Ian Woodall Source: Supplied
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Mountain climber Ian Woodall has been to places most of us could never dream of. Now he uses his experience to inspire others
"From a hot and steamy restaurant in downtown Kathmandu to laying a friend to rest at 26,000ft.
It had been a journey of triumph and tragedy. Of love and loss.
But most of all it had been a journey of making memories.
And maybe that was the most important thing.
Because it doesn't matter how old we are. Every day is important.
Every day is precious. Whatever we are going to do, perhaps we should do it now.
Because when our time does finally come and our whole life flashes before our eyes, we must make sure it's worth watching.
Because tomorrow is promised to no one.
And it's never too late to make one more memory."
These are not the words of a spiritual leader. Instead it is the story of an ordinary man who found himself in extraordinary situations and managed to grow stronger from them.
Ian Woodall is one of just a handful of people who has conquered the world's highest mountain on both its south and north sides.
He has faced death and perhaps even more traumatically, watched as it claimed others in front of him.
But instead of retreating, Ian uses his experiences to inspire others, taking the lessons he has learnt from five Everest expeditions and life and applying it to everyday situations.
It is these lessons, what he calls the Tao of Everest, which he will share when he speaks at the Maroochy Events Centre in August.
Woombye Care, a non-denominational residential aged care facility, invited Ian to speak on the Coast, after learning he would be in Australia. The organisation fills a much-needed gap in local care.
On top of its aged care commitment, Woombye Care also provides much-needed support and care for young adults within the community who needs residential care.
Director Tracy Hayward says after hearing Ian's story, she knew it would inspire and encourage people in their own lives.
"Life has a way of throwing us challenges, which is something our patient's families certainly understand," she says. "But I think it is something we can all relate to. We all have experiences and situations in our lives where the silver lining looks very far away and Ian has faced more than most.
"I think hearing what he has taken from his own experiences and how he manages to remain so positive is something we can all learn from."
"All the money raised will go towards the ongoing costs we face, like ensuring we have new chairs and comfortable furnishings for our residents, to make Woombye Care as homey and comfortable as possible for our residents, but we wanted to share Ian's message as well. His story is really quite remarkable and I don't think you would have too many opportunities to hear someone like him speak."
Ian's story is not your everyday tale.
During his first Everest ascent from the south face, he and his team found themselves trapped by one of the worst storms to hit Everest. There was no escape at 8000 metres in the air. No airlift, no emergency number. The storm claimed five members of Ian's team. But it did not claim his spirit.
Two years later, Ian returned to the mountain. He and his team had almost conquered the northern face when a flash of purple caught their eye.
It was American climber Francys Arsentiev, the first woman to climb Everest without oxygen. But something had gone wrong with this climb. By the time they reached her, she was in the final hours of her life.
Her first words; "Please don't leave me".
Yet after spending as much time as they could, giving her their own precious survival supplies, they were forced to descend, to ensure their own survival.
How Ian dealt with this situation, and what he did after, forms much of The Tao of Everest.
"My five Everest expeditions and perhaps my experience of life in general has made me realise how little time we have to do all the things we aspire to do and achieve, how we can't afford to waste time and opportunities," he says. "They made me realise the really shocking things about all the sayings like 'Today is the first day of the rest of your life', 'life isn't a rehearsal' and 'we only go around once' is not that they are dreadful cliches, but they are true.
"I sincerely hope this message is passed on to my audiences through my The Tao of Everest presentation."
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