Meet the tallest man in Australia | 60 Minutes Australia

almost eight billion humans in this crowded planet some of us like to be individuals while others prefer to simply blend in this is the story of one young man Kay wall shields who has no such choice he stands out by standing head and shoulders above the world a 2.21 meters at seven foot three on the old scale he's Australia's tallest man with no medical condition to account for his height doctors say Kol is simply the recipient of a lucky hand in life but spend time with him and you end up not only with a crick in your neck but an appreciation that life at great altitude has its downsides I had been forewarned but still nothing could prepare me for the shock that comes with first encountering Australia's tallest man and as a point they come in and grab a coffee loved one at home with Kay wall shields an affable 30 year old bachelor from the Melbourne suburbs I contemplated life in his size 17 shoes how do you I'll have a long black thanks mate [Music] and I started to appreciate the world is not built for people 753 tall notice you got high ceilings just by coincidence really really it didn't yeah I mean not every house is good two feet is it no ceiling fans luckily luckily got lucky with this rental just happened to be a little bit higher these doorways oh my god look at the length of the bed this is where the magic happens you in Schlage they have a young man's fashion options are limited I'm the full guy here that is really very sad yeah there are advantages of course the proficiency for basketball being one of the more obvious but off the court there's still the question of Corti that first date can be a challenge when you tower above everyone just ask Kay walls mates he's a charming guy but somebody told me he's on tinder is that true I can confirm that yeah do you signal your height on Kindle no well unless it gets to the point where you're actually gonna meet them I guess I like to give them a warning if they get to that point just so they're not too shocked I guess can I have a female view on that born in 1988 to a Tanzanian father who stood by comparison at an unremarkable six-foot-four and an Australian mum carry relatively short at six foot tall kay wall was a standout kid from the very beginning when I was 8 years old I think I would have been about 5 foot 8 when I was 12 was when I caught mum I was about 6 foot 1 she was in denial for a while when I was 16 I would have hit 6 foot 10 by about that age and then I think yeah when I was in year 12 at high school was when I hit 7 foot it was a shock when he got to be your height so early oh absolutely I knew he would he would pass me for sure but just not so early Wow he's taller than me and he's like so young kay walls parents split when he was a toddler leaving mum carry two rear him on her own at 80 so hide of a teenager did people think because he's behaving like an eight-year-old that there's something wrong absolutely yes people are well I it's not even unkind I just think they're in it so sort of like socially inept they don't edit what they're saying it just falls out of their mouth and they don't even touch anything rude oh my god it's do you instill toys or silly things you know the tendency to stare at people who differ from the norm should come as no surprise but when you're on its receiving end and it's all you've ever known it can wear a man down there was a moment you know IKEA and I think I was just there buying furniture and a couple were there with their very young daughter and they kept to point at me and I look at him look at all he is and I think I went over to them I said you take you don't mind so much when it's kids because they know no better but once you see adults teaching kids bad habits I think I just went up to them and said you teach you to order really bad habits and she was a pretty shocked and taking it back and she's like oh well we're just trying to show her that everyone's different I said but it's such a double standard would you would you do the same thing if you saw a short statured person and yeah look I don't want to be defined by my height and I don't want to say my can complaining about it either because it's given me a lot of opportunities that there's definitely a sides where that sits a little uncomfortably with me sometimes you can almost get a little bit exploitative sometimes I think if you think of jeans as a as a deck of cards well a rather big deck of cards about 22,000 cards it's just that in this instance the gentleman received a full house a favorable a favorable hand professor Suvari Ryan from the Murdoch Children's Research Institute is an expert on human growth so you can be seven foot three high and not have a medical condition absolutely if you look at height like a normal distributed curve he's on the taller end of the spectrum but it can easily be done without having any specific condition or genetic condition or disease per se dictates the growth of those long bones