Victoria Institute of Sport
The VIS was set up to assist the development of Victoria’s best athletes. It was established in 1990 by the State Government as a private trustee company, with its Board of Directors appointed by the Victorian Minister for Sport.
Over 400 athletes from a wide range of sports participate in VIS programs. Both able-bodied athletes and athletes with a disability have scholarships.
“I have observed Don first hand on a number of occasions and I admire the way in which he can amuse, inspire and challenge his audience. I would have no hesitation in highly recommending Don for any speaking engagement.”
- Paul Kiteley, Athlete Services Manager, Victorian Institute of Sport
Australian Paralympic Committee
Originally formed by its members in 1990 as the Australian Paralympic Federation, the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) is the peak national body responsible for Australia’s elite athletes with a disability.
The APC is respected as a leading Paralympic sporting organisation and is well represented internationally. It is also known to be successful in sport and marketing. The APC President, Greg Hartung, is a member of the IPC Governing Board and chairs the IPC’s Paralympic Games Committee. He is also a member of the IOC Radio and TV Commission.
“Don is an exceptional and intelligent speaker who draws heavily on his own background and experience as a Paralympic champion to inspire and motivate.”
- Greg Hartung, President, Australian Paralympic Committee
Australia Post
Australia Post is committed to providing high-quality mail and parcel services to all Australians.
Throughout Australia, we play an important part in connecting people every day through our activities in local communities. We are committed to making a real contribution to local communities and investing in the future of all Australians.
At Australia Post we are justly proud of the diversity of our workforce. Our 35,256 staff members are aged between 16 and 79 – and they represent over 135 different nationalities.
“I have heard many speakers, both professional and ‘hobbyists’ in the twenty-seven years I have been working. Don Elgin is one of only a few speakers who have left me with lasting impressions. Don’s presentation’s are of the highest standard in quantity and quality.” - Australia Post
“Don was an outstanding success. His bright, engaging personality, and natural sense of humour meant that staff could relate to him. Don is an ordinary person with an extraordinary story. Don is certainly entertaining, but more than that, he is positively inspirational.” - Australia Post
The Shire of Nillumbik
Located less than 25 kilometres north-east of Melbourne, and has the Yarra River as its southern boundary. It extends 29 kilometres to Kinglake National Park in the north. The Shire stretches approximately 20 kilometres from the Plenty River and Yan Yean Road in the west to Christmas Hills and the Yarra escarpment in the east.
“I thought Don was the perfect choice and I wasn't disappointed. He doesn't just inspire you for the hour he speaks, he leaves you with a lasting impression that I know will last a lifetime.” - Nillumbik Shire Council
Deakin University
Established in 1974 and officially opened at the Waurn Ponds Campus in Geelong in 1977. The University is named after leader of the Australian federation movement and second Prime Minister of Australia, Alfred Deakin.
“Don gives you the feeling that you can do it – get off your bum and get stuck in.”
- Deakin University
Marriot Foundation
The Foundation was established in 1989 by the family of J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott to enhance employment opportunities for young people with disabilities.
“Excellent. Most inspirational speaker, he made the night unforgettable.” - Marriot Foundation
SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
We are one of the few pharmaceutical companies researching both medicines and vaccines for the World Health Organization’s three priority diseases – HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, and are very proud to have developed some of the leading global medicines in these fields.
“Excellent. Don has a very endearing and approachable manner. He also managed to weave in our conference message into his talk. A very inspiring speaker.”- SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals
Mannatech Australia / New Zealand
“Don was such an energetic presenter. What an awesome choice he was as our keynote speaker on our Awards night, so inspirational, thank you Mannatech and Don."
“I was captivated by Don’s story, moved beyond belief. Congratulations Don on your courageous efforts and successes, you’ve shown me that nothing stands in my way other than myself. I’m now driven to succeed more than ever before”
“The Gala Awards Night at our Australasian Convention was once again a beautiful night. Such grace and elegance among the setting and the crowd. I especially want to mention this year’s keynote speaker, Don Elgin – what a fabulous choice. He was inspiring, entertaining and overall motivational. Thanks Mannatech!”
“The Team Mannatech presentation is always my favourite at Convention, and Don this year was a brilliant presenter. Interesting interviews and great stories of achievement. Well done team!”
