By Abbey Cannan
Gold Logie winner Samuel Johnson OAM graced the stage of The J in Noosa on 29 November to deliver some inspiration during the Amplify Your Impact event, and Noosa Today was lucky enough to ask him a quick eight questions beforehand.
Samuel is a much-loved Australian actor, for his work on cult series The Secret Life of Us and his Gold Logie-winning portrayal of Ian ‘Molly’ Meldrum in Seven’s ratings smash Molly. In 2019 he won Dancing With The Stars and in 2018 he was named the Victorian Australian of the Year.
He has unicycled around the entire country and raised nearly $20M for cancer research through Love Your Sister, which he lovingly co-founded with his sister Connie.
Samuel has now recovered after being involved in a serious car accident in June 2021 which left him with a broken skull, injured neck ligaments and bleeding on the brain.
Thanks to Bendigo Community Bank Sunshine Coast, the exceptional Australian shared his reflections at the Noosa event on the people and events that inspired him, offering behind-the-scenes showbiz anecdotes and insights into the challenges and triumphs of his journey with Love Your Sister.
1. How has your trip to Noosa been so far?
“Noosa is like the best pocket in the world. I’ve got family and friends here so I’ve been here countless times and I’ll make sure that I get in the water when I’ve got a small window this afternoon. There’s no such thing as free time lately but I’ve got a gap and I will exploit it.“
2. How did you get involved in the Amplify event?
“It’s all thanks to Bendigo Bank. Basically, Love Your Sister started because of Bendigo Bank, and then when I did The Big Heart Project, Bendigo were there, and then when I did Sam’s 1000, Bendigo Bank were there. So, Bendigo Bank Cooroy is a heavyweight in Sam’s 1000. This is all because of them. I’ve had a decade-long relationship with them and wouldn’t be here without them.“
3. Tonight you’ll be joined by two of Australia’s most influential speakers, Amanda Stevens and Chris Helder. Have you worked with Amanda and Chris before?
“I’ve known them for a few years. So they’ve helped with Love Your Sister as well. I’m good mates with Amanda and Bendigo and keen for an excuse to come to Noosa. I’ve done three trips to Dubbo this year and there’s a difference.“
4. What do the three of you have in common?
“We’re all active members of the public speaking circuit so we know what it is to talk publicly and to entertain. We live in the same orbit. So I think the speakers for this event are right and I feel like I belong there. I don’t think I’ve had this many people at The J before, so it’s definitely looking up. The J is sold out, so it’s very different to the days when I was running a touring theatre company that did little known Australian plays that were seen by nobody. It’s good to be back at The J and have a full house because i’m used to about eight people back in my theatre days.“
5. What has been the biggest challenge and triumph for Love Your Sister this year?
CHALLENGE: “We’re not like the other mobs in the sense that every other charity survives off donations, whereas we don’t touch them. So our challenge is always in creating the operational spend. Fundraising is never the problem. Raising money for cancer research isn’t that hard but making sure that we get enough sponsorship to do so ethically is a much tougher challenge.“
TRIUMPH: “The biggest triumph was Cam from To Lorne with Love who did 150kms with no training because cancer gives no notice. He injured his knee in hour one, broke down by hour four and somehow made it to the finish line with nothing but love in his heart and a completely broken body. It was one of the most inspiring things I’ve ever seen. It was also good to be driving the support vehicle and be right behind the action watching it all unfold. It’s been a privilege watching Cam do his thing and that’s gone berserk as a fundraiser.“
6. How do you feel in your recovery process after the car accident in 2021?
“People who don’t know me would think everything is fine but people who know me well can see the difference. I’ve made as full of a recovery as possible but I’m still really wonky. I’ve permanently damaged my vestibular system which controls my balance. I still touch things when I walk past and do the odd face plant. It’s good to be alive but it’s Humpty Dumpty who got put back together again. I was in different pieces so I’ve been reassembled fairly well but I’ve recovered as fully as you could do. Brain injuries of any kind, whether it be cancer or a knock to the head are really serious and absolutely no joke. The human brain is the most complex thing that mother nature has ever created. There’s 80 billion neurons in there and they all have between 10,000 and 100,000 connections with the other neurons so you’re talking about one of the most complex organisms on earth and there’s a reason there’s a skull around it. Thank god I have a good skull around this brain because it got knocked around a bit.“
7. Can you tell us more about the Sam’s 1000 initiative and the progress that’s been made this year?
“Sam’s 1000 is an attempt to get 1000 businesses to help pay for precision medicine for all cancer patients regardless of their postcode. I get to meet with the Federal Minister for Health, the Honourable Mark Butler, when I get to 1000 to discuss further expansion. So that’s my sole focus right now. I’m well over a third of the way there. And I couldn’t be a happier fellow.“
8. If everyone could take just one piece of advice from your show tonight what would it be?
“I’ll save it for the show filled with swear words and lawsuits. I’m hoping people don’t film certain parts because it could be tricky for me legally haha.“