it all happens in these specialized area of the bones called the growth plate and we know that there may be up to a hundred different genes or genetic instruction packets that contribute to one's final adult height his parents left over 6 foot but nothing like this boy near the genetics of Heights really complicated the deck was a little bit stacked and then he just got a very good deal but as with so many cards dealt in life hold them or fold them you can only play with what you can give him was there a time when you're working a moment said I don't want to be this tall I don't wanna be as tall as I think I'm going to be I think there might have been a point where I did go to her and say I don't I don't want to grow anymore I mean that's enough I've got enough I feel like I'm getting enough tension as it is it's already that stage you would be high I was probably 14 or 15 at that age maybe six nine six six 10 and obviously at that age I think you know you just you just want to feed in you just want to be you like everyone else like like all your friends okay all came to me when he was about 15 or something you see um I really don't want to be much taller than this so I took him to a pediatrician and and we asked what could we do to sort of slow down the growth or stop it and they had some horrific ideas that they that he could take hormones but they had terrible side effects or he could have surgery and have pieces cut out of his legs but the MiGs could grow at different wings and I said I'm just gonna be really tall just gonna have to accept it how do you really fit into this it's not ideal but it's temporary it'll serve me for the next couple months let's see you squeeze in the contorting himself into confined spaces is K walls lot in life the one time car salesman loves cars wishes they were a little bigger now you've been in the car to eat I have been would you really like to drive I love the Ford Mustangs especially the v8 Sochi dream that's that's on my lipstick oh man have I got a deal for you we're gonna make you a dream come true you I'm gonna meet the man mr. Neher this is a big day in town how are you well thank you and you good to see you very well thank you on behalf of the moorish arts my pleasure to present the key of the city to you and our fastest growing town hello well order thank you and it doubles as an air guitar it does right how are you good welcome back the arrow welcome thank you good to be back everyone wants a photo and the local newspaper has turned out to around these parts kay wall and his key a front page news [Music] and back at his old school it's like a royal reception getting through doorways most of them yeah I have to duck a little bit with a basketball throw me [Music] [Applause] finally there's a family reunion it actually says everything about the mystery of the genetic lottery this is Marty cheese cables ante and at 4-4 11 she's the short twist in this tall tale but it's a genetic mystery isn't it you're his mum's sister look at the size of you and the size of him we always knew he was going to be tall like his mum and dad but okay let's look you pretty but regardless of stature all families are much the same and carry only wants what every other mum wants for their son everyone wants to be grandmother and he's your only one isn't he would you want him to find a shorter girl look biologically it would be sensible wouldn't it but look and I was just like him to find love and be happy and whether they were short or tall really it's that's the important thing you know that Sally do you give him advice no he'd say mum back but back off not your business you I know more than you anyway you're single what would you know all that stuff yes he's probably right I'm not I don't know I've never even looked at a team too so I wouldn't even know it's an ad I wouldn't know you guys Carrie if fewer I were to write the tinder profile what would we put in a decent very generous thoughtful he's a very thoughtful son what would we mention about his hurt well I'd probably say outstandingly tall hello I'm Charles Wooley thanks for watching to keep up with the latest from 60 minutes Australia make sure you subscribe to our Channel you can also download the 9 now app for full episodes and other exclusive 60 minutes content

Channel: 60 Minutes Australia

Views: 659,382

Rating: 4.7985435 out of 5

Keywords: 60 Minutes, 60 Minutes Australia, Liz Hayes, Charles Wooley, Tara Brown, Liam Bartlett, Allison Langdon, Tom Steinfort, Ellen Fanning, Peter Overton, Karl Stefanovic, Ray Martin, Peter Stefanovic, Jana Wendt, Jeff McMullen, Jennifer Byrne, Mike Munro, Richard Carleton, Tracey Curro, Paul Barry, Peter Harvey, Michael Usher, Ross Coulthart, George Negus, Ian Leslie, Gerald Stone, Sarah Abo, Kewal Shiels, tallest man, guiness world records, tal, height

Id: KescWPKjrqY

Length: 13min 40sec (820 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 25 2019

Reddit Comments

[u/[deleted]]

That's crazy he is a foot taller than me