‘THE TRAGEDY THAT CHANGED MY LIFE’
AS SHE TURNS 50, THE MCLEOD’S FAVOURITE IS THANKFUL FOR EVERY PRECIOUS MOMENT
For 17 agonising days, Simmone Jade Mackinnon lived in a limbo of mingled hope and dread. The popular
Mcleod’s Daughters star tried to believe in miracles, while fearing the worst.
Her adored niece, Rayne Johnsen, lay in a coma on life support, following a catastrophic eight-metre fall onto her head last June.
Nobody knew whether the vibrant 21-year-old would ever regain consciousness, let alone walk or talk again.
Then, after more than 24,000 minutes of anguish for the close-knit Mackinnon
clan, there was a dramatic breakthrough worthy of a Drover’s Run storyline. At long last, Rayne was starting to stir.
“I went straight back to the hospital, into her room,” Simmone recalls emotionally. “She just looked at me and said, ‘Simmy, I’m your biggest fan.’ And I told her, ‘No, I’m your biggest fan!’ I was just crying.
“We’d all been told Rayne probably wouldn’t know who we were, when and if she came to. She would have amnesia, probably get angry, have difficulty with language, memory and fine motor skills.
“But she knew exactly who I was and connected me straight to my TV work, all in one sentence.
“Everything was functioning again – and very, very quickly. She is driving again. She has enrolled at uni, which she didn’t intend to do before the accident. Honestly, it’s a miracle.”
It’s clear that family means everything to Simmone. A gutsy single mum to son Madigan, the pair share the same birthdate, March
19. This year, the celebrations were extra special as Simmone turned 50, while her “thoughtful, funny, kind” boy became a teenager!
Simmone tells us Madigan is the greatest birthday gift she ever received. The former Baywatch: Hawaii favourite had been “clucky forever” before falling pregnant unexpectedly in 2009. Although she and Madigan’s father had parted ways, there was never any question that she would keep her baby and raise him by herself.
Ever since, the self-styled “gypsy” mother and son have been an inseparable double act, travelling the outback together – where Simmone worked as a reallife jillaroo. Then during the pandemic, while locked down at home in Coffs Harbour, NSW, enterprising Simmone started her own business – Wandering Ozzie Essentials (wanderingozzie. com.au).
She sells various items and a percentage of the profits go to helping other solo mums.
Financially, times have occasionally been tough.
“It’s been a life of extremes, living on the edge, but that’s fine,” admits Simmone. “I think me and Madz have a pretty cool time. We live in a shed, but it’s a pretty cool shed. We’re out there doing our thing, and we enjoy it all.
“For me, there was never any question that this is the way it was meant to be.”
The star is still hopeful that the long-promised
Mcleod’s movie will soon get a green light.
Series creator
Posie Graemeevans
has been busy writing the script, and Simmone has her fingers crossed that she will be pulling on Stevie Hall’s iconic cowboy boots again.
“It’s gone a bit quiet, but she is probably going like a steam train to get the story in production,” smiles Simmone.
“Everyone wants to see something, anything. It would be incredible! So many people are hanging out for it to happen.”
By Jenny Brown
‘It’s been a life of extremes’
If short on time, try using canned corn kernels instead of a
fresh corn cob.