Janelle Colquhoun - Keperra

Janelle Colquhoun from Keperra

People see my wife as skilled, knowledgeable and hard working. I see my wife as she struggles to get out of bed in the morning and fight through the day.

My wife, Janelle Colquhoun, went blind 10 years ago from complications with diabetes. She is also now on dialysis and spent 2004 and 2005 battling stomach cancer.

None of this stopped her from establishing her own business, continuing with her operatic career, facilitating workshops, talking at conferences, sitting on not-for-profit boards and travelling overseas to Paris, Bermuda and Korea to sing and be a media spokesperson.

Sometimes she feels too unwell to get out of bed, yet she still accepts phone calls and assumes a bright positive tone. Some days she only has the energy to work for a few hours, but nonetheless she refuses to let down a client or leave even the smallest details of her productions undone.

In 2005, she insisted the doctors release her from hospital overnight so she could compere and sing at the Disability Action Week exhibition that she had produced and marketed.

Janelle has successfully produced over 600 mainstream and disability events in the last six years and has booked over 800 artists, many of whom experience disability. She established her business, Salubrious Productions, especially to represent professional artists with a disability.

None of Janelle's corporate clients realise she is blind or suffers such debilitating illnesses, as her disability certainly does not affect her ability to do exceptional, high-quality work.