When Dr Gill Hicks was named the 2015 South Australian of the Year it was bittersweet. While the award recognised her tireless work campaigning for peace, the event that inspired her drive to change the world continues to haunt her.
When Dr Gill Hicks hopped into the carriage of a London tube train on July 7 2005, she had little idea this decision would define the rest of her life.
Travelling through the tunnel between Kings Cross and Russell Square stations, Gill was thrust into chaos when her carriage was blown up.
Trapped, and with her legs destroyed, Gill was engulfed in darkness and forced to helplessly lie in wait.
She was the last person to be rescued alive. Gill’s severe injuries rendered her unidentifiable, and she was stamped with the tag ‘One Unknown – estimated female’ by paramedics.
It was at this moment she made a pledge to survive and devote her life to making a positive difference.
Ten years later and Gill has stayed true to that vow. The founder of M.A.D. For Peace, she has dedicated her life to eradicating violent extremism and fighting for world peace.
Gill with fellow South Australian of the Year winners – John Swan, Vince Coulthard, and Kristin Carson
Gill continues to defy the odds, commemorating the anniversary of the bombings by tackling her biggest fears.
“I could think of no better way to commemorate the 10 years since the London Bombings and since the moment that my life, as I knew it, changed forever,” she told Inside South Australia.
The challenge has already seen her abseil down Adelaide’s tallest building and give tap dancing with prosthetic legs a try. As for the rest, stay tuned as she gets behind the wheel of a rally race car and swims with sharks! A passionate musician, the last of her ten challenges will see her return to the stage to perform for the first time in 15 years.
As she conquers each feat Gill hopes to build a narrative to inspire others to take on the impossible.
“[This narrative] will be designed to captivate, motivate and encourage people to think about how we each can make a difference and ‘DO’ peace.”
Gill remains fiercely devoted to her fight for peace and continues to juggle a number of campaigns. In the wake of the Sydney Siege Gill launched the ‘Be the Bridge’ campaign. By hosting events throughout the year, her aim is to unite people from different communities to allow the opportunity to learn from one another.
And her consulting team at M.A.D Minds are working on a project to rebrand peace into a commercial value. Launching this New Years Eve, the aim is to alter people’s perceptions of peace and encourage action over talk.
“If the general population isn’t excited by peace, what chance is there to use peace to counter ‘agressive-isation’?”