Samuel Cawthorn (born 15 December 1979) is an Australian

motivational speaker A motivational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep talk. Motivational speakers ca ...

, author and entrepreneur. He was the 2009 Young Australian of the Year for Tasmania.

Personal life

Cawthorn was born in Perth, Western Australia to an Indian mother and a Scottish father; he grew up in a family of 11 children. While he was still a young child his family relocated to rural Tasmania where he grew up on a country farm outside of

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

. He lives in Balmain,

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

with his wife Kate and their three children.

Career

Early career

After completing Matriculation College, Cawthorn began his career by working in sales at Pizza Hut; he then transitioned to a role as a trainer in Northern Tasmania. He later became a regional industry careers adviser and assisted local industry to identify skill shortages and provide solutions for youth entering the workforce. Cawthorn was also involved in musical theatre productions and established his own music and dance studio.

Motivational speaking

In October 2006, Cawthorn was involved in a head-on collision with a semi-trailer and needed to be resuscitated. His injuries included

amputation Amputation is the removal of a limb by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is carried out on indi ...

of his right arm above the elbow and severe damage to his right leg. Initially distraught by the prospect he may never walk again, during his nine months of

rehabilitation Rehabilitation or Rehab may refer to: Health * Rehabilitation (neuropsychology), therapy to regain or improve neurocognitive function that has been lost or diminished * Rehabilitation (wildlife), treatment of injured wildlife so they can be retur ...

he decided to establish a motivational program for young people. In 2007, Cawthorn established "Be Motivated", a program aimed at providing young people with skills to improve their confidence and self-belief. He has conducted motivational assemblies at schools in Australia and around the world.

Young Australian of the Year

In November 2008 Sam Cawthorn was awarded the 2009 Young Australian Year award for Tasmania. Before gathering at The Lodge with fellow finalists, Cawthorn accepted a dare from his young daughter to play a practical joke upon Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd. As the two shook hands, Cawthorn detached his artificial hand from its prosthetic arm leaving Rudd holding the artificial hand. Rudd later told the reception he had not recovered from shock and was still "in therapy".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cawthorn, Sam 1979 births Australian motivational speakers Businesspeople from Western Australia People from Hobart People from Launceston, Tasmania Living people People from Perth, Western Australia