Network 10 television show. Watch the full TV show segments below.
During the Channel 10 Specials, there were some unbelievable dreams that were featured, all of which were made possible through the generous assistance and support of some wonderful people and companies.
John was able to gather a formidable “Dream Team” around him, whose members were dedicated to making the “impossible”, possible!
Like any program of this nature, there were lots of speed-humps thrown in front of the team on a regular basis, but such obstacles only served to inspire the team to strive harder in order to make dreams come true.
John received some wonderful assistance from the late Tony Barnao, an extremely talented producer who had worked on the Angry Anderson “A Current Affair Challenge Specials” for the Nine Network. Tony was indeed an inspiration to the entire team, with his positive spirit and cheeky demeanour. John’s “Dream Team” also included two very special members, Linda Joannides and Christine Bullivant, both making the “impossible” a reality on a daily basis.
John comments “This experience was certainly one of the highlights of my life. Not only did we get to play Santa Claus for numerous needy people, but I had the pleasure of working with a magnificent team which simply made things happen. You can imagine that when one is trying to pull off personal meetings with the likes of Michael Jordan and Princess Di, you need team members who display both patience and persistence – and Tony, Linda and Christine excelled in both!”
Capture some of the “Dreams magic” for yourself and read through the description of each of the featured dreams on this page. Click the play button on the TV screens and download the full TV show segments for your enjoyment. (Note: Downloading of each TV segment may take 30 seconds or more, so please be patient – the wait will be worth it!)
Michael Jordan makes a dream come true for a 15yr old Australian wheelchair basketballer!
During the three Specials, there were some unbelievable dreams that were fulfilled for very worthy Australians. One in particular, which captured the hearts of the nation, was young 15-year old Jay Campbell’s dream to meet his sporting hero, basketball star Michael Jordan.
Click play button to view the full Michael Jordan TV segment.
Jay was born with spina bifida and unfortunately had to endure much of his life in a wheelchair. Understandably, Jay had his “down-times”. However, in his early teenage years, Jay took up wheelchair basketball as a passion and quickly excelled at the sport, reaching the pinnacle of playing in the Australian Under 16 Wheelchair Basketball Team.
His parents had devoted much of their income to assisting Jay’s pursuits and medical needs and therefore Jay’s dream of one day attending a Chicago Bulls Basketball Game in the US was simply beyond their means – and therefore remained just “a dream”.
When John’s Dream Team heard of Jay’s fantastic sporting prowess and his dream, it was “all systems go” to make things happen! Michael Jordan, arguably the biggest sporting superstar of the century, received over 2 million requests per year for personal meetings from fans.
So how did John’s request for a personal meeting with Jay Campbell get noticed above all others? Because of a dollop or two of “wow factor!”.
John contacted Michael Jordan’s management in the US and after forwarding a heart-wrenching description of Jay’s plight, he received a reply the following day. A reply that confirmed Michael Jordan would not only meet Jay, but he would also treat him to seats at one of the Chicago Bulls games and a personal luncheon at The Michael Jordan Restaurant in Chicago!.
Fulfilment of an unbelievable dream.
Michael and Jay – with some cuddly koala bear friends from Australia (Gifts for Michael’s children from Jay).
All of this was possible, as long as Jay could make it to Chicago on a particular day in February 1996. John and his team had just pulled off a giant coup, so getting Jay to Chicago for that date was never going to be a problem!
With the assistance of airlines, hotels and other generous suppliers, everything was underway within a matter of days. Jay and his family were “surprised” with the “Dream Of A Lifetime” at the end of one of his wheelchair basketball games. And together with his father as chaperone, Jay was flown to the US to meet his hero, Michael Jordan.
Additionally, the likes of Universal Studios and Disneyland in Los Angeles, came to the party with special VIP packages to their theme parks and attractions, making Jay’s ”Dream” even more memorable.
15-year old Jay’s teary comment after lunching with Michael Jordan was “This will change my life forever!” After the story featured on the program, Network Ten and John’s production company were inundated with congratulatory letters and phone calls from all around Australia, many of them citing that “this sort of inspirational television was long overdue”.
Watch some “Dreams” below featured in the TV Special:
Michael Jordan makes a dream come true for a 15yr old Australian wheelchair basketballer!
If you missed the video above watch it here as the centuries biggest sporting star Michael Jordan makes the dreams of an young Australian wheelchair basketballer come true.
After meeting Michael Jordan, the young boy said “This will change my life forever!”
Princess Diana makes a dream come true for a Sydney teenager!
