Many of you may know Chris Nolan. Chris grew up here on the land you are on - which his family own. It’s been in the Nolan family since 1865. After he went away to school and Uni, and then work as a lawyer in Melbourne, Chris kept his interest and involvement in the farm and Meredith community. He played golf locally, was Captain of the Meredith Cricket Club for 4 years and enjoyed catching up with old friends at the pub.

He founded this event back in 1991 with Gregor Peele and Marcus Downie for fun and to bring two of the loves of his life together – music and the land. The three of them were students with no festival or music industry experience, but they had a lot of enthusiasm. The first MMF was like a big party for 250 friends and friends of friends. Matt High joined them and it grew each year.

In 1995 after a trip to the West Indies to the Test Cricket, Chris went to Hanoi to work.
In May 1996, Chris went to bed and never woke up. He suffered a multi organ collapse and, because his brain was starved of oxygen, a very severe brain injury. He was critically ill, taken from Hanoi to Singapore and then to St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne where he defied all odds to survive. He remained in coma for 6 months. Chris ‘woke up’ laughing at a joke his cousin, Podge, had made about the photo of Chris and Jack and the old Comma truck taken at the 1995 MMF!

There was nowhere for Chris but an aged care nursing home (NH) and he moved to a NH in North Fitzroy in December 1996 where he still lives – accessible to friends and family. Mary, his mother, lives mostly in Melbourne.

Chris now hears and understands, but is unable to speak or move or see much. He communicates with facial expressions and a long blink for Yes. He has a strong friendship group still involved and loves to get out and about.

Can you imagine being OK one day and emerging from coma months later to find yourself trapped in a profoundly disabled body and communication system?

Despite his inabilities, Chris has missed only one MMF in 1996 just three weeks after he woke up. He continues to try to make the most of his possibilities and looks forward to this year.

Since 2001, he has been involved in trying to make a difference for himself and other young people in nursing homes (YPINH) especially those with acquired brain injury (ABI), and is a founding member of Inability Possability Inc. See www.inabilitypossability.org.au. Chris is one of about 55 people under 40 years old in NH in Victoria and of those, about 30 have ABI. YPINH with ABI are unable to speak for themselves and are regarded as the most vulnerable disadvantaged group in our society. Chris is lucky that he has good friends – most are profoundly isolated.

Chris has also been involved in media and two National Conferences for YPINH in 2002 and 2003 See: www.ypinh.org.au This reactivation of his old ‘socio-political bent’ seems to give him a sense of his place in the world as he is now.

The NH where Chris is living is closing and moving to Eltham, far away from all who know him and younger people friendly venues. This is terrifying for Chris as once again he has nowhere appropriate to go. Friends and family are meeting regularly to try to find a solution.

8 years is long enough in an aged care nursing home! Chris wants to live life as he is.

If you want to keep in touch as we try to assist Chris, contact clcmelb@connexus.net.au and ask to be put on an email communication list.

Photos by David Quick