MEET STEVE KAVANAGH, 62, BLACK BELT IN TAEKWONDO AND SURVIVOR OF DOZENS OF BROKEN BONES!

The newest profile in our ‘A-Team Series’ on modern ageing is Steve Kavanagh.

Steve lives in North Kellyville in Sydney. He’s had his own business since 2002 and as you read on you’ll see that maybe his life deserves a book rather than a profile!

Tell us about yourself and what’s challenged you?

I am 62  and when I turned 60 I wondered about my fitness. I previously had been very competitive in long distance running, however, two back operations with discs removed in 1995 and 2001 and damaged nerves that left me with permanent disability in both legs put paid to that. 

In 2010 I went skiing in New Zealand, never being a skier, I enjoyed it until I broke my leg. A radial fracture of the tibia and fibula, that was incorrectly set with a tibial nail, turned into a big problem.

That was eleven years ago now. I have regained use of some of the muscles in my right leg and am continuing to work on strengthening them. 

Apart from that injury, I have ridden motorbikes for over 40 years. I have come off a few times and crashed an aircraft. 

The result is 87 fractures that I can remember. My body is a bit the worse for wear! 

I also had a job that required me to work 10–14 hour days. I ended up being very unfit, I have a genetic liver disease, and when I turned 60 I started to worry about my longevity. 

So in December 2018 I decided, at age 60, to take up some sport to help with strength and flexibility. I joined a Taekwondo club. Taekwondo is predominantly kicking and requires extreme flexibility to do head kicks, flying and spinning kicks– somewhat ambitious!  

On 5 December 2020 I got my black belt at age 62. I still have some difficulty jumping up from my right leg and can’t get to the full side split, but I can do a front split.

What would you say to other older Australians who have faced injury challenges such as you have?
 
I have had a lot of physical challenges, and like any challenge it is more a mental challenge than anything else. I had to get fit to be able to do what I want to in life. So no matter what physical challenge you have, there is a way to combat it, overcome or otherwise deal with it.
 
It was extremely challenging being a 60 year old white belt with teenagers. However, I found that they tend to give up well before they have exhausted their physical limits. Even now, I can outlast almost everyone in endurance. And pushing the limit has meant I grow stronger.
 
I was not at all flexible when I started, now I am more flexible than most – even other black belts! I can do a full front split and put my head on my front leg. There are only a couple of young guys that can do that and the girls who have done dancing or yoga.
 
We have to be careful of injury and be realistic, but that does not mean we can’t do it, just that we need application and dedication.  As in all areas of life, it is our attitude and belief that determines what we can or cannot do.
 
As Henry Ford said:

“If you think you can or if you think you cannot, you are right”.

We must not let an ageist society tell us what we can or cannot do. If we think we can’t, and decide to not try, or give up then we have declared our fate.

What are you up to now?
 
I have started up a new business which is raising funds for humanitarian projects. I expect to leave my day job and take on the humanitarian foundation full time in the next month or so. Now we have arranged funding for schools for disabled kids in NSW regional areas, 6 women’s and children’s hospitals in Zambia and setting up vaccine manufacturing in Nigeria for 15 West African countries. We are working up proposals for more vaccine manufacturing in Sri Lanka and Kenya and housing for the homeless in Sydney.
 
My wish is to work full-time using my networks to help the people who deliver humanitarian programs to those less fortunate than ourselves.

What or who inspires you to do all of this?
 
I have attached a picture of me riding my motorcycle at about 250kmh around turn 1 at Sydney Motor Sport Park.
 
I have always wanted to achieve something. As a kid I was always told I was unwanted, a burden and useless. Nothing I did was ever good enough. I had nothing when I started and always tried to get some affirmation from someone. I suppose it spurred me to go to Uni and achieve things to get someone to say “well done”. I suppose some would think I achieved or ‘won’.
 
My desire to achieve physical fitness, my black belt in Taekwondo and to some degree being able to ride a bike fast, is about helping others. I am 62 and just starting out with my humanitarian foundation. I need to be fit and healthy for the next 20 years at least to be able to really do some good and see the foundation set up to continue after me. I want to leave a legacy.

Any information is general advice, it does not take into account your individual circumstances, objectives, financial situation or needs.