Having lived in Cloncurry for less than a year with his wife, Balinda, Tristin says the position of baton bearer pays tribute back to the friendly heart of the great North West.

“Obviously I’m personally very proud to be representing Cloncurry,” Tristin said.

“Having moved here, and enjoying being here, I’ve been blown away by how welcoming the community is.

“Achievements are great in life, but the personal relationships you form through getting involved is the best thing.

“The people here in Cloncurry and the shire are the best asset we have.”

In Tristin’s current role as Acting Media & Public Relations Officer for Cloncurry Shire Council, he can often be spotted out and about at public events, usually accompanied by his own batons; an impressive pair of wooden walking sticks.

The truth is, Tristin has been defying a doctor’s death sentence handed down to him at birth, when he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

“The prognosis was that I would never walk or talk, and that I would essentially be a vegetable,” he said.

“When I go to see doctors now they tell me that I still shouldn’t be able to walk, and that by walking I’m basically tearing my body apart.”

Doctors have even commissioned studies to figure out why Tristin is able to walk.

Hearing the story first hand, it could be sheer grit and determination.

“When I was a baby I couldn’t crawl, so I had to drag myself along on my forearms, on my belly,” Tristin said.

“I could walk on my hands before I could walk on my feet.”

Tristin credits his parents for never imposing limitations on their son, despite constantly being told that he wouldn’t be able to achieve much, or enjoy a quality of life.

"I am very fortunate. They are a big part of why I am successful today,” he said.

Of all his abilities, Tristin is gifted when it comes to motivating others.

“It’s very important for me to chase experiences. Life is pretty short, and I guess I’m pretty lucky in that I get physical reminders of that every day.”

“It's very important for me to chase my dreams. And it’s important for people to understand not to just have one dream, have multiple dreams, and just go after the things that you want to experience.

“If you’re not there yet, just set about taking steps to get that done, because often it’s a very incremental process.

“Success doesn’t happen in a straight line, so you might have a lot of backwards steps along the way in life. But continue to keep moving forward and be mindful of why you’re doing it, and just enjoy life.”

He is also an accomplished rower, reluctantly admitting he came number two in Australia, beating an able-bodied Olympian – a story for another time!

“My rowing coach, Andy Menzies, is one of the greatest people I’ve ever been able to meet, and we will be life-long friends.”

“I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the experiences I’ve been able to have,” he said.

Despite his humility, Tristin said people need to celebrate their successes.

“It can be often a very hard road, and people are reluctant to celebrate their achievements. But I’m a firm believer that that can inspire you for the road ahead,” Tristin said.

“If you know that you can overcome – it doesn’t matter what the obstacles are – if you know that you can overcome, you can apply that to different situations and then be very successful. It’s like conditioning.

“People need to have a degree of empathy. Because we all have our battles.”