You don’t have to do amazing things to accomplish goals; often, the simple things can be the most impactful. We want to introduce you to Dallas, who has been trying to move back to Moree since 2018. Now, in 2025, he’s made that goal a reality. This has been one of his long-term NDIS goals, and we couldn’t be happier that he’s made it back.

Back in 2018, Dallas suffered a traumatic brain injury, which caused him to spend 15 months in Tamworth Hospital for rehabilitation; for those of you not so versed in the New England area, Tamworth is roughly 250km away from Moree.

When he was finally discharged from the hospital, Dallas moved into a Supported Independent Living (SIL) home with Brighter Access in Tamworth in 2019. While he was fortunate to have a place to stay, he was now isolated from friends and family back in Moree, roughly a three-hour drive away. For someone in Dallas’s situation, making the trip back and forth was too difficult, this compounded his sense of isolation.

This sense of isolation is not good for your mental health; when isolated from friends and family, it can lead to loneliness, depression, anxiety, and increased stress. The more someone goes for long periods without social support, they can experience cognitive decline, low self-esteem, sleep problems, and be at a higher risk of substance abuse.

When asked how being away from Moree made him feel, Dallas said… well he used some colourful language I can’t quite use in a semi-professional blog post, but needless to say, “not good” is the essence of what he said.

Luckily, as time went on, in late 2022, Dallas moved to another Brighter Access SIL home in Inverell, a town much closer to Moree, a now shorter distance of 140km, roughly an hour and a half drive. This might only seem like a narrow improvement, but the shorter distance also allowed for regular visits with his mum, a massive improvement and something that helped lessen his sense of isolation.

Many of us might not think about it, but spending time with family does wonders for our mental health. When you spend time with loved ones, it helps reduce stress and anxiety, helps bolster your self-esteem and lowers your risk of depression. Being around family can also help you develop better coping skills; they can offer different perspectives, advice, or a safe space to process your emotions. Spending regular time with your family can also help you develop long-term mental resilience, which can lower rates of anxiety and PTSD and help prevent cognitive decline as you age.

Luckily, in January this year, seven full years after Dallas’ accident, he was able to move into a SIL house, this time with Connected Home Care in Moree. This achieved his NDIS goal of “I want to continue living in Supported Accommodation in Tamworth and meanwhile explore suitable Supported Accommodation Placement near Moree.”

What did Dallas have to say about being back home?

“Loving it – it’s good to be home.”