Kym Burley Memorial
Kym Burley passed away unexpectedly on 20 March 2014.
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Kym was an active and well liked member of East Coast Appaloosa Paint Western Performance Association and the Kym Burley -Excellence Award remains an annual award sponsored by precision Performance Horses and her Husband Grant Burley.
In the words of Grant Burley
Kym rode from very young age and was employed by a number of Melbourne based race horse trainers and rode their horses for them . She procured her racing licence at around 15 – but they had lied about her age so she could race a year earlier than she was meant to.
I have kept in touch with a couple of the people she was connected with . One of them is in his 90s now and refers to Kym as one of the best riders they had .
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In 2001 we purchased ` The Lakes ` property at Johns River and Kym decided to re connect with horses. She bought an Australian Stock horse who was apparently in the Sydney 2000 Olympic opening ceremony . He is now 25 years old and we look after him, as he was ahead of all other horses , Kym`s pride and joy!
In 2007 Kym sustained a serious head injury as a result of falling from a water tank. She was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital where she remained for almost two months before coming home where home care was arranged for her . She had transitioned from being an extremely active person, a proficient horse rider and pilot to a walking stick recovering from the most serious of accidents that could have taken the life of many others .
As a consequence of this accident I worked hard to assist Kym in the challenges that lay ahead. I vowed I would do all I could to return her to where she was previously albeit she had lost her sense of taste/smell and suffered from fatigue. The only thing that seemed to give her pleasure was her horses.
In 2007 Kym sustained a serious head injury as a result of falling from a water tank. She was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital where she remained for almost two months before coming home where home care was arranged for her . She had transitioned from being an extremely active person, a proficient horse rider and pilot to a walking stick recovering from the most serious of accidents that could have taken the life of many others .
As a consequence of this accident I worked hard to assist Kym in the challenges that lay ahead. I vowed I would do all I could to return her to where she was previously albeit she had lost her sense of taste/smell and suffered from fatigue. The only thing that seemed to give her pleasure was her horses.
We set about to build breeding facilities and I created a horse world for her as it was indeed something that I thought would help given the position we found ourselves. Kym determination and resolve was unbelievable. Not only did Kym start riding again she also underwent a rigorous process to regain her pilot licence which was almost unheard of. And she went on to speak at Brain injury conferences and mentored people that had endured similar accidents.
As people would tell you from the Brain injury unit, she was a role model. Given the position Kym found herself she decided to become involved in Western Pleasure riding as it was a softer, less risky environment than the ones she had been involved previously.
This led to her showing our horses at Wauchope and learning a new discipline. Those that knew Kym would say she was a friendly person who was humble and really liked by most. Kym did not want people knowing of her past nor her accident . She would sneak away at lunchtime for a little nap so she could partake in the afternoon events as well. I thought to myself if only people knew what she had been through to even be back on a horse and what she did for others. She very much enjoyed her time there and the company.
Kym sponsored various young people assisting them in there quests . This involved people in the horse world and also in the general area we lived. She took these matters on and when raffle tickets to assist someone in need were not always sold Kym would without fuss nor knowledge of others simply buy the remaining balance to make sure the necessary funds were raised.
Kym displayed through her whole life characteristics of someone who placed the needs of others a head of her own , totally trustworthy , reliable and most of all displayed immeasurable determination in what can only be described as adverse circumstances. She sought no sympathy from others and even in illness assisted others best she could and all of the time seeking no recognition.