Rachael Leahcar's voice of an angel, heart of gold
Local
Adelaide singer-songwriter Rachael Leahcar has a voice many are familiar with. Some will recognise her as a past contestant in The Voice Australia, others will have heard her presenting a radio show on Christian radio station Life FM or seen her performing at events for the likes of Nazareth Catholic College. The vision impaired star talks to The Southern Cross about a chance encounter with a young woman who changed the way she moves through life.
Meeting Leahcar is a magical experience. Hearing her sing is otherworldly. The 32-year-old was 17 when she rose to fame on television screens as a contestant in The Voice Australia in 2012.
The nation fell in love with her stirring performances of the likes of Edith Piaf’s ‘La Vie en Rose’ and her sweet, caring nature. In the years (and many albums) since, a young woman of inner strength emerged.
Rachael was born with degenerative condition Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and learnt to use a cane during high school at Brighton Secondary School. As she grew older, her vision reduced to five per cent, “much like a pinhole and even that is blurry”.
Her sight may be limited but Rachael’s kindness knows no bounds. When encountering a challenge or a cause in which she believes strongly, Rachael throws herself at it with vigour. She is unwavering in her advocacy for the disability community and her work with See Differently (the organisation formerly known as Royal Society for the Blind, RSB).
“I’ve been an ambassador for them for 15 years and have been taking part in the Peer Support Program as a Peer Support Worker since its inception in January 2025,” Rachael says.
Rachael Leahcar with Guide Dog Jarvis and her son Eli.
“See Differently is for people who need a bit of extra support and to talk to someone who’s gone through it. It can be a really scary thing to lose your vision suddenly, but people need to know that there is support available, and that people who have gone through it can give them advice or just listen.”
I met Rachael more than a decade ago to interview her about life with her trusty guide dog sidekick Ella (who sadly died and was replaced by her beloved Jarvis). Life has changed dramatically for the singer-songwriter and motivational speaker since then. It’s been a pleasure to watch her career and life blossom.
When Rachael married her husband Chris in a fairy-tale wedding at The Manor Basket Range in the Adelaide Hills, it was an unforgettable day. Royal Society of the Blind guide dog puppies greeted guests as they arrived and at the time, the young couple told me they dreamed of having a baby. That happened not once, but twice. First with the arrival of Eli (now two), followed by Indiana Beth who arrived on 15 April 2026.
In a heart-warming twist, the arrival of Indiana came with a side-story.
Rachael and Annie ahead of the birth of Indiana.
“Sometimes people come into your life at exactly the right moment and you just know they were always meant to be there,” Rachael says. “Earlier this year, I came across the story of Annaliese Holland; a young woman living with Autoimmune Autonomic Ganglionopathy (AAG), a devastating condition causing her organs to slowly shut down. She’d created a list of experiences she hoped to have while she still could. One of them was witnessing the birth of a baby.”
Rachael was eight months pregnant when she read Annie’s story, tears streaming down her face. She describes feeling an overwhelming sense that their hearts spoke the same language. “A shared belief in loving loudly, finding joy in every day, and squeezing every drop out of life.”
So, she reached out, offering Annaliese (now known as Auntie Annie) the opportunity to meet the family and be there for the birth of Indiana. What Rachael and Chris didn’t expect was the friendship that would grow in that process.
“From the moment we met, it felt less like meeting someone new and more like finding someone I’d somehow always known.”
They discovered “endless similarities”, deep conversations, laughter (in matching Ugg boots) and moments shared helping Rachael through the challenges of gestational diabetes.
“It’s a bit unbelievable,” Rachael says on reflection. “It’s almost like a movie. There are so many things about it that it were meant to be; the right time, the right place, the right people.”
Chris, Rachael and Indiana at The Danny Awards in New York,
When Rachael went into labour, Annie raced through peak hour traffic. Indiana came fast and messages went from “this is happening” to “this baby is coming now.”
Somehow, after sprinting through the hospital corridors, Annie made it just in time to see Indiana enter the world.
“I’ll never forget Annie bursting through that door in time to witness one of the most beautiful and life-changing moments imaginable,” Rachael says. “It honestly felt like the universe had orchestrated the whole thing down to the minute. Since then, she’s become part of our little world. Bringing over homemade muffins and Anzac biscuits, cuddling Indy, sharing stories, laughter and conversations that somehow feel both heartbreakingly fragile and incredibly full of life all at once.”
On reflection, Rachael says motherhood has taught to let go of the small stuff. She doesn’t reach for milestones or perfection, instead she talks about perspective. Life is full, loud and sometimes chaotic but her little ones have sharpened her sense of what truly matters.
“There are so many insignificant things in life that we worry about, that we need not to,” she says. “It’s a beautiful time.”
Chris has found his bliss in fatherhood, even when he’s deep in toddler territory.
“I would be sitting in my office [working as project coordinator for Blind Citizens Australia] just listening to all the shenanigans happening outside the door… now with two, I can be involved in the action,” Rachael says.
“Chris helps me as well. I would not be able to handle two without him, that’s for sure.”
Indiana Beth arrived with a name that felt both spontaneous and perfectly meant-to-be. In the final week before birth, Rachael had a list of about 10 possible names for each gender. Indiana just fit.
Only later did they realise how layered it was: “In” for Rachael’s mum, Ingrid; “Anna” for the woman who played a significant role at her birth; and “Beth” for Chris’s mum, Elizabeth.
While the death of Rachael’s dad weighs on her heart, his absence makes the presence of her mum even more precious. Motherhood has made her acutely aware of time, and of the fragility of life.
It’s also given her permission to live more deliberately: to turn down what drains her, to lean into what fills her up, and to savour the quiet moments between the big, surreal ones – like winning an award in New York or the almost cinematic way Annie came into their lives.
“We do enjoy life and make the most of every day and every moment. We’re focussed on the simple things but crazy, out of this world stuff still happens to us,” Rachel laughs. When she was a Danny Award recipient in 2024, the little family travelled to New York with Eli to accept the accolade which celebrates the contributions of musicians with disabilities all over the world.
Life is busy (Rachael continues to host Behind the Mic on Christian radio station LifeFM Adelaide) and one day hopes to record an album of lullabies. This is a songstress who knows exactly where to focus her energy.
“I’m keeping the people that I love in my life close and not worrying about the people that don’t bring me joy and fill my cup,” she says. “I’m focussing on everyone that brings positivity to life.”
Among them is Annie.
“One day, Indiana will grow up hearing all about her incredible Auntie Annie. The woman who ran through the hospital to make it in time to see her arrive, who taught people around her how to live deeply and courageously, and who reminded us that life is not measured in years, but in love. And what an honour it has been to love her.”
Rachael wishes she’d met Annie years ago.
“We get along so well and could have had many more good laughs together,” Rachael says. “She’s so special and so wise for a 26-year-old. She’s gone through so much.”
When the friends talked about what it’s like to be so close to death, Annie said something that will stay with Rachael forever.
“I’ve always said that I don’t want people to be sad at my funeral; be happy and celebrate the good times,” Rachel says. “But Annie said people also need a space to be able to grieve because you’re going to feel sad no matter what, so it’s important to be able to lean on each other. I thought that was profound.”
