Touchstone – Volume 31
Meet Nick.
Nick Burling shares his story about living with a disability and how he’s
decided to give back.
Hi, my name is Nick, son of the late Geoff
and Marion Burling. I’m just like any other
guy you might meet, except each day I
have to overcome the challenges of living
in a body that doesn’t do what I need it
to. I have cerebral palsy with muscle and
coordination paralysis that stops my body
from behaving as it should.
As a young boy going through hundreds
of hours of doctor, therapist and physio
appointments, my mum and dad were still
determined to treat me the same as my
brother and I’m so pleased they did. Don’t
get me wrong, there were very tough
times where I endured hardship as the
only person with a disability in an able-
bodied school, but that made me the man
I am today! As I like to say, “life is what
you make it”.
After school I took a gap year which
helped me to learn and adapt to the
challenges of living independently. I took
the year to truly live life making new
friends, going to parties and travelling
independently. All the while helping to
change the perception of people with
disabilities in the community. My first
job was Stock Controller in our family’s
successful automotive business. I can
tell you my dad never allowed excuses
and treated me as he would any other
employee. I’ve had the opportunity to
learn many aspects of the motor industry
with my proudest moment being when
I sold an incredible 282 cars in one year,
ranking me 12 th out of 2,000 salespeople
across the country! This won me Toyota’s
highest accolade, Sales Society Gold
Leader. Today I am pleased to say I have
my own business proudly carrying on
the family legacy. I am so appreciative of
my mum and dad who were always my
biggest supporters and recognised the
person I would become today.
I made a decision recently to leave a
legacy gift in my Will to CPL because
I understand many children and adults
living with disabilities just don’t have the
support I’ve had. I recognise that CPL
helps to support communities to see the
person and not the disability, every day.
They do great work in Queensland at a
grassroots level and it’s in my heart to
pay it forward so with the right support,
other people can live a full and happy life.
I believe CPL help achieve this for many
of our community members.
If you are considering leaving a gift
in your Will, we would be grateful
to hear from you. To discuss your
options, call CPL’s Planned Giving
team on 1800 275 753 or email
[email protected]
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