Andrew Drain has spent more than 30 years building two lodges on an acreage at Wootton near Bulahdelah without knowing why until now.
"It's never going to be finished," he said, of the lodges that he and wife Natsumi Drain have built together.
Mr Drain became a paraplegic after a car accident in Margaret River in Western Australia in 1988 at age 21.
He was a passenger in the vehicle, so he got a substantial insurance payout from the state that enabled him to buy the land at Wootton.
"The first time I drove down the driveway, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was home. I found where I belonged. It was the strangest feeling. I always knew I was here for a reason, but I had no idea what that was," he said.
"I had lots of addiction issues. I got involved with motorbikes and bikies. I was building a bikie clubhouse. I realised that wasn't who I was supposed to share the property with. Thankfully I pulled away from that at age 30."
He met Natsumi by chance in 2003.
"She was from Japan. I told her I'm just building this thing and I don't really know why," he said, echoing the 1989 film Field of Dreams.
"She teamed up with me. She could hardly speak English, but we kind of worked it out."
Natsumi taught him about forest bathing, a popular concept in Japan that helps people find peace through nature.
"I've created over 10 kilometres of wheelchair-accessible trails here, so we can bring people with mobility issues out here," he said.
"I've been given a mission. We've got to turn this into something huge and help as many people as we can."
Andrew and Natsumi ran an earthmoving business together for 22 years. He invented contraptions to get from his wheelchair into the cabins of a bulldozer and excavator.
"It wasn't that easy, but once I got in there I was there for eight to 10 hours. I made hand controls to operate the machinery," he said.
"We worked really hard, but six years ago I became sick with recurrent bladder infections. I was working in a dirty environment and had to self-catheter. I was getting UTIs constantly. It nearly killed me."
He wasn't sure if he could continue his mission on the property, but he recovered and in recent months met mental health advocate Kina Usaia through a cousin.
Mr Usaia had a plan to bring disadvantaged kids to the Wootton property to help them find a purpose in life. Mr Drain said he had been waiting 35 years for someone like him to enter his life.
A fortnight ago, the first group of disadvantaged boys - aged around 15 - came to the property. Another four boys came through yesterday.
"It's so good to get the boys into the bush and off their devices. The boys love it. I had a troubled background like them. I was constantly told at school I'd never become anything," he said.
"We want to create a space where it's safe and all about learning. We want to bring the kids here to do work experience with a sawmill, machinery, excavator and learn about gardening.
"I'd like to incorporate a native nursery where we grow native foods and medicines. I come from a horticultural background. I grew up in nurseries."
The plan is to hold three-day camps at the property and "bring them onto Country".
"We're right in the middle of the Wallingat National Park. We're on 56 hectares and surrounded by another 7000 hectares," he said.
The plan needs funding to come to fruition, but Mr Drain isn't worried.
"If you're being true to yourself and doing something positive, I try not to worry about the money. It's easy to say, but I have faith in that. Of course we'll have to try to source sponsors. We need people to help us," he said.
After Mr Drain had his accident, he had a near-death experience in hospital.
"It was amazing," he said, adding that he developed a spiritual side.
"I feel like I'm guided by the spirit of the land."
He recalled connecting with Indigenous people in the Kimberley and rounding up cattle at Fitzroy Crossing at age 17.
"The whole team was Indigenous. They helped change my life," he said.
"They taught me stuff in the bush and gave me an appreciation of how to look after Country and not wreck it. It wasn't until I got older that I remembered that stuff. They instilled something in me."
His property is called the Bachelor Forest Lodge Freedom Forest. It's in Worimi Country.
"I've been told by Aboriginal ladies that this was a women's healing forest. How it got the name Bachelor Forest I'll never know. I've created the Freedom Forest here."
