I'm fundraising for an AED in Googong!
Already raised enough for one in QBN and Jerrabomberra. I'm now going for one in Googong.My Achievements
Reached 25% of Fundraising Goal
Reached 50% of Fundraising Goal
Reached 75% of Fundraising Goal
Reached Fundraising Goal
Shared Fundraising Page
Reached 25% of Activity Goal
Reached 50% of Activity Goal
Reached 75% of Activity Goal
Completed Challenge
My Updates
Qbnās Young Citizen of the Year turns near-fatal collapse into lifesaving mission
Thursday 12th Feb
Just months after his collapse at the YMCA, Rory has been
named Queanbeyanās Young Citizen of the Year for turning his brush with death
into a campaign to improve CPR awareness and expand access to defibrillators.
Presented on Australia Day 2026, the award recognises his fundraising,
advocacy, and work with the Heart Foundation, Westmead Childrenās Hospital, and
St John Ambulance ā though Rory is quick to downplay the honour.
āIām very proud to receive the award,ā he said.
āBut without all of those other people ā and the nomination
from Street Beat and the support of my school ā I wouldnāt have won it.ā
Looking ahead, Rory says his goal is simple.
āIām incredibly grateful to the people at the basketball
stadium who helped me when I collapsed, and to the Queanbeyan Basketball
Association for making sure there was an AED at the facility, without both of
those things, I wouldnāt be here today,ā he said.
āNow, I just want to help get as many publicly accessible
AEDs into Queanbeyan and Canberra as possible, raise awareness about sudden
cardiac arrest, heart health and the importance of AEDs and CPR training, and
help make my community safer.ā
Fewer than 10 per cent of people survive out-of-hospital
cardiac arrest, but when CPR and defibrillation occur within the first three to
five minutes, survival rates increase dramatically.
One of the lucky ones
Monday 19th Jan
If a surgeon came to you and said that there was only a 10 per cent chance youād survive an operation, you probably wouldnāt sign the consent form. But this is the chance of surviving a cardiac arrest outside of a hospital. And this is the odds my 16-year-old beat July 29, 2025.
An unexpected phone call change everything. It can turn an ordinary day into one of the worst days of your life.
āThere has been an incident ā¦ Rory was involved. Weāve called an ambulance, but you probably want to get hereā.
This was all we had to go on.
Rory was up at the local stadium playing basketball for the first time that night. My mind had purposely left out the part of the phone call that admitted they didnāt know if he was okay. I was convincing myself he'd fallen and broken a bone.
We rush to the car and in the distance can hear an ambulance siren.
Surely thatās not for him but driving toward the stadium the wailing ambulance rushes past the intersection we are paused at. Itās lights on and speeding up the road.
We pull into the carpark, and those flashing lights are just in front of the stadium. There are two ambulances and the footpath outside is littered with pale looking kids calling for their parents to come pick them up.
In the stadium Rory lays on the ground in the recovery position. He is surrounded by people. His eyes are rolling and his head making a circular fitting motion. He has drool coming from his mouth and at first glance it looks like he is having a seizure.
The people who had come to his aid telling of a horror story of where his heart had stopped and then he started to turn blue.
My mind eager to gain control soaked in every detail. It was like I had a superpower and could hear the faintest of whispers and can even remember the colours of the shirts people were wearing.
Sitting beside him I stroke his leg and gently said that I was there and that everything be okay. Up until this point he hadnāt spoken or come round and there was a tension in the air that maybe he had experienced some damage to his brain.
Soon after I started talking to him though he came to and started to say, mum. Rory and I have always had a strong connection, but this proved it. My words and presence seemed to be what he was waiting on.
His speech was slurred, and he was very confused. Getting into the ambulance he was asking the same question, what happened?
The emergency room doctors all agreed that without a defib machine he wouldn't be here.
He has been named, one hell of a lucky bastard but to appreciate this āluckā you need to dance with the concept that we couldāve lost him. There were so many things that had to line up for his life to be saved.
Share
I was the 1 in 10
Monday 3rd Nov Only 1 in 10 Australians will survive an out of hospital cardiac arrest. I was that 1 in 10.Thank you to my Sponsors
$1,000
Blooms The Chemist Queanbeyan
$665
Blooms The Chemist Karabar
Proud to support your amazing efforts Rory!
$500
Heather And Sam White
Great job Rory!
$263.75
Tanvir Sahu Khan
You are an inspiration Rory. What an incredible cause. Go well Champ!
$250
Anonymous
Good on you, Rory! My heart stopped a couple of years ago too. It was pretty terrifying, particularly as a mum. It’s so good that you’re doing something proactive to boost people’s chance of survival.
$250
Deb G
$211
Bram Kehl
Great job Rory, you are a great mate and was good to see you grow better and healthier each day during your recovery. Hope you reach your goal to help others and spread this message.
