Sam Longmore… “I’m doing things that people wouldn’t otherwise expect people in wheelchairs to do, so I thought, if people are going to stare, I’m going to give them a reason to!”
Samantha Longmore is a powerhouse with a capital P.
Don’t let the wheelchair fool you, she’s got more energy, enthusiasm and spirit than most have in their little finger and she says the wheelchair is the least interesting thing about her. At The Times, we’d be inclined to agree.
Paralysed down her right hand side following a nasty car accident 12 years ago, Sam says it hasn’t stopped her from doing what she loves, in fact, it seems like her aspirations grow each year.
An owner and operator to several small businesses, Sam has worked within agriculture for more than 10 years and you’ll often see her amongst the paddocks, spraying weeds when she isn’t running a workshop or water skiing for the Australian disabled division. All this to say, upon finding herself with a little bit of time to spare between her next World Championship in 2027, Sam decided to do something truly incredible – she was going to wheel herself from Corowa to Yass in a week.
“I was having a cuppa at home and thought, ‘what am I going to do next year?’,” she says, recalling her decision late last year.
“2026 is my off-World year, and I thought, ‘I need to have a physical thing to work and train towards.”
Originally thinking of doing a wheeler marathon, Sam thought back to all of the help she’d received from rural mental health services and decided to turn her wild idea into a fundraising charity event.
“I’m very inspired by Ned Brockman, as many of us are, and everything he’s achieved over the years, and I thought, ‘oh well, if he can run 4000 kilometres across the country, I can wheel 400 kilometres through the Riverina and into the Yass Valley,” she says.
“I wrote that in my notes app on my phone, finished my cuppa and that was it for a little bit, I just did nothing about it.”
Although the tantalising idea remained on her phone, it was only after Sam broke her paralysed leg, injured her pushing foot and her functioning arm at her 2025 World Championships that she opened the notes app once more and started to think about the possibilities.
“I wasn’t sure whether I was even going to be able to embark on this, so I didn’t mention it publicly at the time,” she says.
“Once I hurt myself, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to do this, but then I switched that mentality and thought, ‘if I use it as a rehab goal as well as for my pushing foot…’
“It kept my mind entertained and attached to something because I spent three months on the couch doing nothing, which is not something I usually do.”
Although Sam’s leg is still broken, she has been medically cleared to pursue her ride (The Big Wheel), and she says she is keen to raise funds for Rural Aid and Riverina Bluebell.
“We’ve all been impacted by our own personal mental health,” she says.
Growing up in a rural community, Sam says she’s seen several people who have been impacted by poor mental health and says it meant a lot to her to be able to choose to represent and raise funds for something so close to her heart.
“Choosing rural mental health was so important because we see the struggles that we all go through… In rural communities we do a lot of talking, thank god, but not a lot of doing on a bigger scale,” she says.
“People stare at me every day because of the situation I’m in, because I look different as a human being: I’m sitting in a wheelchair and I have a different sort of disability. I’m doing things that people wouldn’t otherwise expect people in wheelchairs to do, so I thought, if people are going to stare, I’m going to give them a reason to!
“That’s part of what I’m trying to do as well: shining a light [on mental health] by utilising the difference that I have as a calling.”
Sam says it’s important for people to look beyond the chair, as it’s not the end all, be all about her.
“It’s just something that’s happened to me, it’s not all of who I am and I feel that that resonates with people – particularly in agriculture where things happen all the time.
“It’s not so much about what has happened, but how we move forward from these things.”
With so many things on her plate, Sam says her mind is always going, but she’s had an incredible team behind her to help with the organisation of the big event.
“Sometimes, we just need to ask for a bit of help, so that’s what I’ve had to try to do, and I’m not one to ask for help on the day-to-day, so I’ve been reaching out to family and leaning on my partner more than I have done over the last 11 years that we’ve been together,” she says.
