Russ

Russ’ Barefooter story

Now you may or may not have run into Russ at the clinic. If you have you will know about it. The pure Joie de vivre that comes from him lights up any room. Crazy cool cars and trucks, weekends in the bush, adventures with the incredible Mandie and all while being open and honest about Mental Health. We love a person with depth and you know Russ has it. Read on and learn a bit more, you’ll be a little envious but a lot inspired 🙂

Russ you often spend weekends working on your property at Croftby. Tell us a little about your bit of dirt out there!

We have 40 acres at Croftby in The Scenic Rim. It is super quiet and set back into the hills a little. We badly need rain out there at the moment. Only last week I saw 2 trees fighting over a dog!

Farm life

There are 10 spoilt cows on our land. We treat them like our own but they belong to ‘the farmer down the road’. We foolishly named some of the recent herd. “T-Bone”, “Sausages” and “Rissoles” were our favourites. We believe they now look similar to their names…

Barefooter story

Another frequent getaway spot for you is Rainbow Beach. What should we know about Rainbow? And what about it do you love?

Rainbow Beach is my ‘happy place’. I have been holidaying there for 35 years. I love the sun, the beach and the beauty of Double Island Point. We travel there up to 6 times a year. We enjoy flying with Rainbow Beach Helicopters and often ride with Rainbow Beach Horse Rides. There truly is nothing quite like riding a horse on the beach. I have had beach vehicles all my life and never tire of driving the ‘sand highway’. We restored a VW Kombi a couple of years ago and adopted the Rainbow Beach theme for the car.

Kombie

Your trucks and vehicles are a hot topic of conversation in the waiting room. What’s your favourite car you’ve owned?

The Toxodon Truck was my special project. With 24 forward gears and huge 37” tyres, it was unstoppable on the beach. I’m particularly proud of the graphics applied to the truck. It was certainly unique. It held 6 people, 200 litres of water, 110 litres of fuel and you could winch from either the front or rear of the truck.

Kangaroo point

We see the DESCO logo on the truck. What is that?

I have worked at Desco for 38 years. It is a Workplace Supplies company. My parents started the business in 1976 and joined them after completing my university degree in 1982. I employ a small team, we work hard, but always make sure we have fun! So I am apparently the best boss in the world…

Desco

What’s 5 Fun Facts about you?

  1. I can get a match out of a matchbox and light it with one hand.
  2. I have a photographic memory for phone numbers and part numbers.
  3. I was ‘in love’ with Lara Bingle before she became famous. (When I married Mandie, she allowed me just one framed photo of Lara for my office wall.)
  4. I have a Bachelors Degree in Landscape Architecture.
  5. I am an identical twin and was born and raised in Tarragindi. There was another set of twins born and raised in Tarragindi at around the same time. Lyn and Sandra Sully.
Identical twins

Now we know that you are an advocate for speaking honestly and openly especially about Mental Health, could you share where that comes from.

I had my last alcoholic drink on my 55th birthday in March of 2015. I had battled depression for 11 years and used alcohol to cope with my life’s journey. Looking back, I had always had issues with substance abuse. I am genetically predisposed to alcoholism and addiction. These last 5 ½ years have been the happiest of my life. My disposition is almost entirely due to my sobriety. Life is different, my perspective is different. My favourite Instagram hashtags are #soloved, #soblessed, #sograteful.

So blessed
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