1. ABOUT HAWK
 Inspirational workplace,conference andeventspeaker
 Authorof the inspiringbook“Attitude isFree –I had to learnthatit was notall about
me.”
 SafetySpeaker
 DisabilityAdvocate andactivist
 Dad to fouryoungmen
In December1998, tall strappingfarmer,HawkVagg wasstandingon a tractor’s front-endloaderona farm
nearJerilderieNSW, elevatedsohe couldcutdownthe higherbranchesof a huge riverredgum whichhad
toppledina recentstorm;as he chain sawed off the lastbigtrunk,he miscalculatedthe wayitwouldfall
and itknockedhimoff the tractor. Hawk plungedontoasteepriverbank - a fall thatchangedhislife
forever.
Hawk Vaggwas 38 yearsoldwitha wife andfourboys aged eleven,nine,three andtwowhenhe became a
quadriplegic. Hawk’sjourneyfromdevastationanddespair backto livingafull andproductive lifetaught
hima lot abouthimself andlife ingeneral. He realisedthatlife isall about‘attitude’ –controllingyour
attitude.
He alsolearntthat whenlife dealsyoutoughcards,that itdoesn’tjustimpactyou,but can alsobe
devastatingforall the people aroundyou. Hawklearntduringhisrecoverythat‘itwasn’tjustabouthim’,
and he was inspiredtoshare hisstoryand teachpeople about‘attitude,safetyandculture’sothatother
familiesdon’thave togothroughthe type of pain thatimpactedhisfamily.
Hawk tellshismovingstorywithcandourandhumour. He reflectson hisdisabilityandhispastasa strong
resilient“manof the bush” tohis currentrealityandhisconsiderable achievements inbetween.He covers
the longrehabilitationprocess;howfamilyandfriendsadaptedtohisdisability;the kindnessof
communities;becomingindependentwithhispersonalcare; the fightforcompensation;buildinga
wheelchairfriendlyhouse;makingnoiseasa disabilityadvocate;the frustrationsof lookingforwork;the
sex life of aquadriplegic;the upsideof learningtoflybefore hisaccident;the downside of flyingafter; the
upside of fatherhoodfromwheelchair;the breakdownof hismarriage andfindinglove again;hisbelief in
the importance of attitude andstartinga businessasa motivational speaker.
Hawk doesn’twanttobecome a HealthandSafetytrainer – That’s forothersto do, he says. Hawk wantsto
teachand inspire peopleabout‘attitude’andmaking‘safety’anormal part of everydaywork.
Today,Hawk travelsAustraliabyairor inhis speciallyconvertedvanfromhishome inToowoomba,
Queensland,speakingto communitygroupsandworkersacrossall industries. That’show he became - The
SafetySpeaker.
“Not having control of my attitude and letting a ‘dangerous culture’ evolve in
my workplace changed my life forever. I look forward to sharing my journey
with you and making attitude, safety and culture central in your life.” - Hawk