CONTENTED: Ronnie Hughes and his dog
(Photo by Steve Dyer)

Ronnie’s wild lifestyle had begun to take a toll on him

Riding rodeo bulls and horses to please great crowds, or chasing bulls because that is “what a man does”, Ronnie Hughes never met a challenge he would not try.

His most unforgettable encounter was with a wild bull he was chasing in northern Western Australia that killed his horse and knocked him out for four days.

“The bull had torn the chest of my horse wide open,” Ronnie recalls. “I took the saddle and bridle with me and walked back to the home station, but I don’t know what happened next until I woke up in an Aboriginal community four days later.”

Ronnie began riding in rodeos because he wanted to do the roughest jobs any man could do.

“I had no fear and no education,” he says. “I had been hurt so much by my father as he used to run me down all the time, and I was told that he switched off the television and radio if I was mentioned on it.

“So I had no belief in anything and I did wild things not caring about anyone or anything.

“When I did not win at the rodeo, I would take on a job as a bouncer or door-man, anything to satisfy my love for alcohol and women.”

When Ronnie was in his late fifties and suffering ailing health, his doctor asked him to see a man who could help him curtail his destructive lifestyle.

“My doctor told me that he could help me fix my body but I needed someone to help me fix my spirit,” Ronnie recalls.

“He introduced me to Laurie Peake in Chincilla, who sat down beside me and asked me a few questions. He wanted to know if I believed in God. He asked me if I believed God created the world. And did I realise that the first man had ruined the world by disobeying God?”

To all these questions Ronnie answered with a simple “yes.” The man then went on to explain what sin was and how it prevented humans from having a relationship with their Creator, who is holy and perfect.

“He asked me if I had ever sinned and I was not sure what he meant. So I said I do not think so! Well I’ve never slept around with women or anything like that!”

Laurie then spent some time explaining that even looking at a woman with lust or using God’s name as a swear word was considered to be sin according to a Holy God.

When Ronnie flippantly stated that he would be going to hell, Laurie responded: “Hell is the absence of all of the goodness of God. There is no love, joy or peace there. There is nothing good, only evil, suffering, and you will be there for all eternity. Do you really want to go to a place like that?”

Laurie then gave Ronnie the good news that God had such love for sinners that He allowed Jesus to come and die for us and pay the penalty for our sins. Then He rose on the third day enabling us to be forgiven and therefore removing the divide between us and the perfection of God that prevents us from going to Heaven.

At the end of the talk Laurie gave Ronnie a booklet called ‘Knowing God Personally’.

“He showed me a prayer in this booklet and said that if I prayed this prayer, confessing my evil thoughts and deeds and asking Jesus to take the punishment for my sin, and I really meant it, God would forgive my sins and make me His man. He also told me that I needed someone nearby to help me to live the Christian life. He told me about a minister, David Knott who lived in Chinchilla, who could help me do this.”

Both men were extremely surprised when that very same man walked out of the doctor’s clinic right in front of them! Soon the men got to know each other and Ronnie can testify that day God changed his life forever.

“When I got out of bed that morning I had planned to go to my doctor to get help to fix me up. I did not know that God had chosen that day to come into my life and change it forever.”

Ronnie has turned from a man who didn’t care about anyone or anything due to the apathy of his father towards him, to a man who enjoys reading and sharing the love His Heavenly Father has for him.

“My life has turned around since I was introduced to our Lord. I now feel good in myself. I was going downhill fast but now I am a changed man.

“Next year, I am doing a horse ride from Toowoomba to Longreach to finish at the Hall of Fame. All money raised will be going to disabled people from all over Australia.

“It is my way of giving something back to the world that has given me a living and to say thank you to my Lord for the peace He has given me,” Ronnie concludes.