‘I can’t wait to return to the outback!’
Stockwoman Lydia is so thankful for Annabelle’s life-saving actions after her mustering accident
When Lydia Inglis woke up five days after a dramatic and terrifying mustering accident, it took weeks for her to grasp what had happened.
“It was like I was having a really vivid dream,” Lydia tells Woman’s Day from her family home in Central Otago, New Zealand.
“I thought I was still on the station – I had no idea what had happened to me and everything was hazy.”
Lydia was living her dream life working as a stockwoman at Yarrie Station, WA, when she fell from her horse and down a 1.8-metre rocky bank while she was herding cattle in August 2020.
The 27-year-old was taking part in a two-day muster alongside a team of stock hands responsible for rounding up the cattle on the 2500-squarekilometre property when her horse was charged by a cow.
“The horse kicked out at the cow and as it came up our heads collided and I was knocked unconscious,” explains Lydia, who has no memory of the accident itself, but has been told what happened by her workmates.
MEMORY LOST
“My head just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – nothing could have been done to prevent it from happening,” says Lydia, who was wearing a helmet.
And while she has no memory of her fall, it’s
a moment Yarrie station owner Annabelle Coppin and her colleagues will never forget. Stock hands radioed the roving cattle tracking helicopters and performed CPR on Lydia.
Meanwhile, Annabelle, 37, flew her helicopter to a nearby mine and neighbouring town Marble Bar in search of medical supplies and assistance.
EMERGENCY HELP
“I knew she was in a serious way, and I needed to help pretty quick,” says Annabelle, who returned with a nurse and doctor to care for Lydia. “We didn’t know what was going to happen – it was horrible knowing she could die.”
Six hours later, Lydia was airlifted to South Hedland Hospital and placed in a coma before being transferred by the Royal Flying Doctor Service to an intensive care unit in Perth.
Initially suffering from posttraumatic amnesia, Lydia spent the following two months on the brain injury ward at Fiona Stanley Hospital, where she worked on recovering physically and mentally.
Due to multiple brain bleeds, the right side of her body was weakened, similar to a stroke, causing issues with her speech and mobility. Tasks that were once easy – like brushing her hair or tying her shoelaces – became impossible.
“My whole life changed in an instant and it took me months to come to terms with that,” says Lydia, thankful her mother Karen was able to travel from New Zealand to be by her side.
“I really struggled to string together coherent sentences. I was doing occupational therapy and speech therapy. My whole right side wasn’t working – it was tough.”
Grateful to be alive, Lydia has spent the past year in therapy, learning how to walk and talk again.
“I have a newfound appreciation of life,” she says. “I have my days when I feel annoyed that I’m not where I was before this injury, but I’ve learned to acknowledge those feelings and then move forward.
NEW LEASE OF LIFE
“I could have died, now nothing is taken for granted.”
Lydia still struggles with fatigue and speech difficulties but she couldn’t be more proud of how far she’s come, thanks to the support of her family, partner Paudi, 28, and, of course, Annabelle.
“I’m so grateful for Annabelle… we talk weekly, if not daily,” she says. “It overwhelms me to think about how many amazing people have gone out of their way to help me. “I’ll never be able to repay them but what I can do is come back fighting fit. I’m determined to make something great of this.” And while she still has a journey ahead of her, Lydia is adamant she’ll return to Yarrie Station. “A big goal of mine is go back for a mustering season,” she says. “I was able to ride my neighbour’s horse for a few minutes recently and as soon as I sat in that saddle I felt like I was home – I know I’ll get there!”
And when she’s ready, Annabelle can’t wait to have her at the station again.
“I’m very proud of Lydia – she has a lot of resilience and grit, and we can’t wait to have her back,” she adds. “She’s a massive part of the team and we miss her every day.”
‘I’m very proud of Lydia… we can’t wait to have her back’