Let’s talk about your footy career. Where did that begin?
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I played school footy for CBC.
Ross Clancey, who was an English teacher at CBC at the time, encouraged me to go out and play with Deakin’s under 18 side.
I thought it would be a good idea to go out there to play because it might have helped me get better marks in English. Ross was the coach.
We never won a game but we had plenty of fun.
I ended up playing a few reserves games, but I never played in a senior game.
The main memory I’ve got playing footy for Deakin relates to a game when there was a scrimmage and the umpire thought I had hit someone.
I must admit I hit a few players during my career, but on this occasion I’d hit no one.
I ended up throwing my boots over the boundary line and sat in the middle of the ground.
Two of Deakin’s trainers came into the centre of the ground to carry me off the ground because I would not move.
I was a bit stubborn and still are the same today.
The stubbornness has not helped me sometimes, but on the other hand it’s been helpful.
Where did your footy career go after Deakin?
It came to an abrupt end. I got a job as an apprentice chef in Melbourne so I could not pursue my football career.
I was gone for five years before coming home to a couple of various jobs, then opening Logan’s Café in 2002.
Shane, can you explain how being stubborn has helped you during your life?
I’ve mentioned that Belinda and I had set up Logan’s Café in 2002.
The first night we opened was for the May races.
A short time after we started Logan’s, I was having health issues.
I would have been in my late 20s and I woke up and was blind in my left eye.
The doctors thought I may have had Bell’s palsy.
They ran lots and lots of tests. I was getting pins and needles in my feet and they were working there way up both my legs. They stopped at my waist.
I was on a walking stick at one stage to correct my balance.
I ended up going to see Dr Bernie Opperman.
He went through all the symptoms which I had been suffering with for a long time, and he diagnosed that I had recurring multiple sclerosis.
I went to the Geelong Hospital in 2005 for an MRI and was told Bernie’s diagnosis was right.
The doctors in Geelong told me to quit Logan’s.
It was all very daunting as I had a wife, young family and business.
Did you have the symptoms all the time?
No, they just come and go. The muscles in your body go into a relapse.
My vision was coming and going if I overexerted or was under pressure – it still does to this day.
My stubborn nature comes to the fore.
I think I can’t dwell on the negatives I’ve got to find positives, but that’s easier said than done when you are diagnosed with an incurable disease.
It would have been in 2006 and I was just lying on the couch feeling sorry for myself, which is one of the things that happen to you.
You go through different stages like “why has this happened to me?” and you hate the world and you hate everyone in it, but you’ve got to try and pull yourself out of the self pity.
A good mate Darren O’Brien came to my place; he said let’s go up to the Action Indoor swimming pool.
I used to love swimming in the sea and at the pool when I was young.
I went and started back swimming with Darren.
It was really strange I started building up my fitness and went down swimming at Lady Bay.
I went there every second day and noticed my health was improving, but I still had the symptoms of recurring multiple sclerosis.
In 2008, a group of my mates decided to do the swim from Port Fairy to Warrnambool.
I was going to join them after months of exercising doing swimming and bike riding.
We really only told family members and support crews we were going to do the swim.
There was 10 of us – no cages – open swimming from Port Fairy to Warrnambool.
It was an amazing experience, especially when we saw the back of Thunder Point.
I was totally exhausted after the swim.
They had to put a silver blanket around me and I went home and laid in a warm bath for hours.
Shane, have you attempted any swims like that one back in 2008?
It was February this year we swam from Point Nepean to Port Lonsdale.
There was nine of the 10 that did that Port Fairy swim who made the Point Nepean swim.
We put in a lot of training, over probably about six months.
It was incredible to go across the channel.
We had support crews again to ensure everything was right.
How is your health now?
It’s not too bad. I see a personal trainer four days in the week to keep my muscles going.
In April 2017, I spent two weeks in the intensive care unit up at Southwest Healthcare.
I had a change in drugs a few months before and I never told anyone I had a few issues.
I ended up getting pain all over my body and was admitted to the ICU. I was really crook.
It took me a while to get back on track but I’m going along alright now.
I’ve been very lucky I’ve had great family support and help from my mates and staff at Logan’s to get me through my health problems.