In late 2025, we sat down with Richard and Cathy to talk about a shared milestone — 25 years of working together. What quickly became clear was that this wasn’t a conversation about time served, job titles or formal roles. It was a story about trust, friendship and what happens when support is grounded in genuine human connection.
“We’ve been working together for 25 years,” Richard says simply. “We know where each other stands.”
Cathy smiles. “We know our boundaries.”
From the beginning, their relationship has been built on a shared understanding that support is not about control or authority. It’s about enabling someone to live a full, ordinary and meaningful life on their own terms.
“My role is to help Richard live a normal, everyday life,” Cathy explains.
Richard is quick to clarify what that doesn’t mean. “Some people think support gives them power,” he says. “But real support isn’t about power at all.”
Those values — respect and trust — come up repeatedly as they reflect on their journey together. They’ve been earned slowly, through years of shared experience, life’s inevitable challenges and moments that tested both of them.
Richard speaks openly about serious periods of illness and hospital stays, including times when he struggled to cope. Cathy remained a steady presence throughout — calm, consistent and deeply trusted. Cathy, too, has faced major health challenges over the years, including multiple surgeries, and yet, as Richard points out with a grin, she always came back.
“And she still shows up,” he says. “How good is that?”
Spend any time with Richard and Cathy and one thing is immediately obvious: the chemistry is real. The banter flows easily. The teasing is constant. The laughter is genuine.
“She’s my first line of defence,” Richard jokes. “If I go to war, Cathy’s at the front.”
Cathy laughs, recalling moments when she’s instinctively stepped in to protect him — not because it’s written in a job description, but because that’s what friends do. Beneath the humour is something powerful: loyalty, instinct and a deep sense of having each other’s back.
Richard’s life has been shaped by resilience and advocacy. After breaking his neck in 1983, he became a passionate voice for accessibility and inclusion, challenging systems and speaking up when things weren’t right — not just for himself, but for others.
From fighting for accessible infrastructure to navigating complex funding systems, Richard has always refused to accept barriers as inevitable. Cathy has been there throughout — sitting beside him in meetings, travelling together, celebrating wins and standing firm when advocacy was hard.
When a long-fought-for lift was finally installed at a local train station in 2023 — a campaign decades in the making — Richard’s name was on it. A small detail, perhaps, but one that represents persistence, partnership and the impact of not giving up.
At some point along the way, this stopped feeling like a job.
“Oh, definitely,” Cathy says. “It’s family.”
Over 25 years, their lives have become deeply intertwined. Cathy knows Richard’s family. Richard knows hers. She’s been there through weddings, illness, loss and the quieter moments that don’t make headlines but matter just as much.
“I spend more time with Richard than I do with most of my girlfriends,” Cathy admits, laughing.
Richard doesn’t hesitate when asked what that means to him. “You get what you give,” he says. “And we’ve been lucky. We’ve had really good people around us.”
When asked what advice they would offer about building trust and connection, Richard is clear.
“You’re not more powerful than the other person. It’s not about you. It’s not about them. It’s about us.”
Cathy puts it just as simply. “If you do a job that makes you happy, you can spread that happiness.”
Their story isn’t just about longevity. It’s about what’s possible when support is human, when relationships are allowed to grow naturally and when trust is built over time — not rushed, not forced and never transactional.
After sitting down with Richard and Cathy, one thing is clear: this partnership hasn’t just supported a life. It has helped shape not just one, but two.
