User:Cathy.Lambert/History of the Paralympic Movement in Western Australia

History of the Paralympic Movement in Western Australia

Origins

1960s

Competitors from Western Australia who competed at the 1960 Summer Paralympics in Rome are: Roger Cockerill, Kevin Cunningham, Sally Lamb, Bill Maher-Brown, Chris O'Brien, Frank Ponta, John Turich, John Johnston (Team Manager). Competitors from Western Australia who competed at the 1964 Summer Paralympics in Japan are: Lionel Cousins, Elizabeth Edmondson, Bill Maher-Brown, Marion O'Brien, Frank Ponta , Dr George Bedbrook (Team Leader) , John Johnston (Team Manager) Competitors from Western Australia who competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv are: John Beattie, Peter Burt, Kevin Cunningham, Lorriane Dodd, Elizabeth Edmondson, Bill Maher-Smith, Marion O'Brien, Frank Ponta , John Johnston (Team Manager), Dr George Bedbrook (SMGF Delegate)

1970s

Competitors from Western Australia who competed at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg are: John Dwyer, Frank Ponta, Cliff Rickard, Victor Salvemini, Nadine Mather-Brown (Team Nurse) Competitors from Western Australia who competed at the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto are: Harry Moseby, Frank Ponta, Vicotr Salvemini, Les Mathews (Team Escort)

Notable Personalities

Dr George Bedbrook

Sir George Bedbrook, OBE (8 October 1921 – October 1991) was an Australian medical doctor and surgeon, who was the driving force in creating the Australian Paralympic movement and the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, and helped to found the FESPIC Games.

Frank Ponta

Frank Ponta (8 November 1935 – 1 June 2011) was an Australian Paralympic competitor and coach. He competed in several sports including basketball, pentathlon, swimming and fencing. A paraplegic, he lost the use of both his legs after a tumour was removed from his spinal column when he was a teenager. Ponta was a member of Australia's first national wheelchair basketball team, and is credited with expanding the sport of wheelchair basketball in Western Australia. At the end of his competitive career, he became a coach, working with athletes such as Louise Sauvage, Priya Cooper, Madison de Rozario, Bruce Wallrodt and Bryan Stitfall. He died on 1 June 2011 at the age of 75 after a long illness.

On 29 August 2011, Frank was the first male athlete to be inducted into the Australian Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame.

Louise Sauvage

Louise Sauvage, OAM (born 18 September 1973) is an Australian paralympic wheelchair racer.

Sauvage is often regarded as the most renowned disabled sportswoman in Australia. She won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Paralympic games in front of a home crowd. At the 2004 Olympic Games, she finished 3rd in the demonstration sport of Women's 1500 m wheelchair. She participated in the 2004 Summer Paralympics, where she took silver in both the 400 metre and 800 metre races. She has won four Boston Marathons, and holds world records in the 1500  m, 5000  m and 4x100  m and 4x400  m relays. She was Australian Female Athlete of the Year in 1999, and International Female Wheelchair Athlete of the Year in 1999 and 2000.

Priya Cooper

Priya Cooper, OAM (born 2 October 1974) is an Australian world champion disabled swimmer, winning nine Paralympic gold medals as well as world records and world championships. She competed in the Australian 1992, 1996 and 2000 Summer Paralympics swimming team with an S8 classification. She was twice the co-captain of the Australian Paralympic team, including at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, and carried the Australian flag at the closing ceremonies for the 1992 and 1996 Summer Paralympics. Cooper has cerebral palsy and spends much of her time in a wheelchair. She attended university, working on a course in health management. After she ended her competitive Paralympic career, she became a commentator, and covered the swimming events at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Organisations

Australian Paralympic Committee

The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) is the National Paralympic Committee in Australia for the Paralympic Games movement. It oversees the means by which Australia participates at the Summer Paralympics and the Winter Paralympics.

References

• Rolling Back the Years: History of Wheelchair Sports in Western Australia. Wheelchair Sports WA Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-1-875801-18-3.