It's been more than three decades since Wagga-born Chris Campbell dived over a wave on a South Coast beach and became a quadriplegic.
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And it's been ten years since he discovered a passion for art.
"I hit my head on a sandbar and fractured my C5 and C6 vertebrae," he said.
"When the swelling went down, I found I was able to use my shoulders and my biceps."
Mr Campbell spent seven months in rehab in Sydney before moving to Canberra and then to the Central Coast, where he lived with his dogs for more than 20 years.
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It was only after a spate of bad operations that he made the move to the granny flat under his parents house on the South Coast.
"I still live independently, and mum and dad are there for emergencies," he said.
With a lot more time on his hands, Mr Campbell decided to try his hand at art.
"I had never picked up a paintbrush before the accident," he said.
"I stuck to silhouettes at the start but as I got more confident I started to do more elaborate paintings."
Mr Campbell's collection now includes more than 300 paintings - enough that he's running out of wall space in his home and people to gift his paintings to.
"I just learnt by watching YouTube," he said.
"I find landscapes a bit boring so a lot are in a pop art style and lately I've been painting abstract dogs."
Next weekend, Mr Campbell's art will be on display in Wagga for the first time. With the help of his aunt, Wagga resident Fay Everson, as many as 27 pieces of Mr Campbell's art will be up for auction at the Curious Rabbit cafe.
The cafe's owner Vickie Burkinshaw said all proceeds will go to raise money for him to purchase a wheelchair he can take on the beach.
"We're pretty excited to be able to do this for him," she said.
"He's an extraordinary human who has overcome something so negative."
Along with Mr Campbell's paintings the cafe will also be selling his recently published autobiography, Ramblings of a Mad, Discombobulated Cripple: Three Decades Living as a Quadriplegic.
Mr Campbell said the book is a chronicle of his life so far, including memories of growing up in Wagga.
"Every Christmas time was spent in Wagga," he said.
"I've got three sisters and two brothers so a lot of time we got offloaded to relatives and we'd get dropped off to the lake, the pools, and the river."
The new chair, valued at about $46,000, would enable Mr Campbell to volunteer with the local surf lifesaving club by flying the shark spotting drone and keeping a lookout for swimmers.
It would also mean he could access better fishing locations.
"I haven't been back on the beach since the accident," he said.
"The outdoor one will give me more of a reason to get out of bed."
Mr Campbell's painting will be on up for auction at the Curious Rabbit cafe at 3.30pm on Sunday, August 28. They will be on display for the whole weekend.
To view Mr Campbell's art, visit www.deaddogdeisgns.com.au
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