- Pauline Boyd, Marketing Coordinator
2010 AFL National Coaches Conference
“Once again thank you for your involvement in the 2010 AFL National Coaches Conference. As requested I have attached the feedback which we received from your presentation below".
- • First class; inspiring & fun & enlightening; great session
- • Very entertaining with strong messages; top notch – inspired me to put things into perspective
- • Great passion; amazing presenter – fantastic; favourite keynote speaker
- • Excellent, enjoyable presentation in relation to Don’s experiences; very good performer & presentation
- • Best keynote speaker – outstanding; would have been brilliant as after dinner speaker
- • Wasn’t always on topic but very engaging; highly motivating
- • Captivating; reminded me of need to be inclusive & not put limits on what our athletes can achieve
- • Went a bit too long but inspirational none-the-less
- • Great story however not as relevant as I would have liked
- • Inspiring beyond belief – highlight of the conference; his energy ignited the whole room
- Peter Romaniw, Community Development Coordinator
Client Feedback
18/07/11 -Don was everything his Bio said, entertaining, motivational and a lot of fun to listen too.
He was inspirational in his delivery and truly understood the purpose of our curriculum day. His ability to make reference to his experiences and achievements whilst linking to the needs of the listeners was nothing less that extraordinary.
One word, Brilliant!
- Chris Barr, Coatesville PS
15/04/11 - Don, I have been at T.F.C for about 7 years now and the whole time being there i have not seen ANYBODY that had all the people in the room from under 10's to the under 16's even the parents attention front start to finish. The feed back from the kids and all the parents is nothing but positive and i thank you for taking the time to talking to the club. I only wish we crossed paths earlier. Thanks again mate. All the best mate.
- Tim zuehlke, Tullamarine football club
10/03/11 - Don Elgin came to speak to our school today. He really got me thinking about everything I take for granted and how I can make the most out've life. Listening to him talk, it makes you feel engaged like he is personally talking to you. Definitely worth while.
- Rebekah Russo, Student at Benigo Senior Seconary College
10/02/11 - Whilst Don is a sportsman who has overcome battles his messages are easily applied to any situation. Our Year 12 students rated Don's motivational talk as a strength and highlight of our study camp. Students are already quoting Don...and are using his goal setting method to form their own goals for this year and beyond. This is the second time we have had Don talk to Year 12 students on camp and each time students and teachers have come back to school inspired!
- Wendy Tangey, Stawell Secondary College
6/12/10 - Don is a true motivator! He inspires, motivates and encourages you to taste life again! Thanks for sharing your story, so we can make our story better. Continue to love life & the journey!
- Cheryl-Anne Szanto, Lachlan Partners' Retreat
5/11/10 -
"Don is a warm and compassionate soul and our boys instantly picked up on this. Don had them in the palm of his hand from the start.. On top of this Don is funny and infectious and the boys loved his stories and antics. It is not easy to engage boys of this age for an hour and Don had them up hopping around on one leg emulating his morning routine. They loved it and this activity provided an energy boost at the appropriate time. When Don removed his leg they were fully engaged. Don's story is about a real kid with an obstacle to overcome that was part of his life so not considered an obstacle at all. So many of the boys could relate to this on the spiritual, physical and emotional levels and were so inspired by the end of the session. I love what Don has to offer and feel that many of the 99, 10 - 12 year old boys, gained inspiration and support from their interaction with Don. We icluded a 6 year old boy for the talk and afterwards Don met with the child and his mother. This boy had also been born with the lower part of his leg missing. What a beautiful interaction. The teaching staff were also touched by Don's presentation and I have had some positive parent feedback too. Thankyou Don. We need more of the likes of you. You are a real catalyst for change and a beautiful person to boot. ……"
- Colleen Brown,
Porland Primary School
"Don’s approach to life was an inspiration to not only myself but my whole team. The fact that Don gets excited by oxygen has inspired me to get excited by not only the big things that happen in my life but also the small speed humps that we all overcome on a daily basis as well! If only one person from the group was to take on board 10% of dons attitude then my business would be a better place!"
