Experience and motivation makes Steve a great addition to organisation’s team

A strong legacy started by his father has inspired Townsville’s Steven Pack to join the board of the Spinal Injuries Association.

Attending his first Board workshop in Brisbane last month, Steven said the involvement of his dad, Judge Robert Pack, with the organisation, as well as his own experience of having a spinal cord injury, had motivated him to become a Board member.

“This is an awesome opportunity to build on the amazing work done by the North Queensland Supporters Committee (of which Judge Pack is a member), and further support people with spinal cord injuries to live as independently as possible,” he said.

Seven years ago, the Committee raised more than $500,000 in cash and in-kind support to build the Association’s North Queensland office on Ross River Road at Cranbrook.

In 2002, Steven sustained paraplegia in a car accident in South Australia. Just 27 at the time and a qualified chef, Steven said adapting to a permanent injury and using a wheelchair was challenging, but he had made a concerted effort to focus on what he could still do.

“Fortunately I already had 10 years’ experience as a chef behind me before my accident, which included doing my apprenticeship at the (former) Sheraton Townsville and running my own restaurant (Pinnochio’s),” Steven said.

“Since I sustained paraplegia I’ve stayed in the hospitality industry and have worked on Kangaroo Island for three years, designed other people’s commercial kitchens for their eateries, and until the start of this year, I was the restaurant manager at Monsoon’s Bar and Grill.”

Steven now plans to balance his Spinal Injuries Association Board member duties with pursuing a new restaurant-related opportunity, which he hopes to unveil in the near future.

While he said he had a lot to learn about the operation of the Spinal Injuries Association, which supports 2,000 Queenslanders with spinal cord injuries and Post Polio Syndrome, Steven has a long-term goal that he would like to see come to fruition – a Spinal Injuries Unit at Townsville Hospital.

“At the moment the only Spinal Injuries Unit in Queensland is in Brisbane,” Steven said.

“As any North Queenslander would know, that’s a long distance for people to be away from home while they’re recovering in the Unit, not to mention the strain it places on family who want to be with their loved ones, supporting them through such a tough time.

“It’s not something that can be achieved overnight obviously, but having experienced first-hand sustaining a spinal cord injury and knowing the associated challenges, a local Spinal Injuries Unit is something that is very much needed in our region.”

Spinal Injuries Association Chief Executive Officer Mark Henley said the organisation was delighted to welcome Steven to the Board and continue its long-running partnership with the Pack family.

“Judge Pack and his wife Wendy have been staunch supporters of our Association for the past nine years and we look forward to working with their son, Steven,” he said.

“Our Constitution states that at least half of our nine Board members must have spinal cord injuries to ensure that we have strong representation and information coming directly from people who have the same permanent injury as our members and clients.”

Spinal Injuries Association President David Riley said it was very important for the Association to have regional representation on the Board, especially in North Queensland, where a large proportion of the Association’s membership was based.

“While Steven faces the challenge of filling some very big shoes left to fill by Scott Stidston from Ayr, who retired from the board after 10 years, he has already shown the potential to be a strong representative for our members during his attendance at our workshop and February board meeting,” he said.

Issued 22 March.