Austin powers on
Trainer’s new lease of life after brain tumour scare
TODD Austin was country Queensland’s most successful horse trainer, but having survived a brain tumour five years ago, he feels as if he’s a bigger winner now than he has ever been, even though he only has half as many horses.
Barcaldine-based Austin, 44, will jump in the float on Saturday and travel the 100km to Longreach and then on Sunday drive another 300km for the race meeting at Emerald.
It’s a way of life for Austin, his wife Toni and sons Tommy and Toby.
And one all of them are very grateful for being able to continue.
In 2015, Austin’s health was in a perilously dangerous position but he didn’t know it.
Toni knew something was not right, but for a long time doctors couldn’t pinpoint the problem.
“I never tell her, but you have to take your hat off to Toni. I was going to the races and not having jockeys on and getting all sorts of things mixed up,” Austin said.
“She kept telling people I wasn’t right.
“I went to the doctors a few times and I wasn’t with it.
“They (said it was) depression. They gave me these pills and they did absolutely zero for me.
“I went to Birdsville and the night before we left. I was still putting horses on the truck that weren’t meant to be going. It was a nightmare, but (Toni) got through it, thank God.
“It was a pretty ordinary time for her and the kids.
“She was never happy with what was being diagnosed. She wouldn’t rest until she found out what was wrong.”
Toni kept pressing doctors to look deeper and eventually they found a life-threatening brain tumour, which was operated on in October 2015.
“They said it wasn’t far until I was gone,” Austin said.
“I’m very, very lucky I can still sit here and talk to you.
“I had to learn to walk again and my whole left side didn’t work for a while, but that’s very minor compared to some others.”
At the peak of his training career, Austin had 42 horses in work and won multiple Queensland Country trainer premierships. Now he has 18 and even though he’s still in the top four or five country trainers, it’s more relaxed than it was.
He still has regular checkups, but feels in good health and says he leads a better lifestyle, admitting it changed his life.
“Bloody oath. My opinion is not much sought after they tell me, but (my health) is good,” he said.
“We stopped and smelled the roses for a while. Realised horses aren’t the beall and end-all and just enjoy life a bit more.
“I’m doing stuff with the kids. Tommy turns 10 in October and Toby just turned eight. They are right into gymkhanas and they also get involved with the stable.
“Tommy tells his schoolteacher at the start of the year he won’t be there in September
because he will be at Birdsville.”
The famed Birdsville carnival has been cancelled this year, but in 2019 it was a triumph for the family, when Todd won the Cup for a second time with French Hussler. “It was satisfaction more than anything. I rarely drink now, so I dropped them all down the street, then drove down and picked them back up when they were done (celebrating),” he said. Austin had another setback last Christmas when he ended up in Royal Brisbane
Hospital for a fortnight with meningitis, but again, he’s made a full recovery.
“It must be that time of year. It’s not much good to me! It’s one way to get out of Christmas I suppose,” he said.
The Barcaldine and wider community are consistently in the thoughts of the family after what they did during Todd’s illness.
“You see these little communities and you can never be thankful enough. What they did for me was unbelievable,” Austin said.
“I’m just a normal bloke, I don’t hold any trophies playing football or doing anything great, but people like to help as much as they can and they did in really needy times.”