Heroic Thomas MY BRAVE JOURNEY

THIS WHIP-CRACKING YOUNGSTER DOESN’T LET HIS HEARING IMPAIRMENT GET IN THE WAY!

‘The whip cracking, the bike – he picks things up quickly’

W

ith a whip and a crack, little Thomas Petrie lit up our TV screens as he showcased his outstanding talents for all of Australia on Little Big Shots.

‘I felt a bit nervous at the start when I walked out on stage,’ seven-year-old Thomas admits to New Idea. ‘But after a while, I didn’t feel nervous anymore. And my friends think it’s pretty awesome.’

Thomas’ penchant for whip cracking, which has seen him win gold at the Stanthorpe championships in Queensland three years in a row, started when he was just a toddler.

‘I started whip cracking when I was three... I was really good at three!’ Thomas unabashedly admits.

Thomas’ mother Karen has her husband Damien to thank for their son’s beloved hobby.

‘His dad taught him, he saw him cracking the whip and he wanted to try,’ she explains. ‘I wasn’t nervous because as soon as he started whipping, he knew what to do – he was a total natural. By the end of his first day, he had it down pat.’

Thomas also loves heading down to his grandparents’ 1500acre farm to ride motorbikes.

‘He’s a bit of a daredevil,’ Karen explains.

While these aren’t your average hobbies for a sevenyear-old, Karen reveals why her son loves them so much.

‘Tom is actually hearing impaired. He had lots of ear infections as a little boy and now he’s got his third set of grommets,’ she says. ‘That’s what the motorbike riding and the whip cracking has been good for, it’s a release for him. A child with a hearing impairment has to concentrate quite hard throughout the day just to hear things properly, so when he comes home, he gets relief jumping on his bike or playing with the whip. He doesn’t have to use his hearing to do it.’ Over the years, Thomas has undergone multiple surgeries to help improve his hearing. ‘When he was two, Thomas had his tonsils and adenoids out, and his first set of grommets put in,’ Karen explains. ‘He’s had two lots of grommets in since then. He’s also had sinus surgeries when they had to fix certain things in there. For a young boy, he’s had a few surgeries to get things working better.’

To see Thomas up on stage alongside the show’s host Shane Jacobson, and to witness everything he’s achieved despite his impairment, Karen can’t hide the admiration she has for her son.

‘We are so proud of him, he’s done so well,’ Karen beams.

‘The whip cracking, the bike – he’s just one of those kids that picks up things quickly. If he doesn’t know how to do something, he’ll just keep practising until he gets it right – he’s very determined.’