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with thanks for the use of the story and picture.
this cowboy down
 Reg Lindsay with the guitar that helped his recovery. Picture: Glenn Dickerson |
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By Natalie Williams. When country music legend Reg Lindsay steps on to the stage at his annual rodeo next Saturday it will be a triumph of his determin- ation and will to live. |
the road |
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Two years ago 65-year-old Reg collapsed with near-fatal brain hemorrhage.
Twelve months later and on the road to recovery, Reg was again struck dowm, this time with a heart attack. Modern medicene, his determination and the never-wavering love and support of his wife Ros, have combined to ensure Reg's survival against all odds. Reg's daily routine begins with an hour-long walk around the picturesque grounds of Cessnock Hospital, in the Hunter Valley, just 10 minutes from his home at Kersley. "That daily walk with a group of about 20 other cardiac patients means so much to Reg," Said Ros. "He looks forward to it every day and it is | making him stronger. "I go along as well, now, and make him chase me!" Reg's music has been another important factor in his recovery, with guitar-strumming an aid to restoring co-ordination of mind and hands. "It is a constant process of re-learning," said Ros. "But he gets stronger every day, both mentally and physically." Reg Lindsay's Wine Country Rodeo is now in it's third year. To be held at Cessnock showgrounds next Saturday it will feature the Homesteaders, Wendy Jackson, Vicky May, Noel; Lavel, Craig Giles and the Crosby Sisters. True to his usual form, Reg has no set list of songs to perform, | preferring instead "to get a feel for what the audience wants". "I'll probably start with an up-tempo truck driving song and go from there," he said. After the rodeo Reg will prepare for a trip to Queensland as a guest at the Comet Galaxy of Stars Show near Rockhampton at Easter. Then it's off to "one of my old haunts" the Wentworthville Leagues Club for Reg Returns To The West on April 12. Public performances will then be put on hold while Reg re-gathers his strength. And, he hasn't rules out the possibility of putting together an album of 12-15 songs in the second half of this year. |
