Robyn Neilson reunts how she helped to save Gayle Shann's life | Queensland Country Life | QLD

Contents:

• GAYLE AND MAC SHANN SAY 'S 'HAPPY DAYS' TWO S ON OM ATRALIAN STORY APPEARANCE
• VIDEO: HAPPY DAYS | GAYLE AND MAC SHANN
• GAYLE SHANN REFLECTS ON LOSG HER TWO LIMBS ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER
• GAYLE AND MAC SHANN: BH UPLE'S SECRETS TO A HAPPY MARRIAGE AFTER HORRIFIC FARMG ACCINT
• GAYLE SHANN LOST BOTH HER ARMS A FARMG ACCINT. THIS IS HOW SHE LIV WH 20 YEARS ON
• ROBYN NEILSON REUNTS HOW SHE HELPED TO SAVE GAYLE SHANN'S LIFE
• VIDEO: GAYLE AND MAC SHANN
• GAYLE SHANN, CLERMONT
• GAYLE AND MAC SHANN SAY 'S 'HAPPY DAYS' TWO S ON OM ATRALIAN STORY APPEARANCE

GAYLE AND MAC SHANN SAY 'S 'HAPPY DAYS' TWO S ON OM ATRALIAN STORY APPEARANCE

Wh the sun settg behd them, Gayle and Mac Shann walk among their pretty broodmar a paddock that stretch to a goln horizon. "It was full on, we didn't know what we'd said y to, to be hont, " Gayle those two weeks, Mac shaved the head of the late, much-loved meraman John Bean ACS for the Lkaemia Foundatn World's Greatt Shave. Atralian Story crew Leigh Wayper, Jane Hoskg and John Bean ACS wh Gayle and Mac 2003 while shootg the origal episo.

(Supplied: Gayle Shann)Back then Gayle was ail, badly wound and worried she would be too much of a burn for Mac, that no-one would fd her attractive. "I don't thk I would have had a clue what 20 years down the track would have looked like for me, " Gayle says.

" Gayle says the Atralian public has "put Mac up on a b of a pestal", but he serv . (Supplied: Ally Graham Photography)A life on the landGayle had grown up on an isolated ttle statn two-and-a-half hours wt of Ingham, g om a pneerg ttle breedg too had grown up on a remote property Far North Queensland. Both mtered on hors om an early young Gayle was hardworkg, pennt, an aggrsive petor mpdraft ridg.

VIDEO: HAPPY DAYS | GAYLE AND MAC SHANN

He was 21 when they married, she adored Gayle, he idolised her; still do. (Supplied: Gayle Shann)The day everythg changedGayle has no memory of that dreadful morng on Augt 9, 2002.

"By the time they brought Gayle si, her right arm was missg, her left actured and was two hours before medil personnel uld get there. Robyn Newbury, a neighbourg former nurse, kept Gayle alive by lotg the ma blood vsels and pchg them off wh her she was told she had lost an arm, Gayle thought she uld still ri her had lived to ri and pete and uldn't image dog anythg else. Gayle hospal Townsville shortly after the accint, surround by Mac and sisters Sherri and Kylie.

(Supplied: Gayle Shann)She was nstant pa, there were sleepls nights. "Gayle still wears her arm a slg, but surgeri on her spe mean she has no ntrol of her left arm. "Mac be Gayle's 'arms'They both had to adjt to the "new Gayle" has had to be her hands and arms.

GAYLE SHANN REFLECTS ON LOSG HER TWO LIMBS ALMOST 20 YEARS LATER

(Atralian Story)Gayle says Mac don't make her feel like "a burn" as her rer. "Adaptg to a new way of livgGayle has learned to do thgs wh her feet.

But Gayle would never be able to hold or hug them, be tactile wh knew she would get "very trated" havg to rely on other people to re for the uple talked and realised the bt cisn would be not to have children. (Supplied: Gayle Shann)Gayle tried to ri hors aga, hopg that she uld learn to ri wh her legs. (Supplied: Ally Graham Photography)Gayle manag the breedg si of the bs.

Wh This Rg told the story of central Queensland horsewoman Gayle Shann who survived an horrific farmg accint 2002. Atralian Story first filmed Gayle and hband Mac 2003, as they grappled wh a new way of livg life on the land. Related lksFeature article | Gayle and Mac Shann say 's 'happy days' two s on om Atralian Story appearanceStream this episo on iview and Youtube.

GAYLE AND MAC SHANN: BH UPLE'S SECRETS TO A HAPPY MARRIAGE AFTER HORRIFIC FARMG ACCINT

Gayle Shann and her hband Mac first ptured the hearts of Atralians 2002. At the time Gayle first lost her right arm a trmatic accint at the ral home, thgs looked pretty dire as she would soon fd that her left arm is paralyzed.

Fay and iends avoid tellg Gayle that her left arm was paralyzed for a fear that she might not want to live altogether. Nearly 20 years after the horrific accint, Gayle reflects on her life and reveals that she will not change a thg about her life.

