At the age of 12 she started horse riding in Australia, making the transition from western style that she had learnt in the Wild West to English. By the age of fourteen with the purchase of her first show horse, and her first show, her competitive bug was set in motion. The next
three years she completed her apprenticeship in the competitive scene and was on her way to more great accomplishments.

Melissa was certainly no stranger to hospitals and experienced considerable sickness with diabetic symptoms. With the aid of strong family support she continued on in the arena, achieving a great deal of competitive experience and personal improvement. The calibre of competition stepped up participating in Melbourne, Canberra and Adelaide Royal Agriculture Shows. She gained respect and acknowledgement in the industry and was exceptionally successful with her placings acquiring a wall of champion sashes.

Four months shy of her twentieth birthday in the space of twelve weeks she lost her sight through diabetic retinopathy. Extensive laser treatment and surgery was performed with no success. She was faced with rewriting her life and revaluating everything.

Melissa's dedication to horses had made her somewhat of an introvert. In order to survive and progress in her new life she prioritised friends and family, sadly cutting ties with anything to do with horses. Quickly building new friendships and becoming the social butterfly that she is today, she chuckles referring to this time as her rebirth.

Consumed by her new found challenges, Melissa learnt to live each day at a time. Re-learning everyday tasks through organisation and structure she learnt to map out intricate details in her mind. With no white stick or guide dog, she derived a system of practical problem solving and began navigating her way through life.

At twenty she was a volunteer speaker for the Association for the Blind and worked in an office as her father’s personal secretary. She believes this enabled her to deal with her blindness and helped rebuild her self worth and purpose.

For business reasons her parents moved overseas when she was twenty five, Melissa stayed in Australia. Before too long the horse riding bug struck her again and as much as she tried to deny it, her pure passion had never left.

Melissa called the Riding for the Disabled Association. and started riding once a week at the South Melbourne Centre. She found the controlled environment of the indoor arena perfect for her particular disability. Melissa believes that RDA. is, without question, imperative to the development of people with disabilities. Four years into riding with the R.D.A. she started competing again and has regained complete confidence in herself and her ability to ride.

She has also encouraged other riders with disabilities to compete. Through sheer determination, in a short period, she has successfully attained a position on the RDA Australian National Team.

Her goals are now firmly set on becoming a successful Para-Olympian competitor.

Melissa's is also a passionate motivational and inspirational speaker. Through sharing her life experiences with different groups she not only inspires but continually challenges herself

"Melissa was our opening speaker for our Year 5 Courage Conference. She was an outstanding speaker and the girls were truly interested in how she overcame the challenges she has faced in her life. She spoke clearly, confidently and had a sense of humour that the girls could relate to. Many of the girls stated in their evaluation of the conference that Melissa’s talk was the strength of the conference. The girls have remembered a lot of what she talked about and her name often comes up in our discussions about courage during our enquiry lessons."

- Nia Ente, Lauriston Girls' School

"Melissa's presentation was excellent. We all learnt valuable information about being visually impaired and Melissa capabily answered any questions asked of her."

- Somerville Primary School

"It is with great regret that we accept your resignation as a Volunteer at the George Vowell Centre...The schools program will miss you, you will be a hard act to follow...I will always remember you Melissa wih your bright personality and your positive out look, you are an inspiration to us all."

- Julia Minty, Co-ordinator of Volunteers, Association for the Blind