About this Short Film
"Against The Odds", a short by Casey Andrew (Australia, 2024), is a thoughtful contribution to the Focus on Ability programme. The film explores themes of determination, inclusion and perception around congenital and physical disability. It touches on sport, prosthetics, coaching, friends and the daily practice that builds skill and confidence. With scenes set in Bali and settings that suggest community and giving, the film invites audiences to rethink stereotypes and stigma without losing sight of achievement and joy. Practical and upbeat, it sits well among films that celebrate ability, resilience and the simple power of support and persistence.
Film Details
Country:
Australia
Category:
Open Entrant Documentaries
Genre:
interview
Festival Year:
2024
Filmmaker:
Casey Andrew
Film Transcript
I had some power lines land on me that burnt on my shoulders and electrocuted me. I had a big pole across my legs, so one of the guys grabbed my arms and he went to pick me up and all the skin fell off in his hand. When I was put out the front next to this car, the car that I was next to caught on fire and it burnt all my back, so all my back is skin grafted.
I was presumed dead, deceased, and I was pushed away to where all the other deceased were and covered over with a sheet. A guy that I now know, Clayton, saw my arm move under the sheet, uncovered me and got the doctors back to me.
Where I was burnt I was swelling and it was cutting blood supply, so they were just cut open with no anaesthetic or anything like that. Prior to the Army coming there were no painkillers or nothing. I had two Panadol put in a saline bag. Mind you, I had broken legs, I had compound fractures, I had burns to 85% of my body, I had a broken pelvis, my back was broken in four places, my arms were broken, I had a fractured skull on top of that, shrapnel wounds everywhere. I was the worst injured person still alive in barley at the time.
And then your prosthetics require muscles to work, mainly your stomach muscles. Well, I've lost all my right-hand-side stomach muscles, so I had all odds against me. They told me for months, "You'll never walk, don't bother trying, and you can't get used to a chair." I'm like, you know what, who are you to tell me that? Within a week I was up walking in the rails, and I'd go in there every single day and just practise and practise and practise. I'm thinking, I'm going to prove these doctors wrong.
I went from, you know, 95 kilos, fit from doing boxing, to 38 kilos with no muscle, no nothing. I was pretty crook. I ended up being on crutches for about two years. Yes, I've been through this; yes, this is how I am now. How am I going to make my life better? What have I got to do? So I started going to the gym a fair bit and I saw a young bloke in the gym. I said, "Mate, your wheelchair, the frame is cracked and everything." He said, "Yeah, I got a couple of years before, you know, that's covered again." I said, "Okay, no worries." So I went home, I got my old wheelchair, brought it in, "Here you go mate," and I gave him that. That sort of gave him his mode of transport, and it sort of gave me the determination to use my legs more, I guess.
At the end of the day I could have just stayed laying in bed and not done anything and thought, "What about me?" But I've always had the drive to get out and do stuff and be active and try different things. I think when someone tells you you can't do something, what it did for me was give me more drive to prove them wrong. Like with the walking, with golf — someone said, "Oh, you'd fall over if you swung a golf club." It's like, "You're righto, see how we go." That brought on the golf side of things.
It's all about hanging out with friends, meeting new people, having a good time, smiles on faces, being active — an active lifestyle, healthy not just for your body but for your mind as well. Empower Golf was four months old; it was a brand new company. It's a not-for-profit charity and they support multi-disabilities to get into golf. I thought, "This is really, really cool," so we set up our first clinic at NSA — that was 10 years ago — and I absolutely loved it. You learn so much of so many different disabilities. It's like everybody in life, everybody has something they can teach you.
We've got 98 PGA professional golfers that work for us, 3,000 clients, and we've introduced over 50,000 disabled to the game of golf. Everybody has something that you can learn something from, and there's nothing wrong with learning, like my table that I come with and stuff and put my drinks on it.
Filmmaker
Casey Andrew is the filmmaker behind this entry. See every Focus on Ability entry from Casey Andrew.
?
2 comments
Wow that was amazing cant believe your doing what your doing keep it up your awesome
Wow what a story. Thank you for sharing your accomplishments with us. Thank you for pushing past the nay sayers both the doctor and the 'can't play golf' person. Thank you for supporting others now with your experiences behind you. And how many awards ...