At the tender age of 23, James Horsburgh was living the dream. He was in his fourth year of a commerce/law degree with the University of New England. He had just started dating the lady who would become his future wife! He lived at St Albert’s College (Albies) and played rugby as a hooker. James loves St Alberts College. In fact, he quips ‘if I hadn’t broken my neck, I would still be living there.’

James playing rugby

On a random Wednesday night in 2004, he was out with some mates celebrating Presidents’ Night at the UNE Union Bistro. James or ‘Teddy’ as he is affectionately known, had been drinking, but his subsequent toxicology report indicated he was not drunk. Without thinking, he joined his mates who were playing in the new water feature/fountain, which had just been built by UNE. Instead of just stepping into the fountain, he dived in and hit his head. He couldn’t move and would have drowned if his mate Peter Flynn had not pulled him out of the water.

Whilst in hospital, James needed to make a decision. He could either focus on how unfair life can be or he could get up- metaphorically, if not physically- and push forward! He chose the latter path.

James in hospital after his accident.

James received a lot of support after the accident. James’ mum was a community health nurse and had cared for young quadriplegics in the past. She had an excellent understanding of what help and support James would need. Aside from the support of family, one of the things which helped James through his darker hours, was the support which he received from his friends and colleagues at UNE. He reasons, he would not have received the same support if he had been at one of the larger, less  collegial focused, universities.

Whilst James was an on-campus UNE student, he worked at Sports UNE. One of the things he loved most about this job, was working in Sport UNE’s Vacation Care program. James’ affection for the kids was obviously reciprocated as several of the kids sent James cards and notes after his accident. The kids would tell James they loved him and were thinking about him.

James also recounts with fondness the time, three of his Albies mates drove to Sydney, from Armidale, to see him on the spur of the moment. Apparently, they got home from the pub and couldn’t stand the thought of James being in hospital on his own.

James also received phone calls and support from the staff at the UNE School of Law. One of these staff members was Professor Eilis Magner. Eilis, who was well known for her wicked sense of humour, used to ring James and joke- ‘have you managed to go for a run yet Teddy?’ This light hearted, yet caring support from people like Eilis made all the difference to James’ state of mind.

James undertaking rehabilitation after his accident.

After his spinal injury, James changed his enrolment to a distance student, so he could complete his double degree. As you can imagine, this was not without challenges. Instead of typing his law assignments, James needed to learn to use Dragon Naturally Speaking to write his assignments. He also had to adapt to the fact, he could no longer flick through his textbooks like he used to do. Instead, he needed to wear a headset to listen to lectures and other materials. If he dropped this headset, that would be the end of his study session, if he was home alone. As you can imagine, this would have been very frustrating for a man in his early 20s. He did, however, learn to be patient- this was helped by engaging in mindfulness exercises as well as intense soul searching!

By any measure, James has forged a successful and fulfilling life. After finishing his undergraduate degrees at UNE, James completed his masters, where he specialised in family law. James has continued to specialise in family law and is now a partner at McIntosh McPhillamy & Co in Bathurst.

Family law is a notoriously difficult area to practice in. James is pragmatic about this and often remembers advice from his family law mentor: ‘Marriage is a bit like a light bulb. After the light has gone out the couple have tried to change the bulb and have even called an electrician/ counsellor to try and fix the problem. By the time clients are seeing a legal practitioner, none of this has worked. As a lawyer, it is not your job to fix the marriage- instead you need to give objective advice about their legal position.’ James does concede that it is difficult not to get emotionally involved though.

James has hired several UNE graduates in his law firm. Most recently, he has employed Penny Baker, who is a fellow Albies and UNE School of Law alumni. In fact, he notes ‘the best graduates, are the ones who are relatable, personable and can talk to clients. Some graduates who have been to the best universities in Australia and achieved 1^st class honours, fail when it comes to having the “common touch”. The key thing is to build relationships with your clients, so you can formulate good instructions and put the best case forward.’ James is always surprised about how many UNE graduates there are- especially in places like Newcastle and Dubbo! Apparently, at most of the courts James attends- he is always greeted by at least one UNE School of Law graduate!

James in front of his many certificates.

James also notes, rookie legal practitioners need to learn how to effectively handle stress. Certainly, finding himself in a wheelchair at the age of 23 has helped James learn not to ‘sweat the small things in life.’ In fact, many of his mates left legal practice because of the stress. The reality of legal practice is, it is not like ‘Suits’ where legal practice is glorified- sadly there are usually no royal boyfriends involved either! Instead it is long hours, late nights and lots of pressure.

James tries to maintain a good work/life balance. He lives on a hobby farm with his wife and three young daughters. He has also coached rugby, as a way of dealing with his stressful job; coaching the Bathurst Bulldogs in both the Central West Rugby 1^st and 2^nd grade competitions. Just like when he went back to studying law after his accident, James had to learn how to adapt his coaching style. Instead of simply demonstrating a particular rugby drill, he had to learn how to describe the technique or strategy in great detail. James also likes the social aspect of rugby, as the games he attends are like ‘one big UNE reunion for him, where I can catch up with my old mates.’ These days James is more focused on the administration of rugby holding office as Secretary of Bathurst Bulldogs and Treasurer of the Central West Rugby Union. 

Thank you James for sharing your inspirational and heart-warming story with us!