to Las Vegas is a, um, was a big thing. That was in 05. He got suspended. I think he punched someone in the head and got suspended. Didn't plan to grant finally. He rang me. He said, and. His first year in Townsville, there's all this expectation that I'm meant to win the Grand Final. Um, he's punched this guy, anyway, he got, um, he got suspended, didn't play in the Grand Final. And then he had that, that weight of thinking, if I'd played, we might have won, you know, blah, blah. He said, he rang me and said, oh, we've got to get out of here. And, um, he said, do you want to go to Vegas? And he said, cause I love the bull riding, um, and the bull riding finals were in Vegas and yeah, we did a, a three week tour over there with our good mate, Grant Beavers. And that was one for the ages. What else? Yeah. Yeah. Um, we went to that first origin. Um, in Townsville, took him up there and, um, we went to that game and, they'd just signed Tom Dearden up there, he was sitting two seats in front of us and Carl loved Tom Dearden and he said, oh, I can't believe the Broncos let him go, blah, blah, blah, but he, at least he went to the Cowboys, so it's, you know, if you're not a Cowboys fan, they're your second team. So, um, and then Tom Dearden's. I reckon the best origin player of this series for Queensland. So that, that was a just, I don't know, things like that pop into my head all the time. Yeah. Um, we started this camping group, uh, the big fat dads. We were called that by our daughters We had the shirts off, uh, having a swim in the creek and we thought we were, you know, not, not looking too bad. Um, these old washed up footballers and um, dad. It's a father figure, not a, not a dad one. And, uh, the, um, the daughters took the photo and then I looked at it and then they simultaneously said, Oh, big fat dads. So that's our camping group. And that's growing to include a few of the Dolby people, but that was, uh, just dads taking the kids for the weekend camping and spending time just with the dads and the kids. There's not a lot of. Not a lot of showering or, change of clothes goes on and I don't think there's any salad or vegetables. Um, it's mainly meat and bread and sauce. That's all. It does seem amazing though. But yeah, just that, those, those times I'm, I'm grateful for, um. Just needs showers and not camp toilets. Isn't a swim counted as a shower though? If you swim a lot that day? Maybe. Depends what's in the water. That's it. That's it. Um, yeah, I don't know. Plenty of good memories with Carl. Um, every time you caught up with him, it was a, it was a great time. He just, he liked, he made it his mission to make sure everyone was enjoying themselves. That's, that was Carl. Yeah. As you, as you'd know. Yeah. And as someone who was so close to Carl during that long journey well it wasn't really that long the journey but, what advice would you give to others that are supporting family or friends who are living with a serious illness? I think, um, just watching Carl's, journey and being, being a big part of that family. I think his quick acceptance of it. You know, he got the diagnosis that he didn't fight it. He, he accepted it. He lived within the boundaries of it. He pushed the boundaries cause that's the type of person he was. he challenged the boundaries. He challenged the theories. He kept a open mind. Um, he didn't, he didn't think about the inevitable too much. As I said, he's saying was, he was too busy living. So he would, he would say, he wouldn't say no to anything. He just, he got to things, he got to events. We were fishing right up to the end. Like he, he was just, I think having that, um, that mindset of living your life, um, you've got the opportunity to, you know, to tell the people, your loved ones, you know, and catch up with them and tell them you love them. Uh, when people are on the way out, it's the friends and family that, that they cherish the most. It's not the material things or, you know, it's those relationships that you've, you know, acquired. He had, he had a couple of moments, uh, with me, um, where he, did show vulnerability, um, just around whether he'd done enough for his family. Uh, adult family and the other one was obviously around his kids, whether he'd done enough for his kids. And I, I just assured him that, you know, the, what, what you've done in your short time on this earth, um, it's amazing and incredible. And the legacy, uh, is, I, I just see the people that gather that surround his kids and his family and support. But, um, I just think, um, I think he's, he has done enough because he's, you know, that was his priority. That was the way he lived his life and he's, he set the precedent. So, you know, the rest is up to us really. And to, to be our best versions. Um, so when I listened to him mentoring, um, the other people that are being diagnosed with MND because that was part of his unofficial that they would just refer people to take conversations with. Oh, Carl Webb. Oh, yeah, I'll speak. Yeah, you know, so that he just how, how softly