Keynote Address by Warren Macdonald

We have all heard it before, change is constant.

We all know it, but what we need is for someone to help us understand what this truly means, and to show us how to deal with it in a meaningful and purposeful way.

Warren Macdonald recognises change as a process, not an end result. His motivational presentations are about the way we see the world, embracing change, managing transition, finding and creating opportunity and, as a result, living “larger” than we dreamt possible.

Through his own journey and adventures, Warren has proven that impossible goals can be realised and with his own newfound sense of perspective, he provides not only thought-provoking insights but also key strategies that are critical to success in life.

With an authentic and proven path to overcoming life’s challenges, Warren shares a clear roadmap to solutions that bring ongoing and lasting change, and priceless value

By living and breathing change management and sharing a gripping story of facing hurdles that seem insurmountable, Warren sets himself apart. He walks the talk, and that is the secret to his natural ability to connect with, and move people on an intellectual and emotional level.

Warren has always had a taste for adventure. Family camping trips led to weekend hikes, then weeklong ventures into the Australian bush. His affinity with wild places, and bearing witness to their disappearance (through clear-cut logging), led him to become a committed environmentalist.

The same sense of adventure led to Warren becoming disillusioned with his career as a technical officer with the states (Victoria) natural gas company, leading him to do what most young Australians do at some point; go walkabout.

Traveling at first with a group of friends, then solo as they returned home, his travels took him across North America, throughout Europe. He'd initially told friends and family he'd be home in six months to a year. Two and a half years later he returned.

In April 1997 Warren’s life boundaries were redefined with his accident on North Queensland’s Hinchinbrook Island. Climbing to the Islands tallest peak, he became trapped beneath a one-ton boulder in a freak rock fall. Two days later he was rescued, only to undergo the amputation of both legs at mid thigh.

Obviously, he survived, but Warren's story doesn't end there; far from it. Prior to the accident, being in the outdoors defined him; it was who he was, and he was very reluctant to give that up.

Just ten months later, he climbed Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain using a modified wheelchair and the seat of his trousers.

In February 2003, he became the first double above knee amputee to reach the summit of Africa’s tallest peak, Mount Kilimanjaro (19,222ft) and more recently in a spectacular effort requiring more than 2,800 pull-ups over 4 days created history once again in an ascent of America’s tallest cliff face, El Capitan. He is also the only above knee amputee to make an ascent of Canada’s landmark frozen waterfall, the 600ft ‘Weeping Wall’ in Alberta.

In short, Warren didn't just reclaim his old life; he took the basic model of it and made it bigger, better and brighter than it was before. What he wants you to know now, is you can do that too. To do so, we need to change the way we see the world. At the time of Warren's accident, guys without legs were not supposed to be out climbing mountains. By being able to see that it might be possible, and then being willing to take action to make it so, Warren created that reality.