$211
Anonymous
$168.80
Kehl Family
Great work Rory!
$106.12
Simon Brain
Good Job Rory Heard your story on ABC this morning
$106.12
Evan Bentley
$106.12
Jaxon Pw
You’re smashing goals Rory! We’re so proud of you.
$106.12
Raine Family
Great job Rory
$106.12
Bozana Smith
$106.12
Anonymous
$106.12
Paige W
$106.12
Anonymous
$106.12
Jackie
Good work young man. I've seen you crop up on Facebook a few times and thought I should donate, this time I thought I should stop thinking and just do it. Persistence pays off. Its a great cause. What would also really help is engaging with the community to make sure enough people know how to use them. Before I did a first aid course for work I would have walked right on past a defibrillator thinking they were complicated to use.
$106.12
Anonymous
Thank you Rory!
$106.12
Lisa Gray
$103.72
Erin
Rory, this is a brilliant initiative for our community - well done. I'm a fellow heart survivor with an AICD and know this will save lives.
$103.72
Max
$100
Nat
Amazing efforts fundraising for an important cause.
$100
Rachel Harvey
What a great cause. Good luck with reaching your goal.
$100
Sallyann Ducker
Congratulations on trying to get a new defibrilllator for Queanbeyan. This is a great initiative. All the best for your recovery.
$85
Greg Leahy
I got you over the line well done
$54.12
Jodi White
Well done Rory!!
$54.12
Stephanie Leedham
$54.12
Anonymous
$54.12
Simone Roxburgh
Amazing work Rory!
$54.12
Anonymous
$54.12
Heather
$54.12
Tahleah James
$54.12
Forbes Family
So glad you had people around you that were in a position to help. We can all play a part in saving the life of another human- some of that is about having the courage and composure to deal with a difficult situation and some of it is about having the equipment that allows us to do that. So glad that you are here to share your story and help increase the survival rate for others.
$54.12
Jabella Gerrard
$54.12
Nicole Beetson
$54.12
Fiona P
Good on you Rory!
$54.12
Bethany Butterfield
$54.12
Bec
Amazing thing to do
$54.12
Helen Stark
Well done Rory and good luck in your ongoing health journey.
$54.12
Arlene Wilkinson
$54.12
Cohen S & Family
$54.12
Michael P
$54.12
Jodie W
Such a fantastic cause. Well done!
$52.92
Helen B
Heard you on the radio. Well done Rory. I’m so glad you’re ok. š
$52.92
Mel Niko
$50
Jacqui Hurditch
$50
Phyllis
$50
Anonymous
Good on you for raising this!
$50
Anonymous
A message from a medical responder in Sydney - Commending Rory's effort to save lives.
$48.71
Ben Sandford
$33.15
Anonymous
$33.15
Sarah Pittman
Good luck my nephew.. your doing an amazing job advocating and raising awareness ā¤
$33.15
Catherine Schulz
$27.81
Peter Stevenson
$27.81
Jen M
$27.81
Anonymous
$27.81
Anonymous
$27.81
Anonymous
$27.81
Sean Buchanan
$27.81
Barbi Jones
$27.81
Mary-grace Bingham
Great initiative and cause - thanks to you!
$27.81
Anonymous
Great job heard your interview on abc Hope you reach your target today
$27.81
Lucy Tumanow-west
So glad you came through it! Great giving back!
$27.81
Emma W
$27.81
Veronica Edwards
$27.81
Anonymous
Well done on your challenge!
$27.81
Abigail Pittman
I am so very proud of you my beautiful boy. When you have a chance to potentially save a life, that’s what you do!
$27.81
Anonymous
$27.81
Belinda Waters
$27.81
Katie
Congratulations Rory on raising money for a really important cause.
$27.81
Annabelle C
You are amazing, Rory! Your efforts will change the outcome for so many.
$27.81
Vladimir Noveski
$25
Isabella Collard
$25
Melissa Haines
Hi Rory, Hope you are recovery well. Great initiative for Googong and thinking of your fellow community. I hope you reach your goal. Melissa
$25
Leila Kelly
$22.58
Sandra Van Aalst
Great initiative and all the best with your recovery
$22.58
Anonymous
$22.58
Anonymous
$22.58
Anonymous
šššš
$22.58
Cathy Ringland
$22.58
Mrs Fitt
Really great initiative Rory… hope you reach your goal. Keep it up.
$11.65
Danii Worthington
♥ļø
$11.65
Cathy Ringland
This will be great for Googong! Thanks
$10
Anonymous
$10
Leah Uttley
Great job! Turning something unfortunate into a way to help others- well done!
$10
What a great initiative, Rory! All the best for your recovery. š