Living by choice
By Charlotte Knottenbelt
Live by choice not chance. That’s the motto of Julian Burton, a
UniSA-educated teacher and public speaker whose SANFL football career
was cut short on October 12, 2002, when he was injured in the Sari Club
bombing in Bali.
With 21 per cent of his body covered in burns, his injuries were life-threatening, but rather than give up, Burton vowed to make something positive out of the experience, establishing the Julian Burton Burns Trust in 2003.
“The experience I went through in Bali was unthinkable,” Burton says, “but the way I see it, it was no different to seeing my parents separate, to missing out on selection for a grand final team. It’s called adversity and it’s something that everyone has to confront in life. It’s how we move forward from adversity that counts.”
Now a regular on the public speaking circuit, Burton will speak on the topic turning challenges into opportunities at the next Expanding Horizons seminar on Thursday October 21. Aimed at recent UniSA graduates and students, the series is presented by UniSA Alumni and sponsored by HomeStart Finance.
“I don’t want anyone to see me as being on a pedestal, I’m the same as everyone else – we all have to make choices in life, sometimes the right choices are the hardest ones to make,” says Burton.
“My advice to anyone starting out in a career is to be patient, be authentic, be committed, and the way will open up.”
Burton will be joined by another special guest, 2003 Telstra South Australian Business Woman of the Year, Cathy Miller, at the seminar, to be held at the Holiday Inn on Hindley Street. The seminar is free but registrations are essential. For more information and registrations visit www.unisa.edu.au/alumni or phone (08) 8302 0975.