The Gutsy Group is privileged to have the support of a number of passionate individuals who are committed to The Gutsy Group, Inc. cause and firmly believe in the importance of raising public awareness of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
By being active in the community, our ambassadors promote a greater understanding and acceptance of the disease, raise the profile of our charity and thereby highlight the vital need for continued medical research to find a cure.
We are grateful for the tremendous efforts of these successful individuals who willingly dedicate their time to support The Gutsy Group, Inc.
Tom is the host of radio station 3AW’s Drive Program (Weekdays, 3-6pm). He is also a Director of Melbourne-based wealth management firm Beulah Capital. Tom writes a weekly opinion column for Melbourne’s Herald Sun newspaper and appears regularly on both Channel Nine’s Today Show and ABC TVs Agony Uncles series.
Tom holds both a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) from Oxford University (UK). He is married to Elise, with whom he has a daughter, Ava.
The legendary Daryl Braithwaite has much to celebrate in his unparalleled career. He and his incredible live band have been selling out pubs and clubs in every corner of the country for decades. Several of the members of Daryl’s band have been with him since the EDGE (1988) and RISE (1990) days. The last member joined 14 years ago, which means the current line-up has been together as long as Sherbet were together.
Daryl’s multi-platinum albums EDGE and RISE were followed by a brilliant new mini-album, FOREVER THE TOURIST (2014) when Daryl was also re-signed by Sony Music Australia. And the centrepiece of this new chapter in his career is the anthemic single ‘Not Too Late’. In light of the renewal of his partnership with Sony, there could hardly have been a more apt title. It’s a story of hope, aspirations and most definitely reflections of life, and the obvious choice to have a go or not.FOREVER THE TOURIST is in one way a personal gift from Daryl to his most loyal fans, a thank you for their unrelenting support across the decades. But everyone involved is also confident these new emotion-filled, state-of-the-art songs will also introduce a whole new generation of music lovers to one of the most famous and beloved voices in the history of Australian music. Alongside “Not Too Late”, the other seven songs on the album sound like pages torn straight out of Daryl’s world intimate, joyous celebrations from a man who is loving life. Such as “Beautiful Feeling”, which encapsulates the thrill Daryl feels every time he steps up on stage. Or the reggae groove of “Perfect Day”, filled with sand, surf and
FOREVER THE TOURIST is in one way a personal gift from Daryl to his most loyal fans, a thank you for their unrelenting support across the decades. But everyone involved is confident these new emotion-filled, state-of-the-art songs will introduce a whole new generation of music lovers to one of the most famous and beloved voices in the history of Australian music. Alongside ‘Not Too Late’, the other seven songs on the album sound like pages torn straight out of Daryl’s world. They’re intimate and joyous celebrations from a man who is loving life, such as ‘Beautiful Feeling’, which encapsulates the thrill Daryl feels every time he steps on stage. Or the reggae groove of ‘Perfect Day’, filled with sand, surf and sun. Or the title track ‘Forever The Tourist’, a huge open-hearted acclamation to where his life travels have carried him so far.Throughout this mini-album, the mood is definitely up and vibrant. In recent years, Daryl has been collaborating with two talented songwriters Melbourne-based Oliver Jones (brother of Savage Garden’s Daniel Jones) and Sydney-based Lindsay Rimes.
Throughout this mini-album the mood is most definitely up and vibrant. In recent years Daryl has been collaborating with two talented songwriters, Melbourne-based Oliver Jones (brother of Savage Garden’s Daniel Jones) and Sydney-based Lindsay Rimes.
Australian Rules football is a male-dominated environment where strength, courage and determination are all core values that typically represent those who participate. It was very challenging to be actively involved only to regularly miss training sessions, compete at less than 100%, and question why the intensity couldn’t be increased.
But these were the first true signs that something wasn’t right. Tiredness and lethargy, chronic stomach pain, unexpected weight loss, and regular visits to the nearest facilities began to take over. A simple night with friends consuming small amounts of alcohol generated constant nausea, and there were no immediate signs of why this was the case.
With no visible signs of poor health, like a plaster cast for a broken limb, it was difficult for those close to me to understand exactly what was happening. Worse still, I had no idea what was happening.
This continued for nearly 12 months until a forced hospital visit provided the answer. With deteriorating health, a weight that was continually falling, and no sign of an immediate solution, a local GP suggested an immediate trip to the emergency room. I was admitted immediatelyand spent the next week undergoing numerous tests to determine the outcome. Then the answer came – you have ulcerative colitis.
I had never heard of this before and immediately wondered what this meant. Would I live a normal life? Would medication make it go away? And what about playing football? All important questions for a 20-year-old.
This was more than 15 years ago. Since then I was forced to retire from playing football, I’ve learned to understand the disease is always with you and is incurable. However, this hasn’t affected my quality of life, and it hasn’t affected my ability to fulfil my ambitions in life. Sure, there has been the constant vigilance that is required from regular colonoscopies, a necessary career change to avoid travelling to third world countries, and the inability to enjoy a couple of bottles of wine with friends. There is also the continuous questioning of dietary requirements, restaurant selections, menus etc. I have a tremendous family who provide great support at all times. I will never underestimate the importance of a wonderful, close support network of family and friends who learn to understand the various ups and downs of living with colitis.
Throughout my colitis journey, for what is approaching half of my life, I’ve become passionate about making sure others never lose sight of the fact that they can live a normal life. Sacrifices are made along the way, but everyone has to make them at some point in their lives. With so many great medical practitioners who are committed to the cause, there is absolutely no reason why anyone living with Colitis (or Crohn’s) cannot fulfil all of the ambitions they have in their lives.
It’s my passion to help others, talk with them and let them know that opening up your private life, whilst very tough initially, can be enormously rewarding and beneficial. This drove me to become an active ambassador for The Gutsy Group, Inc.
