|
October 2008 Newsletter
Australian Athletes with a Disability AAWD held their AGM in Sydney on 23 October 2008. Three Directors Corny van Eldik (CPASRF), Liz Pollock (WSA) and Paul Croft (ASOD) were re-elected to the Board. They join Tanya Cox and Amanda Garland. Wheelchair Sports Australia WSA recently conducted its AGM and Associated Meetings in Sydney on 22 and 23 October 2008. Congratulations to Esme Bowen (WA) who was elected as the Chairperson as well as Wayne Robins (WA) and Phil Tracey (VIC) for their re-nomination to the Board. They join Barry Barker (QLD) and Michael Godfrey-Roberts (NSW). Retiring Chair of the WSA Board Graeme Watts was thanked for his endless work after joining the Board in 2001 and elected Chairperson since 2003. The meetings were closed with attendance at the Paralympian of the Year Dinner; and WSA thanks Wheelchair Sports NSW for hosting delegates at this function. Paralympic Games Over 100 athletes from the 170 strong Australian Paralympic team represented Wheelchair Sports Australia's member organisations in Beijing, China. We congratulate all of our athletes on their excellent results. Full results are available from www.paralympic.com.au Paralympian of the Year Awards The Paralympian of the Year Awards were held on 23 October at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Paralympian of the Year was awarded to swimmer Matt Cowdrey. Team of the Year was awarded to the Rollers Men's Wheelchair Basketball, while the APC's President's Award for Excellence in Sportsmanship was awarded to Kurt Fearnley (athletics). We congratulate all of the award winners. The full list of award winners is available from www.paralympic.com.au Sir Ludwig Guttman Trophy 2008 Max Kelleher was presented with the Sir Ludwig Guttman Trophy for outstanding contribution to Australian wheelchair sports at the recent WSA AGM in Sydney. Leading Wheelchair Sports Victoria for 15 years, Max has made a considerable contribution to wheelchair sports with a passionate determination to provide opportunities for all people in sport. Serving on many organising committees, Max was responsible for initiating the 'Wheeltalk' School Awareness Program. He was also involved in re-establishing a wheelchair sports presence in Tasmania as well as involved in initiating the Beyondblue Mental Fitness Program. Established in 1981, the Sir Ludwig Guttman Trophy provides a means of recognising individuals who make a significant contribution to wheelchair sport in Australia. Wheelchair Basketball Congratulations goes to our Paralympic gold medal winning Rollers Men’s Wheelchair Basketball team and also to our bronze medal winning Gliders Women’s Wheelchair Basketball team. The Roller’s result saw them take out the Team of the Year Award at the recent Paralympian of the Year Awards. WNWBL The dates and hosts for the 2009 National Women’s Wheelchair Basketball League are currently being finalised. For information on the WNWBL visit http://wnwbl.sports.org.au and for the NWBL visit http://nwbl.sports.org.au Boccia Cerebral Palsy Boccia Australia National Championships The dates for the Cerebral Palsy Boccia Australia National Championships are May 4-8 2009 inclusive. Expressions of Interest will be available in January 2009 both online at www.boccia.com.au and by emailing bocciaaustralia@powerup.com.au. If anyone is interested in playing or learning about Boccia, please contact the National Development Officer, Lynn Kavanagh at bocciaaustralia@powerup.com.au or by contacting Cerebral Palsy Boccia Australia, 2 Duchess Place, Cleveland, Qld 4163. Football 7-A-Side Australian 7-A-Side Paralympic Football Team The Australian team came together on the 17th – 19th October for their first camp since the Paralympics were held. The players and staff are more determined to ensure that the team qualifies for 2012; it was a hard thing to know that the team should have been at Beijing. With the new determination came two new players who have been added to the squad and they are Dust-Lou Douthat (21) from Weipa in Queensland and Aidan Bennison (17) from Sydney in New South Wales. The team has a heavy schedule between now and the Arafura Games being held in Darwin in May 2008. Their schedule is as follows:
Para Cycling Confirmed Events 2009 Oceania Para-cycling Track Championships – Adelaide 13-15 November 2008 (CANCELLED) Lawn Bowls Congratulations to the Australian Lawn Bowls team for taking out the Test Series against South Korea. The dates for the 2009 Nationals are currently being finalised. Sitting Volleyball D Volleyball South Australia D Volleyball SA has been busily setting up and generating support from the local volleyball community. The aim of D Volleyball SA is to provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities to play volleyball, both standing and sitting and they recently held their first event, a Come and Try Day. D Volleyball SA is aiming to have a regular weekly competition and will bring a mixture of able bodied and disabled players to the 2008 Sitting Volleyball Nationals. By the 2009 Nationals they are hoping to have a team made up entirely of persons with a disability. SVA Nationals The SVA Nationals will again be held in early December to coincide with the Australian Volleyball League Finals weekend and the Australian Volleyball Schools Cup. For further information about Sitting Volleyball visit www.sittingvolleyball.org.au.Wheelchair Rugby Congratulations goes to our Paralympic silver medal winning Steelers. 2009 NWRL Update The dates and hosts for the 2009 National Wheelchair Rugby League are currently being finalised. For information on the NWRL visit http://rugby.sports.org.au Calendar of Events 2008 (*Subject to alterations)
Subject
to alterations If you have any articles, news items or information that you would like included in our monthly newsletter, please email details to info@sports.org.au . Whilst we will do our best to include your stories, we do not guarantee publication of all articles due to either space or content restrictions. We also reserve the right to edit any content prior to its publication in our newsletter. Information should be received prior to the 20th of each month. |
