Dubbo student Molly Croft attended the Stand Tall event earlier this month in the Aware Super Theatre at Darling Harbour, Sydney. She didn’t just attend though... Molly was the opening speaker at the inspirational event.

The Stand Tall event is for secondary students, and brings a host of speakers together to arm students with the skills of resilience and strength to stand up to bullying. The event provides the keys to motivation, the power of perspective and the benefits of making good and wise decisions in your life.

Students find hope for the future at the event, a vital component to their mental wellbeing, and Molly was one powerful part of the hope that students can aspire towards in the years to come.

Other speakers included Timomatic (performer, singer, and dancer), Nicho Hynes (rugby league footballer with Cronulla Sharks), Derek Rabelo (a blind big-wave surfer and author who was the first blind person to ride life-threatening monster waves at Pipeline in Hawaii,) Michael Crossland (cancer survivor and author) and many more who left audiences totally wowed.

Some 10,000 students attended the event and an astonishing 100,000 tuned-in online. MC for the event Liv Phyland -- a passionate health, and wellbeing advocate for youth -- introduced Molly to the huge crowd. Molly is a two-time survivor of osteosarcoma bone-cancer, and her message was clear: she encouraged young people to not be defined by their circumstances. “I just told them my story, I know sometimes my story is a little bit confronting, but I tried to let them see that I’m just the same as them, a sixteen-year-old girl. When I spoke, I didn’t have any notes, I know my story and just stood there and talked,” Molly explained.

Molly spoke for 15 minutes which included her journey with the Tie Dye Project (which she co-founded with Australian netballer Amy Parmenter) and last year bought in an enormous $500,000. To top off this achievement, and in the wake of the awareness the Tie Dye Project has created, the NSW Government has now recognised the need for more funding and research into sarcoma by allocating two million dollars.

Last weekend Molly was invited by the Dubbo Rhinos Rugby Club to speak to and inspire players with her effervescence and captivating positivity. A fundraiser was also held at the Westside Hotel on Saturday by the Rhinos to raise funds for the Tie Dye Project, and 25 specially designed jumpers were placed up for auction after the game.

We congratulate Molly on her amazing achievements and her speaking gig in Sydney, which we are sure is only the beginning of big things for her. Her positive outlook on life and her infectious, happy, disposition are almost synonymous with this young inspirational 16-year-old Dubbo girl. Congratulations Molly!