spoke to these people and how reassuring he was with them. And, you know, uh, a gentle spirit, the way that he spoke to these people and, and sort of mentored them through their diagnosis, told, you know, advised them on, on where they should be putting their energy and their time. And, you know, cause the, their time is limited. Uh, I think, I think if you have, if you have those sort of that mindset of, Spending time with your family and your friends and making the most of the time you have left. Um, yeah, that, that's, that'd be the advice that I would get from that. Yeah. Awesome. Do you think it's influenced the way you live life. It definitely has. Yeah. Yeah. And, um, I just feel. I feel his presence. He played that bloody rainbow song at his funeral. Um, and every time I see a rainbow, I just laugh because it's, it's, I feel his presence with me. But I, um, yeah, it, it has. How could it not like that? And I'm not the only one he's touched. Like there's, there's other people that, say the exact same things that I'm saying. And, um, you know, they were touched in the same way by this remarkable human being. And, I just, I don't sweat the small stuff anymore. I'm, uh, I've got my priorities in order and I, um, I'm enjoying my life. And that's, that's the message that most people got from that. They, you know, as you said before, you're only here for a short time. So make the most of it. Exactly. So, so live it, live it. Um, Get busy living it. Yes, absolutely. I love that. Is there anything else you want to add or any other messages you'd like to share? Um, I love um, coming from Dolby, the community, uh, like a small country, Queensland community. Um, the pinnacle of those communities is the good bloke and, and That's how he lived his life. It didn't matter if you're an origin superstar, if you were you know, a doctor, a real flash builder, um, locally. It, none of, it doesn't matter what you're doing as a career. If you're not a good bloke, none of it matters. And, um, I come from, uh, Bundaberg and it's the same ethos up there. It's you just, you're a good bloke first. And, um, it doesn't matter how much money you make or how, how good you are in the sporting field. Blah, blah, blah. It's, it's about being a good person. And that's why the church at Dolby was packed out and, you know, there was so many people there. It's not because he was a superstar rugby league player. It was because he was a good bloke and, um, that's, that's what, that's what he's left behind. And he definitely was one of those. Yep. And to sum up, some of those things that's really shone through is that accept and adapt to get out and just live your life. Be a good bloke first and foremost. Yeah. Yep. That's Charlie Webb. Yeah. That's awesome. No, I thank you so much. And I think there's going to be so many people that is just going to take so much from this conversation with you today and that mindset and that attitude and being able to still get out living life with the things that are going on. Yeah. It is nice that we can get back in some way, living life and finding some purpose and some meaning and that impact on others as well, which Rebby did just without even realising the impact he was having just everywhere. He, he gave, but he, he got more joy, more joy out of, um, helping people and people's gratification. Like it made him feel great and it gave him a spring in his step because some days he was flat. And, um, it was, they had tough days, but the ability to, to flip the script and to do something, for other people and to help other people is, is why he's a good bloke. But also it gave him, I say, if you give other people, you get, you get back more and it's true. Um, and that's, I'm, I'm proud of him. Yeah, the way he flipped it into a, into a positive and turn that into an upward spiral instead of a downward spiral. It's, um, it's a credit to him and, um, credit for the rest of us as well because we, we got to experience that journey. And you did just make a really important point about how you acknowledge some days he was flat and some days were a bit hard and it is like that whether you are living with a chronic illness or not, everyone does have these hard days, but more so when you're living with these conditions, not every day. You can be the best version of yourself or be out doing everything but it's also acknowledging that there is time so when you can and it doesn't always have to be those flat days or the down days and you can reach out to the people around you or what you do give back when you are Giving and doing things or doing things with purpose and meaning you get so much back that it actually gives you that little bit of energy or makes you feel a little bit better. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Yeah. No, well, thank you so much, Damon. I've really, really appreciated talking to you. My pleasure. It's, it's, it's one of my favorite topics, Carl Webb. I can definitely tell. Thank you. No worries. Bye. 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