Two and a half years ago, Cody Mackie’s life took a drastic turn when a bicycle accident left him with life-altering injuries. Many will remember the community rallying around the Mackie family — Cody’s parents Danae and Rob are well known as owners of Bullsbrook Hardware – with fundraising efforts appearing on the nightly news, and mullets being shaved left and right and centre in honour of Cody.
But as the initial wave of support settled and people returned to their own lives, the Mackies began navigating their new reality. It’s a common trope to expect those facing challenges to rise as symbols of resilience—and while Cody and his parents certainly embody strength, their day-to-day life is not without its hardships. “It’s always pretty rough,” Cody admits. “I don’t really get up to much. Most days, I get up, sit outside, have something to eat, play video games… and some mates might come around.”
For an 18-year-old who, before his accident, was, as his mum Danae describes, “into whatever everyone else was doing,” adjusting to a life with new boundaries has been difficult. Cody is not just ‘in a wheelchair’. He faces many complications secondary to spinal injury, including muscle spasms and autonomic dysreflexia – a potentially life-threatening condition that occurs with a sudden and extreme increase in blood pressure, triggered by irritation or pain below the level of injury. It means living in a state of constant vigilance – “It does put you on edge a bit,” said Cody.
The complexities of Cody’s care have also robbed him of any spontaneity. Rob explains, “One thing most people don’t understand is how long everything takes. They might ring up in the morning, and say ‘I was going to pop round and see Cody.’ Well, no – he won’t be up and ready until lunchtime, because the process to get him ready for the day takes so long.
“For someone that gets up and brushes their teeth, goes to the toilet, has breakfast, goes to work — that might take an hour. For Cody, that’s a 4-5 hour process.”
Though Cody’s life has changed significantly, the family remains focused on adaptations, not limitations. “It’s not a case of Cody can’t do that now — it’s a case of how do we make that so Cody can do it?” said Rob. And as if they didn’t have enough to adjust to, the father and son embarked on a unique project in 2023: modifying a Ford AU Falcon into a burnout car that Cody can operate himself.
It is a labour of love as with no ready-made solutions available, Rob got creative, tailoring the car to Cody’s strengths, with features such as a mouth-activated throttle and a braking system modified for his strongest motion, pulling. “Normally, on adapted cars for people in a wheelchair, you push to brake,” Rob explained.
Cody said, “When we bought the car, we weren’t really planning on me driving it. I was just enjoying being a passenger. But as time went on, I knew I wanted to drive.”
Rob laughs, “I hadn’t done a burnout for over 30 years and Cody made me do it for this project. Now, just as I’m getting good at it, he wants to take it away from me.”
Although Cody’s health prevented him from driving at the recent Bindoon Burnouts, he still enjoyed the experience, surrounded by a community that Danae describes as “the most helpful people, who go out of their way to help Cody.” His first skid is something he’s hoping to achieve this November at Carco.com.au Raceway. “Even though the intent and want to do it is there, it just depends on how his body is reacting on the day,” Rob explains.
The modifications were made possible thanks to major sponsors J&K Civil, Select Hire, Optimal Mechanical, Westvolt Gate Fabrication, 1800gotjunk, Nationwide Signs, and Bully Butchers; with special thanks to Jamie Smith for his help with the build.
The Mackies would welcome additional sponsors to help expand the project. Rob has launched a new venture, Spinal Industries, hoping to one day offer similar adaptations to others in need.
For Cody, the car represents more than just a hobby. “This car is a bit of freedom…and an opportunity to have something else to do,” he says. As Rob puts it, “It would be great to make this happen for other people as well.”
