BEN TURNER-DWYER: speaking of the horrific injuries he received as the result of a car accident.

Ben, can you take me through what happened in the car accident that you were involved in back in September 2007?

The accident occurred in Warrnambool – Simpson Street to be precise – in the early hours of the morning. 

I was with a group of mates in the car after being out for the night and into the early morning. 

I was in the front passenger seat of the car. 

I was asleep, resting against my left arm which was up against the passenger window. 

The next minute, the car crashed into a tree and where I was sitting took the force of the accident. 

My left arm was pinned up against the tree and I took the full impact of the accident. 

The car was written off. There were four of us in the car and I was the only one injured. 

I was taken up to the hospital. 

They had one look at my arm and said it was extensively damaged and I would need to go to Geelong Hospital. I was air-lifted down to Geelong. 

I can still remember the doctors warning me before the first operation, that when I woke up from the surgery I might not have my left arm. 

There was nothing I could do about it. I was in a hopeless and helpless situation. I was in the hands of the medical people. 

The doctors told me my left arm had been degloved, which meant there was no skin on it. They just said that they would see what they could salvage. 

I was told that my ulna-nerve in my left hand had been severed and that the bones in my left elbow and arm had been shattered as a result of the accident. 

There were a group of surgeons including neuro and bone people who did the first operation. 

I was relieved that, when I came out of the operation, my left arm was still intact. 

But I was told there were hundreds of stitches, staples and skin grafts in my arm and they were worried about infections.

MADDIE RAYMOND: who works as a strapper for Victoria’s leading trainer Darren Weir at his Warrnambool satellite stable.

Maddie, what time do you start work?

I start at 4am six days a week, and sometimes it may be seven days. It all depends on the day and what is needed to happen.

It’s a great job. It’s time-consuming, but I love horses. I consider it a great lifestyle. It’s not really a job as such, because I’m doing something that I love doing.   

Jarrod (McLean) is great to work with. He’s got a laid-back attitude for a person who has a huge responsibility. Jarrod has taught me a lot about horses over the last few years.

We’ve got more than 20 workers full and part-time on the books, which is a wonderful thing.

When you think of all the local contractors that are on the books, it runs into big dollars each week going back into Warrnambool’s economy.

KYME ROWE: one of Warrnambool’s leading hockey players speaking about her training program before the 2018 hockey season.

Kyme, how long do you work out in the gym?

I have three months of intense training from the start of November until the end of January as I prepare for the 2018 hockey season.

I’ll have four to five sessions in the gym a week and three sessions of riding the bike a week.

I watch closely what I eat when I’m in training.

I’ve got a sort of addictive personality to working out in the gym – when I start I just love pushing myself to improve my fitness and well-being.

JOHN CRAVEN: his company Caribou has been heavily involved with the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic for years.

John, what does it cost to put the Melbourne to Warrnambool Cycling Classic on for 2017?

I would say there will be no change out of $120,000, and that is a bare necessity of money.

A few years ago the Victoria Police bill was $23,000. I’m not sure what the cost will be this year but I reckon it will be more.

GLEN SCRIVEN: giving an insight into his footy career.

Glen having played a lot of local footy, who are some of the best players that you have played against?

There are two players that stand out in my mind and they are both former HFNL champions.

The first one is South Warrnambool’s Shorty Anderson, while the other is Wayne Billings from Warrnambool.

I played on both of them during my career and I was always amazed how good they were.

DONNA CONHEADY: a key figure in sport in Camperdown talking about her exploits on the golf course.

Donna, that’s a wonderful achievement from any golfer at any course to have a hole-in-one. Which hole did you achieve that feat at?

It was at the 17th hole in 2015. I was playing in a stableford round in the ladies competition with Maree Finlay and Doreen Horan.

I must admit we all got pretty excited.

I’ve been told I’m only the second lady in club history to have a hole-in-one on the 17th hole at Camperdown.

I still try and play golf in the ladies competition on Wednesdays.

DICK BARR: talented sportsman who devoted much of his sporting life to playing football and cricket with Woorndoo.

Dick, I note with interest your sporting highlight is that you got three wickets for 12 runs in a representative game of cricket at Reid Oval.

You must have been a handy cricketer?

I think I’m best described as an average cricketer.

The representative game was against Mornington Peninsula. Former great Hawthorn footballer Peter Knights played for them.

Blokes like Don Herbert and Des Keane were in the Warrnambool side.

They were wonderful cricketers.

I played cricket until I was 33-years-old and was lucky enough to play in four premiership sides with Woorndoo.