- Heath Whiteside, Whiteside Homes
Thank you so much for coming along to our Casey Student Leaders Forum and sharing your story with the student leaders. Your talk was very engaging and the young people enjoyed it very much. They found you very inspiring and informative. Here is some of what they had to say;
• The speaker was very captivating, inspirational and enjoyable
• It was a very good and interesting way to learn about what it is like to be a leader
• Overall I think the forum was great. Than you Don for coming and telling us about your journey
• Thanks Don I really enjoyed your inspirational talk
• Loved the speaker, would definitely come back for more if possible
• I found Don very inspirational
• I have learnt a lot about leaders and being a better leader.
• Awesome guest speaker, very inspirational
• Thanks Don. I found you really inspirational and I hope I can become as great as you one day
• The talker was very inspirational and funny, we enjoyed ourselves heaps
• I like how Don Elgin set out his speech, it was humorous and informative
• Don Elgin was an inspiration to all of us
• It was brilliant, inspiring and I have leant many things that will help me, not only through more leadership roles but also through life
- Racheal Persico, School Liaison Officer City of Casey
"Excellent presentation. Don had some very good messages for our students, especially for our boys . It was great that it wasn’t too sport oriented. The student thought he was great. Even our most difficult, the ones we thought would find it too long and distract each other, were attentive. They had positive things to say. Shame we ran out of time for questions. The students did have a few."
- Simon Cameron, Scoresby Secondary College
"Don, you were great. Your time with the kids was fantastic. . You were the light house in the storm."
- Boyd Cowley
'Our Year 11 students had the privilege of being motivated by Donnie Elgin during our ‘Blast Off’ program. Donnie’s incredibly positive message urged our students to make the most of every moment of every day and he invited them not to let an opportunity pass by. Donnie was entertaining, engaging and the students are still talking about his vibrant approach to life.
- Angie Pollock, Bendigo Senior Secondary College
"We had a room of 55 people who were captivated by Don’s story. He is a joy to listen to & is one of the most en"tertaining speaks to stand in front of a lectern. A fantastic yarn about a young mans dream to be the best he can be."
- George Racovalis, ManheimFowles Pty Ltd
“Don spoke in a warm and passionate manner
sharing his dreams from growing up playing as much sport as possible to pursuing his paralymic goals. Listening to Don was inspiring and he encouraged our students& staff to reflect on their own goals and to do more than just dream about what is possible. It doesn't matter where you start in life it is the passion and drive to succeed that makes a person successful and as a boy from Toc Donnie made it all very real to all of us at Cobram Secondary College. Exceptional motivator and we look forward to booking Donnie again.”
- Vicki Nolen, Principal Cobram Secondary College
“Now you realise why Don is one of our team leaders, a bloody important part of our team”
- Chris Nunn, Head Coach, Australian Track and Field Team, Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.
“Fantastic presentation, something that all our students would have benefited from, not just the athletics team”
- Mentone Girls Grammar
“Don is a great communicator with a personable nature that really enthuses his audience. Don has always managed to be able to target his presentation exactly at the audience and get rave reviews, and subsequent bookings afterwards.”
- Active Approach
“Don is a very entertaining and inspirational speaker who appeals to a wide audience. I have received excellent feedback from every speaking engagement that he has performed for us. He adapted his presentations very well depending on the situation and our requirements.”
- Franklins Ltd
“Excellent. Wonderful speaker, extremely well received.”
- hoo marketing
“Don spoke very well and was very entertaining. He has a fantastic story and is a great inspiration and motivator.”
- ESSO
“Excellent. Don Elgin was an excellent choice for our audience of 190 Building Professionals and partners. In tracing the last ten years Don showed that he had courage and determination to succeed. An excellent role model. Thanks Don for an excellent talk.
- Australian Institute of Building (Victoria)
“Excellent. Don was very personable, able and willing to deal with people from Director level to young trainees. His performance had the audience in raptures and offered a range of emotions from laughter to poignant comment.
- Melbourne East Group Training (MEGT)
“Everyone thought Don was fantastic, inspirational, and some people said that what he spoke about couldn’t have been put better. He was sensational and a pleasure to listen to.
He was rated as one of the ‘favourite’ presenters of the day. Please pass on our thanks to him.”
- The Investors Club®
Testimonials
Don speaks to 1000's of people around the world. If you have been inspired by one of Don's messages please leave your testimonial here.
