Monday 13th October, 2008.

Southern Queensland farmer John Coggan and his family are preparing to harvest the Guinness World Record wheat crop that has raised more than $61,000 for cutting edge organ transplant research.

It’s the crop that Australia nervously watched the family sow in June as they raced the clock to plant the largest paddock of wheat in the world in just 24 hours.

Standing in the middle of the 905 hectare crop on the family property ‘Enarra’ at Westmar, three hours west of Toowoomba, 61 year old John Coggan is all smiles.

“This crop has exceeded all our expectations.” 

Mr Coggan isn’t talking about potential yields.  Rather the community awareness the Guinness World Record feat has generated around the issue of organ donation.

Three years ago John Coggan was literally lying on his death bed in the Prince Charles Hospital in Brisbane before undergoing life saving heart transplant surgery. 

Grateful for his second chance at life, John Coggan and his family regularly contribute to the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation’s Critical Care Research Group in the hope new medical break throughs will increase the odds of survival for other critically ill patients.

They took on the challenge of setting the world record as a means of raising extra funds for the research team and to raise awareness of the severe shortage of transplant organs in Australia. 

Mr Coggan says sharing their story has helped to open up the discussion on organ donation.  “We’re very grateful that so many people have rallied to raise money for further research.  We’re even more grateful that sharing our story seems to have raised awareness of organ donation.  That’s something money just can’t buy.”

For Mr Coggan telling his story is all part of ‘paying back’ to show his appreciation for his new lease on life.   Since planting their record making crop Mr Coggan has been a guest speaker at a number of functions and conferences. 

Recently at a Medico Legal Association of Queensland Conference his success story was followed by that of a woman whose partner died after waiting for a liver transplant for more than two years.

“For me it vindicated what we’re trying to achieve.  We’re trying to encourage people to consider being organ donors and we’re trying to highlight the need for more funds to be made available to our medical research teams.”

Mr Coggan’s daughter-in-law Cindy says they hadn’t anticipated the feeling of unity their story would create between the city and country.  “There were a lot of Mums and Dads, not from a country background, who donated 10 or 20 dollars to our fundraising.  It’s really special that they have been touched by our story and our cause.” 

While the fundraising books won’t close until the harvest Mr Coggan isn’t expecting too many more donations.  “People have so many charities knocking on their doors.  We just appreciate the support we’ve been given so far.  Every dollar counts.”

Mr Coggan says a large proportion of the $61,300 raised came from their Sponsors.  “We really have to thank our major sponsors Landmark, John Deere and Chesterfield Australia, Rabobank, Simplicity Australia, Multi Farming Systems, and the Queensland Country Life.”

People wanting to donate to the Coggan’s Guinness World Record fundraiser can do so at any Rabobank branch.

For the Coggan family, harvest will see them once again driving big machinery quickly has they cover 10,900 hectares (27,000 acres) with nine headers in less than three weeks.

The Guinness World record wheat paddock will be one of the first they harvest.  “It hasn’t done as well as some of our later planted paddocks.  The rain has been sporadic but its still been a reasonable season and I’m hoping it will do 14 bags or a bit better.” 

With 12 bags equating to a tonne an acre it will be a good result.  But Mr Coggan says until the grain is in the silo it’s a bit premature to be counting their chickens.  “Primary production is an unpredictable game.  Everything depends on the weather and who can predict that?”