“So, that was another lesson learned for everyone too: sometimes we just need a little bit of help, whether it just be a job at home or someone to talk to.
“I’ve leaned on people because it’s been hectic.”
Sam’s days have been packed with the finer details of her trip – including ensuring all of her gear is packed securely and she’s prepared for all weather conditions.
“We’re camping throughout the week, so I’m not staying in hotels along the way,” she says.
“There are all of those extra little things that I’ve got to make sure will be in the van.”
With the current rain affecting her schedule for spraying, Sam says it has been a slight blessing in disguise to plan around her trip.
“That’s really agriculture as a whole, being able to bend when things don’t quite go to plan,” she says.
“I have a bad habit of having lots of things going on in my life at all times and I’m used to it; I’m used to the crazy.”
Although Sam says she reckons her partner hopes for a little down time following her journey, she says she isn’t looking too far in the future until she’s finished The Big Wheel.
“Although, sitting down to have dinner at my table without a notepad sitting on it sounds like a pretty good plan!” she says.
Sam will be accompanied by a pilot vehicle (her own van), packed with family and friends who will be with her every moment of her journey. The van will also serve as a home on wheels between Corowa and Yass.
“Rather than trying to enlist one person to be in the car the whole week, I’ve got a schedule throughout the week between friends and family,” she says.
Each day will often have a new person in the vehicle, including Sam’s partner, who will be there on her first day and at the very end.
“My partner’s not going to be coming with me for the whole week,” she says.
“He’s got one day in the vehicle… and he’s the boots on the ground here at home.
“I know I’m going to get frustrated with myself and my body, and maybe the weather or if something doesn’t go to plan, and because he’s my person, I’m more likely to take it out on him and I don’t’ want that, and I think it is a nice opportunity to spend time with my other friends and family.”
Although she says she’s going to miss him, Sam says her strategy has been carefully made to have the best people suited for each day.
In addition to her closest friends and family, Sam will be accompanied by a film maker who will be turning her journey into a short film, including interviews and behind the scenes footage.
“I think that will be the most important thing,” Sam says.
“When I do hit those hills, I’ll need someone squeezing my face and telling me I can do this type of thing.”
Ultimately, Sam says she doesn’t want people believing it’ll be an easy trip and she says she’s ready to start, rain or shine.
“It’s only water, it’s not anything that’ll hurt me,” she says.
“If it’s not safe on the road, then I won’t wheel, but outside of that, I’ll just get the job done, it’s my plan.”
Sam has set a $200,000 fundraising goal for her journey, but says she is thankful for any support and awareness she can generate for Rural Aid and Riverina Bluebell.
“A lot of people might recognise Rural Aid from the media, they’re helping farmers,” she says.
“What people don’t see is what they do after and how long after an event. They’ll come back however many years later and are there for mental health and general support for farmers, but also for rural communities.
“It’s not just about farmers, this is about rural communities. Without a farmer being happy, there is no community, and without a community, there is no farmer in a sense.”
As for Sam’s second charity, she says she chose Riverina Bluebell is because the small charity is a “link” between person and service.
“Riverina Bluebell is the conversation starter,” she says.
“They know where to direct people for help, they can direct people to Rural Aid… It’s a full circle moment.”
Although Sam says she hopes to see some more awareness and funds raised for the charities, she says she also hopes to push her message across.
“You can do hard things, no matter the situation you find yourself in, no matter the mental health space you find yourself in,” she says.
“I might be doing this physically on my own, but I’m not doing this on my own at all, I’ve got a crew around me: my community. This is a team effort.
Sam starts her journey in Corowa on June 27th and hopes to roll into Yass on July 4th in the afternoon, just in time for her welcoming party at the Racecourse.
At the time of writing this, Sam has raised more than $40,000 for her joint charities and is busy underway preparing for her trip.
For more information, or to donate, visit www.mycause.com.au/page/393886/the-big-wheel
Elizabeth Kovacs
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