With Variety on his side, Luke’s smashing goals and inspiring others.
Every child deserves an equal opportunity to shine, and Variety – the Children’s Charity ensures that kids facing illness, disadvantage or disability can embrace life fully.
For over 25 years, Ramsey Bros has proudly joined forces with these champions to positively impact the lives of South Australian kids and their families.
Their efforts to empower children to attain independence and boost self-esteem are inspiring, and we were beyond grateful to receive the ‘Variety SA From the Heart Corporate Award’ at the end of last year for our contributions to this incredible work.
A challenging start
Growing up on a farm in Arno Bay on the Eyre Peninsula, life for twelve- year-old Luke has had plenty of challenges. Luke is legally blind and needs to travel regularly to Adelaide to access the support and interventions to live a full and active life.
“When Luke was three months old, we discovered that he had congenital cataracts, which had grown on the back of the retina, stopping his vision from developing,” his mum, Brooke, explains. “He went in for surgery the next day to remove the cataract and natural lens from his right eye, and the left eye a week later. Every two hours, we had to put eyedrops in to keep infections away.
“Then came the challenge of contact lenses so he could see us. We’d wrap Luke in a blanket, my daughter would lie across him while I’d hold him still, and my husband would put in or take out the contact lenses — it was really traumatic.”
When he was just eight months old, Luke underwent another operation to give him artificial lenses (with the surgeon again operating on one eye at a time), which was a success. While Luke remains less than legally blind in both eyes, he has continued to amaze his family with his determination over the years.
“Luke wears glasses to help with some vision, but he’s amazing really — he’s very good at getting around. At school, he has permanent SSOs and uses adaptive technology, but he rides a motorbike, rides a bike, and creates a mind map to get around our community. “It takes him a while to be comfortable in knowing a new place, but Arno Bay is a small town, so he can go to the shops or park or friends’ houses on his own and be independent by being repetitive — he’s adapted those skills,” Brooke says.
Off and running
Now in his first year of high school, Luke is defying expectations and achieving remarkable feats in athletics with the support of a sponsorship from Variety, as Brooke explains. “All during his primary years, we’d take Luke to visit the South Australian School Support for Vision Impaired (SASSVI). When he was about eight, his PE teacher there recognised that Luke was running times that weren’t far off making the state teams.”
Brooke and Wade helped Luke delve into Little Athletics, even though the closest facility was an hour away in Pt Lincoln. His PE teacher at SASSVI encouraged Luke to enter in cross country events when he turned 10; and during the pandemic, Luke secured the first position in the 12 and Under division.
Luke was then selected to represent SA and attend the National Cross- Country Championships in Canberra where he won gold in the 1km multi- class time trial, and also competed in the SAPSASA Track and Field Competition where he achieved three PBs.
“He was pretty stoked to be competing, and we’re very proud and excited for him to have the opportunity to do all of this. Team sports can be hard in a small country town for someone like Luke, but running has been great for his confidence,” Brooke says.
“The scholarship from Variety has made it possible for us to travel to Adelaide for mandatory training, helped with the costs of accommodation and flights, and
funded a guide for Luke in Canberra.
It’s been a big relief to help Luke find this purpose and focus, and he’s also met so many people and formed long-lasting bonds that will help should he move to Adelaide when he’s older,” Brooke says.
“We’re so grateful that we’ve been able to give Luke these opportunities, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the support from Variety.”
To help Variety continue giving children like Luke these invaluable moments, donate via their website, or check out their line-up of fundraising events throughout the year — including one of our favourites, SA Variety Bash in August.
