Gary Briggs has spent his life living and working on the land, creating, and running successful agricultural businesses, with rural Australia at the heart of all his ventures.
Originally from Dalby in south-west Queensland, Gary is well known for his achievements and was honoured with an Order of Australia in 2020.
He is best known for his invention, Dingo Mini Diggers and more recently, Feral Fencing, an automated fencing system he developed after the 2010/2011 floods washed away his own fence at home.
Gary’s health journey began back when he had his first heart attack at age 51. He was 55 when he had a stroke, and he met the Heart of Australia team at the age of 64. It was a chance encounter which led him to Heart of Australia in 2014, a moment Gary said may have saved his life.
,Prior to visits to the Heart Truck, Gary had been attending cardiology appointments in Brisbane, a two-hour drive from his home. This was soon to change after Gary noticed HEART 1 parked on the street in his hometown of Dalby.
“I was driving down the street and there was this truck, it looked pretty darn good to me,” Gary said.
“I thought I should stop and have a chat to these people; they might be able to help me out and save me going to the big city all the time…so I did, I stopped, and I met Dr Rolf Gomes.”
Gary became one of the first patients on HEART 1 becoming a regular patient of Dr Gomes and visitor to the Heart Trucks, when they visited Dalby.
“Rolf was doing regular checks on me every few months, and then eventually he made the decision that I should probably have a defibrillator put in my chest.”
“It saved my life, there is no doubt about it. If it had not been for the regular visits from Heart of Australia to Dalby, I would not have been able to have the tests to know my heart condition was getting progressively worse. “
Gary continues his health journey and is among the hundreds of people from the bush who have been able to access specialist healthcare so close to their homes.
For Heart of Australia, being able to give patients like Gary access to lifesaving medical care in his own community, has been a driving force for all the doctors, partners, and staff involved that keep this service running.
We were fortunate to have Gary share his story with guests recently on stage at the Heart of Australia’s 10th Anniversary Gala Evening. With HEART 1 featuring as the backdrop to the stage on the evening, it was a moving moment to hear him speak in front of the vehicle that has given him his health and happiness.