This is a very emotional and much loved story about a young 13 year old girl called Emma, who had unfortunately lost her leg to cancer some years earlier. She dreamed of one day meeting the most famous princess of all and John’s “Dream Team” made it happen when Princess Di visited Sydney. And not only did young Emma meet her legendary princess, but her famous “hug” was flashed around the world, featuring on the front pages of newspapers from New York to Rome.
Meatloaf meeting for a Sydney toddler!
This is a fabulous story of a Sydney toddler called Lucy, who was tragically burned in a household kitchen accident. Unfortunately her pain was so severe during her burns treatment in hospital, the medical staff couldn’t calm her throughout the tedious treatment. Nothing could stop young Lucy’s screams, and understandably the little girl went through tremendous trauma.
Then one day, Lucy heard international rock star, Meatloaf, in the background while she was going through her painful treatment, and miraculously she became instantly calm! As a result, the medical staff used Meatloaf’s music to continually pacify Lucy, enabling hospital staff to provide her with her much needed treatment.
Upon Lucy’s recovery, her parents’ dream and Lucy’s dream was of course to meet the hero who helped her through the most painful period of her life. The Dream Team made it happen.
Erin’s homecoming after cancer treatment – TO A NEW HOME!!
Erin was 16 years old and unfortunately was diagnosed with leukaemia just four years earlier. She had spent the last 6 months in Ronald McDonald House and was awaiting a suitable bone marrow transplant donor.
Erin’s dream was a very simple one, to return home. But unfortunately home was a derelict shack on an isolated property in Southern New South Wales – and with Mum and Dad both unemployed and existing on carers’ pensions, they didn’t have any hope to fix up their home for Erin. The house had been sadly neglected through their long absence with Erin in Sydney, with the windows being smashed, the roof having holes in it and the door having fallen off.
The Dream Team heard about Erin’s plight and with the assistance of the entire community, Erin’s home was basically rebuilt from scratch, receiving an unbelievable facelift. Erin’s home coming and surprise party was something that everyone who attended will never forget for the rest of their lives.
X-Files Holiday Surprise for a deserving 15yr old
Here is the story of a young 15 year old boy who not only provided his mum with a dream come true, but also experienced one himself.
Young Thomas Ray was a student at Newcastle High School and was one of 10,000 Australian children who look after their disabled parents. Thomas cared for his wheelchair-bound mother, Tania, and this meant that he really could never do things which most 15 year olds would normally be able to do. He had to wash, cook, clean and take care of his mum due to her disability.
Through our secret contact, we discovered that Thomas’ wish was to just give his mum a holiday, in order to break the somewhat tedious lifestyle she endured every day. However, when we found out that Thomas was a mad X-Files TV fan, we decided to extend the dream a little further, and surprise both Thomas and his mum with a trip to Vancouver and the set of the X-Files TV program!
So, Thomas not only provided his mum with a much-needed dream of a holiday, but unexpectedly, he received an unbelievable surprise himself!
Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan, suprises young Sasha with a Flipper surprise!
Sasha lives on the South Coast of New South Wales in Australia and suffers from a debilitating illness which has resulted in long stays in hospital and many hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills for her loving parents.
Sasha is a wonderful young girl who refuses to give in to her illness. She inspires those around her with her positive spirit and she had just one special dream – to swim with dolphins. When we heard about this, we engaged the help of “Flipper” star, Australia’s own Paul Hogan. Sasha’s unexpected surprise was delivered to her via the big screen during the premier of Flipper The Movie. And before she knew it, Sasha was swimming with dolphins, an experience she will never forget for the rest of her life.
But the surprises didn’t stop there. Because Mum and Dad desperately needed a new car for all of the transport to and from hospital for Sasha, the Dream Team organised for Toyota to throw one of these in as well! And to add to the surprise, Radio King, John Laws, presented the surprise motorcar to Sasha’s mum and dad!
Rugby League Legend,
Mal Meninga, makes a football dream come true!
This is a story of a young Tamworth boy who had suffered his fair share of knock backs over recent years. Jamie Barnes lived with his mum in a modest van in a mobile home park. Without a father to play “footy” with, young Jamie dreamed of one day meeting his footy heroes, Mal Meninga and Alfie Langer.
The Dream Team pulled a few strings with the Rugby League hierarchy and before he knew it, Jamie Barnes was on an international flight to New Zealand with Mal Meninga, to watch Alfie Langer’s Brisbane Broncos play the Auckland Warriors!
Jamie sat next to Mal Meninga in the grandstand and courtesy of Mal, had a personal meeting with Alfie Langer before and after the match!
