A PACKED ampitheatre at Sydney Royal watched in awe as two charitable men bid their way to $22,000 for a single steer but the crowd cheered after learning of the story behind the steer’s young leader.
The steer was being auctioned for the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and the boy with the lead in his hands, Murrumburrah High School student Jonathan Nicholls, had undergone lifesaving open-heart surgery just five months ago.
“It was a privilege to be leading the steer today. It was hard work preparing him but it was fun,” Jonathan said.
Jonathan presented to Westmead Private Hospital in 2015 for a pulmonary valve replacement after it became apparent things weren’t as they should be.
“I was feeling sleepy all the time because I didn’t have enough oxygen and I couldn’t run for as long as I should’ve been able to.”
After a difficult 12-week recovery Jonathan is back at school and loving it.
“The surgery made a huge difference – I can do everything I want to do now.”
The Year 12 student hopes to join the cattle industry upon graduation.
Jonathan and his Murrumburrah High classmates prepared the Wormbete Simmental steer which was purchased by Sydney man come Gundagai farmer Paul Ferry, “Abingdon Station”.
Fellow classmate Keegan Manwaring was the 2015 recipient of the Victor Chang Science Award which recognised her academic excellence in her science subjects.
