Allenview Turf general manager Bryce Lindores was just days away from turning 18 when he was blinded in a farm accident.
Hanging out with school friends, he jumped in the back of the ute they were using to tow another vehicle when the unthinkable happened.
Addressing the TurfBreed National Growers Conference, Bryce matter-of-factly recounted the story of the accident and its aftermath; a tale he’s often shared during the past 18 years.
“I was facing the car we were towing, and the D shackle actually broke and came flying back and hit me in the eyes,” he said.
“I was in hospital for six weeks in a coma and was told I was never going to see again. That brought me to the next part of my life which was trying to get around, regain mobility and getting back on my feet.”
After missing his 18th birthday, a friend who was into cycling for fun and fitness turned up for Bryce’s 19th with a tandem pushbike.
The rest, as they say, is history.
A new career in Cycling
Just two years after he began riding the bike, Bryce was invited to try out at the Adelaide SuperDrome where the Australian Institute of Sport’s Track Cycling Program is headquartered.
His times were good enough to secure a spot at the 2006 paracycling world titles in Switzerland where he and pilot Steve Storer won a bronze medal and Bryce was awarded 2006 Queensland Tandem Cyclist of the Year.
“I had a pretty rushed turnaround from not being able to see to going over to Switzerland, which was a very confronting thing because of the amount of people in the crowd and things like that,” he said.
“I went over there not expecting much. I just was going out to have fun and all the coaches were telling me ‘No pressure’ … So it was a pretty awesome thing to have come that far that quick.”
Then followed a bronze medal in the Men’s Track Individual Pursuit B VI 1-3 at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games with Steven George, numerous medals in track and road events at world and national titles, and silver in the Men’s Individual Pursuit B at the London 2012 Paralympics with Sean Finning.
“I got to stand up on the podium with our national anthem playing as well.”
“Our other Australian bike (ridden by the late Kieran Modra and his pilot Scott McPhee) won it, so it was pretty awesome,” he recalled.
Bryce’s exploits haven’t been limited to the road and track.
Achieving a Guiness World Record
Bryce’s exploits haven’t been limited to the road and track.
In 2009, he was part of a group of six blind and visually impaired Australians accompanied by sighted guides, who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, setting a new Guinness World Record in the process.
“(The record) lasted two weeks until we got beaten, but it was good fun,” he laughed.
Unfortunately, a bulging disc put paid to Bryce’s plans to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics, and he was forced to retire from cycling.
One door closes another door opens…..Turf farming
Despite the disappointment, Bryce soon threw himself into what he called “the second part of my life” – turf farming.
Bryce’s father, Greg, had bought a 110ha farm at Allenview, northwest of Beaudesert in the Gold Coast hinterland, with plans to use it as a hobby farm when he retired.
That plan was put on the backburner when Turf Force came to him asking to lease 40ha of the property for growing turf.
“We put a pivot on and planted the turf,” Bryce said.
“That lasted about 18 months and came to an end (when Turf Force went out of business). It was a bit of an accident that we got into turf. It really wasn’t what we were aiming to do, but the old man took it on board. All the infrastructure was there, so he said we were going to become a turf farm.”
Later, “much to Dad’s disgust”, Bryce and Operations Manager Justin King joined forces to persuade Greg to relocate his cattle so they could plant the whole farm to turf.
Since then Allenview Turf has expanded with purchases of another 121ha in the area and the 11-member team now produces Stadium Sports Couch, Empire Zoysia, Palmetto Buffalo and Wintergreen Couch for the commercial and retail markets.
Bryce became General Manager of Allenview Turf about six years ago and said his experiences had given him a solid preparation for the role – from coping with adversity to operating in a team environment.
“Obviously in farming you’ve got your weather and a lot of things that are probably not in your control at all,” he said after the conference.
“Having more than one plan always helps, as does adapting to the hand you’re dealt.
“And in a team environment – when we went to the Olympics it was not just one person, everyone was there to help each other, which I encourage the boys to do – if they need a hand to ask and don’t be afraid to give a hand either if someone doesn’t ask. That really works well with the harvest crew.”
Bryce considers communication and coordination his primary functions, making sure information flows as easily and successfully as possible between the production, finance and admin teams.
“I’m pretty much the middleman talking to everyone,” he said.
“It’s been good, quite enjoyable. I like the outdoors part of it as anyone in farming does, but with a finger in everything from production and sales to budgets it doesn’t get boring.”
Now the expansion phase is complete, Bryce said he was looking forward to further exploring the potential offered by farm technology, such as autonomous mowers.
As well as reducing labour and maintenance costs, he hopes manufacturers will soon produce electric farm-scale models that will be more environmentally friendly.
“All the stuff we’ve got now, we’re forever spending our money on fixing and servicing mowers and tractors and things like that,” he said.
“And if they’re electric, we won’t have to burn as much diesel.”