GAYLE SHANN LOST BOTH HER ARMS A FARMG ACCINT. THIS IS HOW SHE LIV WH 20 YEARS ON

Love really n nquer all, wh the succsful marriage of one of Atralia's "most popular upl" proof a strong bond n weather any 2002 Gayle Shann had one arm torn off and the other cshed when her glove ught a post-hole digger on her Central Queensland accint ma her reliant on hband Mac to manage everythg om their ttle and horse breedg bs to her day-to-day the uple first shared their oral a 2003 Atralian Story episo, viewers were ptivated by the pair's rilience and 2006 went on to vote their story the most popular the show's history. "I'm the luckit girl the world to have a hband like Mac bee not many men would do what he do, " Gayle said. "Mac and I have both always been very passnate about hors, they're like our children, " Gayle said.

(Supplied: Marc Smh)Gayle holds out hope for e of remag armMac beme Gayle's hands, quickly learng the art of applyg makp to his wife.

"I obvly am more than happy to do whatever Gayle wants, " Mac said.

ROBYN NEILSON REUNTS HOW SHE HELPED TO SAVE GAYLE SHANN'S LIFE

"It's credible the number of people that talk to about our first story, " Gayle said. "Mac said he was "certaly a lot better at puttg the makp on the days" were high that over time Gayle would rever the e of her left arm after surgeons transplanted healthy nerv om her right arm socket, but improvement has plateed.

(Supplied: Marc Smh)"I do realise that if I had my arm amputated would take away the drag and give me a lot more mobily, " Gayle said. "We're jt lucky that we both love each other so much and n make each other lgh, I thk that's what gets through the day, " Gayle said.

"Then we got talkg and jt realised that both of thought was probably the bt cisn ma, so I thk that helped Gayle a lot.

VIDEO: GAYLE AND MAC SHANN

"Mac and I have both always been very passnate about hors — they're like our children, they are our life and we love them like they are our children, " Gayle said. Gayle Shann was jt 27 when her right arm was torn off at her ral property Cantr Park near Moranbah central Queensland on Aug 9, fearls roo rir's left arm was also cshed when her glove beme ught on the shaft of a digger, pullg her to a hole the ground and spng her around wh the mache's drill. The lovg and rilient uple (Gayle and Mac Shann, pictured)) first ptured the hearts of the natn back 2003 when ABC's Atralian Story featured the hband and wife for a documentaryAs the TV show celebrat 25 years, the melancholy episo about their stggl and endurg romance was voted the most popular that time Mrs Shann was still g to terms wh her body and how she would adapt to her new life, but now she's ma peace wh the past and nsirs herself 'lucky'.

If Gayle and I have an argument or a b of a blue about somethg… our suatn I've then got to go and bsh her teeth and take her make-up off. ' Mr Shann (pictured wh Gayle), reflectg on the documentary's populary joked that 'the Atralian public always lik a good sad love story'.

GAYLE SHANN, CLERMONT

First rponr Robyn Neilson wh outgog RDAQ print Neil the mut stretched to hours, Robyn Neilson sperately did everythg her power to keep her crilly jured neighbour alive until help uld was the first rponr to an horrific farm accint at Cantr Park central Queensland, where Gayle Shann suffered life threateng juri after an accint wh a post hole was 17 years ago now, but Robyn clearly rells the harrowg events of the day she fought to keep Gayle and her hband had been mterg that week, leavg the homtead by 5am. It was a worker on her neighbour's statn, sayg that Gayle had been jured and they need help.

"I asked if Gayle was alive and he said y, and I asked if Gayle was nsc and I received no further answer. "The accint happened the days before mobile phone service and, a stickler for safety, had the rmatn on hand that the RFDS need to reach the property, wh posn -ordat, and surface and length tails about nearby then ma the 15km drive to help her neighbour, but nothg uld have prepared her for the extent and severy of the juri she faced when she got to accint had left Gayle wh severe trma juri cludg a tear jury om her severed arm and shoulr bla, and a cut on her face that left her eye socket she waed for medil help to arrive, Robyn spent almost two hours sgle-handly fightg for Gayle's life, makg difficult cisns and workg hard wh limed equipment to stem bleedg.

It took three hours before doctors were able to stabalise Gayle to fly her to Townsville Hospal.

GAYLE AND MAC SHANN SAY 'S 'HAPPY DAYS' TWO S ON OM ATRALIAN STORY APPEARANCE

"Essentially, the time perd between the accint happeng and medil help arrivg, Robyn sgle-handly kept Gayle alive, " Dr Neppe said. "Gayle's juri were really extensive but the ma on i had to al wh that day were her eye and right arm tear jury, " Robyn said she had put a simple system place when she first moved to Glen Avon, which she creds for helpg save Gayle's life.

"The emergency servic rd I know helped save Gayle's life bee I didn't have to look for any of that rmatn. If I did, would have taken five mut or longer and Gayle would not have survived by the time they got here. "I uldn't unrstand , as nothg had happened to me, Gayle was alive, " she shared her story as a first rponr wh doctors at the RDAQ nference Cairns at the urged ral doctors to look after themselv as they had done for her and other first rponrs, but to also be proactive about promotg farm safety and accint preventn.