Meet Sunny – Australia’s only keynote speaker who has survived an Arctic snowstorm, a cobra bite, a shark attack, a super bike crash, and a tornado hitting his ambulance. If his life were a movie, it would make *Indiana Jones* look like a rom-com. Add to this Sunny survived three warzones before he was twenty-two and then went on to forge a clinical career on expeditions.

Sunny’s wild ride began on the banks of the Ross River in far north Queensland, where his childhood was a mix of DIY fireworks, launching push-bikes over crocodile-infested waters (spoiler: the crocs were fresh water), and delivering phonebooks for pocket money. He traded in his wild youth for the military, serving as a recon scout on peacekeeping missions in Timor-Leste and war deployments in Iraq.

Now, with over 60 research expeditions under his belt, Sunny has worked with teams crossing polar ice caps, through dense jungles, scorching deserts, up high-altitude mountains and in deep-water dives with mega-fauna (think giant fish with teeth). His travels have taken him to nearly 90 countries, proving that for Sunny, the world is one big playground – albeit one filled with perilous challenges and boundless opportunities for learning.

But Sunny is more than just a thrill-seeker. He’s made a profound impact in the medical field, planting clinics through the Himalayas and Pacific, developing ambulance services in Vanuatu, Timor, Nepal, and Samoa, and developing the rescue helicopter in Fiji.

Despite not achieving much in high school, Sunny has forged an impressive academic career as program director for UTAS Masters of Health Care in Remote and Extreme Environment Medicine and as convenor of paramedicine programs at the Griffith University School of Medicine. Currently he is the Dean and Principal Fellow of the Academy of Extreme Environment Medicine where he has truly rewritten the script of what’s academically possible when you're measured by EQ and not IQ. A career highlight saw Sunny join an elite team researching medical responses on Mars, participating in month-long simulations in a habitat designed to mirror life on the Red Planet!

And while spelling may not be his forte (thank God for autocorrect!), Sunny has published two award winning books, written over forty articles and he has established two independent magazines, two Himalayan clinics and two award winning podcasts. His accolades include being awarded Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Fellow of the Australasian College of Paramedicine and Principal Fellow of the Academy of Extreme Environment Medicine - which means he’s literally the only person who can turn "I survived a tornado, snake and shark" into a prestigious academic achievement.

Navigating chaos has been his job but in a heartbreaking personal twist, Sunny’s family has faced a series of rare diseases. The genesis of this occurred when he was on shift in an ambulance and forced to respond to a life-threatening emergency to his own home. His two-year old daughter suffering a life-threatening situation has now battled years of chemotherapy for cancer, and a rare disease that technically doesn’t exist. But even while managing their care, dodging natural disasters, and outsmarting creatures with really bad attitudes, he’s out there inspiring audiences with tales of resilience, humour, and a surprisingly advanced skill set in ordering pizza in the most extreme of circumstances (ask him about Mongolia).

Join Sunny for a keynote session that will have you laughing, crying, and wondering if you’ve been living too safely. It’s guaranteed to inspire you to *do more*, *lead more*, and *share more*. Buckle up – it’s going to be a wild and memorable ride!

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