Some people are survivors, some are battlers, and some are simply, warriors. Adam Bailey is a human who falls very clearly into the third category, a part of the rich Lismore community and culture, he has shared his story with us, and it’s the epitome of resilience in action. 

Born in Atherton in Far North QLD Adam was the third of 4 kids. “Dad had his own motorcycle dealership and mum was a house Mum, and then we moved to NSW, where Dad became a Church of England minister, and then we moved around a lot, living all over NSW."

"From Gosford to Scone, Maitland, then we moved to Bonalbo, Coraki, Casino and back to Tamworth where I lived for about 16 years, I was married to my first wife there and we had 3 beautiful daughters and worked at a car dealership, beginning my time in the car industry."

"Then I moved back to Lismore, after I separated from my wife, to be closer to family, mum, my younger brother and sister lived over this way. I then got remarried here in Lismore, we moved around a lot because I was in the car industry for more than 25 years." 

"I started in sales in Tamworth, then started managing Honda, and became the GM of VW, and ran dealerships in QLD and NSW, did that for quite a few years and went from there to be a sales manager for Suzuki QLD, and I looked after 22 dealerships from Lismore to Cairns, then went back into a dealership, and then was headhunted to go into finance for a national broker, I was the BDM (business development manager), so I travelled a lot with that job, every weekend I was in another part of Australia."

"8 years ago I fell off a building, breaking both my heels, which has caused me a lot of pain. This December I may lose both my legs, which is a relief given the pain I’m in. After being in a wheelchair and recovering from that, which was hard because I was doing Spartan Races and Tough Mudder events before that, and couldn’t run anymore, even once I had got out of the chair."

"Then 5 or 6 years ago I got very sick on a trip, and spent 12 months in hospital, diagnosed with two brain diseases. Which hit me really hard, my right-hand side was really paralysed, I had to learn to move and walk and talk, they said I’d never walk again. This was related to childhood concussions, and FND-Functional Neurological Disorder." 

"I came back to Lismore in a wheelchair and was living at my sister and brother-in-law's house and after I got back up and started walking again I opened WOW Campers, and then felt that the business wasn’t following the direction that felt good to me, so I sold my part back, and then got into business with two friends of mine, starting a Gym with an infrared sauna, an IT business and the antique Shop, all in the one building, the building I’m in now."

"Then last year I got some bad news from my Doctors in April, and I hit a patch of depression and my family and friends supported me to get some intensive support down in Wagga Wagga to Riverina Recovery, where they help people with depression, as well as people with addiction issues, which wasn’t my issue, but it was extremely helpful, to go and speak to people that I didn’t know, some of whom are still friends now, the counsellors and some of the people who were there at the recovery clinic at the time. Lifelong friendships from hardship were born." 

"As a typical bloke, I don’t always talk about my feelings, and over time, especially losing two sons, one 14 years ago and one 4 years ago, and then the medical journey and subsequent news, just became too much to handle. Everyone should have access to this sort of support, there isn’t any shame in it, but I can honestly say that if I hadn’t gone down there, done the work and got that support, that I wouldn’t be here today. It’s my kids that made me want to stick around and make the effort, so I went and now I’ve got a lot of tools I can use, and have changed and grown a lot from that time."

"With what has happened, I am not necessarily doing what I could or should be doing, but I try not to let things bother me, and to remain grounded. I try to help people who need someone to talk to, who do have mental health challenges or significant trauma, I feel I’m resilient and I enjoy helping people. I’ve got a great saying “pain may last a minute or a day, but giving up lasts forever” it’s something I live by."

"When I came back from Wagga, things had shifted with the business, as I had taken time off to deal with the brain diseases, and mental health, and I had to start again, with Northern Rivers Collectables, and Tan who shares the shop with me, then we were hit with COVID and as you know recently the floods!"

"Whilst I lost so much in the shop, I didn’t lose my life, and I know that there are many who did lose everything, and lives were lost as well. I don’t know how long I will be alive, due to the brain illness that I have, there is no clear or known life expectancy or a cure. This is why I have my shop, I love seeing people and hearing the stories of each piece and interacting with people as they explore the items I have collected, I love it. Until I can’t do it anymore, this is what I’m doing."

"I started collecting ever since I was in Year 3, I lived in a place called Morpeth (in the Hunter Valley), they dug up an old school, my Grandfather who used to drink a lot, I used to collect his cans, and then I bought my first old bottle, and then when I moved to Tamworth, I worked at a pawnbroker as one of their buyers, but it didn’t pay a lot and I got into the car industry".

"I love that my shop has items that you don’t find at any antique shop, such as car bonnets, motorbikes and collectibles from my own collection and unique items, that since the floods, have been delivered to me through some friends I made through our online auction group. When they heard what had happened, started by raising money, to help me out, then when the second flood hit, and took much of what I had left, then decided to get into their Van’s and drive all the way from Tasmania, Ballarat and near Oberon to come and give me some special pieces from their individual collections and shops." 

(Adam and Shane with some of his prized record collection)

"So now the shop is full of interesting pieces, some which are totally different to what I had here before, everyone has their unique taste and eye, and I love how interesting it is now, with something for everyone. Bas Bomer from Tuena Treasures brought some tribal and wooden pieces, Justin and Katie Youd, who travelled the furthest, from Tassie Pickers in Westbury Tasmania, brought a lot of really interesting pieces, even some water buffalo taxidermy, Shane Magri from The Backroom and Ballarat's Live Auction in Ballarat also brought some special pieces from his collection, specifically some pop culture pieces, and together we ran an incredibly fun live auction, from here in the shop." 

"Them coming up has blown me away, but it’s been the regular check-ins and phone calls, which have been the most important during this journey of flood recovery. I plan to meet up with them, in a different part of the country, at their local shop at least once a year, and we will be friends for life." 

(Adam Bailey with the Online Auction Group support crew: Bas Bomer, Justin and Katie Youd, Shane Magri)

"I’m loving that people in the community are starting to come for morning coffee, some days I have 8 friends sitting around the table out front, sharing a coffee and a good laugh, I love that friends come in to visit, and people who are curious come in for a chat, and to explore the shop, it’s like a museum." 

"The thing I love most about Lismore is its fun atmosphere, at Eat Street, The Lantern Parade or Car Shows, our Markets, it’s vibrant, and we have such a great space out the back, we are wanting to encourage more of that with some regular market days, to bring the life back into Lismore."

"I love it here, it may be a small city but people here care about each other and that’s what makes it special. It is unlike any other country town or city I’ve lived in."