As the sun rises each month, hundreds of men gather at Dale Farm in Fitzgibbon for breakfast, stories and a reminder that resilience often grows through shared experience.
It was a very humid morning as I drove to Fitzgibbon, an interesting local community surrounded by green spaces near Carseldine, to an interesting house and some very interesting people.
Fitzgibbon is named after Abraham Fitzgibbon, the engineer who designed early Queensland railways. Fittingly, the suburb sits beside the North Coast railway line that helped develop the Carseldine–Bald Hills corridor.
Fitzgibbon didn’t really exist until the 1980s, when rural subdivisions began to take shape. Parts of the suburb were built on landfill, particularly around Telegraph Road and Roghan Road.
Meet Hudson Dale
Hudson Dale is an extraordinary, selfless man. I don’t fully understand how he has developed his amazing monthly men’s breakfast; but what I do know is we need more Hudson Dales on this planet.
Around 200 men gathered on Saturday morning in Hudson’s converted barn as the sun rose, kicking off around 6:30am.
The property once flooded badly and tested Hudson’s love of what he calls Dale Farm, a sprawling acreage property among an estate of normal sized blocks. Quite inexplicable how this enormous block sits within Desert Willow Way – it’s one of many eccentric but brilliant components of Hudson’s life.
A long line up for the great coffee, multiple volunteers cooking bacon, eggs, snags and toast, without fanfare… selflessness on full display.
I was an outsider, my first attendance at a monthly event that I had heard a lot about. In fact, my good friend Andre Moore, the former Bullets star and Denver Nugget, had previously been guest speaker and he had invited me but I couldn’t make it.
A gentleman introduced himself to me — Daniel. He had suffered a major car accident, the type where you spend 18 months in hospital while surgeons rebuild you. After running a very busy surveying business in Katherine, NT, he had recently moved from a wheelchair to walking with the assistance of a four-wheel walker as his rehabilitation unfolded from his new home in North Lakes.
The grace and dignity in this man would inspire anyone who met him. His family (including three kids) will have been through the most terrible journey, but Daniel was magnetic and hopefully, his recovery and continued progress will enable him to flourish.
The men that attended ranged in age from their early 20s to their 70s — business people, people looking for inspiration and company and sports people.
Ian Jacobs, three time world kickboxing champion, who looked in incredible shape, was in attendance.
Isaac Hardman was also in attendance, a young UFC fighter who was about to fight in his next IBC event having knocked out his previous opponent. IBC is a new derivation of MMA in the mould of what T20 is to cricket, a smaller cage so less room to retreat, two minute rounds and no grappling. You can follow Isaac’s career progress here and see his latest victory speech.
Quite a panoply of men who all had a story. Hudson’s off-the-cuff intro was hilarious. The warmth of the welcome was world-class and the main event didn’t disappoint. The main event was Barney Lewis.
Barney Lewis is quite a bloke. His business Legendex is a one stop shop for four wheel drives.
Barney’s 45-minute speech was inspiring, fascinating and didn’t pull any punches. It touched on the rugged story of his life and the rugged territory he had driven through. The theme was resilience, presented to a room of men that appreciated the tough times that life can bring.
He related the amazing story of driving the $1000 Track in Tasmania, known to be a catastrophe for anyone attempting it. Catastrophe, that is, for the vehicles that are designed to withstand the extreme conditions but rarely do. In fact, constantly repairing broken vehicles is the common outcome.
If you haven’t heard of the ‘Thousand Buck Track‘, here’s an insight into it:
He was a fan of the “half-bloke from Ipswich” –- you had to be there to appreciate who he was talking about, but the reference brought the house down.
He brought his big, red fire truck, a great example of a vehicle he has broken over and over and always repaired and made stronger.
A brilliant analogy for his life story.
Barney is a leader who would constantly divert respect and pride for his offsider, Jesse and his son Jackson.
His story covered his rollercoaster business and personal life, which would have resonated with the audience.
Here’s a longer form version of Barney’s business story on a podcast called the Wildcast. The host was also in attendance on Saturday.
The Men’s Breakfast happens every month, graced by men from far and wide that are determined to get up at the crack of dawn to attend an event with a purpose — inspiring resilience but not in a one dimensional way, focused instead on hearing great stories and being amongst a great group of blokes.
Hudson Dale is a force of nature who is quietly building a movement. Whilst his days focus on Commercial Real Estate as a director of Raine and Horne based in Kedron, his curation of the Men’s Breakfast deserves a spotlight.
We really do need more Hudson Dales.
Published 8-March-2026
