Libby Kosmala interviewed by Nikki Henningham in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 5156747
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Kosmala, Libby, 1942-, interviewee
- Online Access:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2011 April 8
- 2 sound files (ca. 162 min.)
- Series:
- Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project.
- Technical Details:
- Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
- Summary:
-
Libby Kosmala (nee Richards), born in Adelaide, talks about her disability; learning to walk; her parents not treating her as someone with a disability as a child; her schooling; her wheelchair; secretarial training; working at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens and later the Royal Adelaide Hospital; taking on the Adelaide City Council in the late 1960s about parking for people with disabilities; getting involved in sport, learning about wheelchair sports; social activities; Kevin Borden; Wheelchair Sports Association of South Australia; attending but not participating in the National Wheelchair Sport Championships (1964); participating in the Brisbane National Championships (1966), her success with medals in fencing, field events, swimming, wheelchair racing and archery; Wally Miller; John Rein; Adelaide Archery Club; the development of archery as an open sport at the Olympic Games, rules that permit wheelchair sports people to compete in open Olympic, Commonwealth and World Championship Competition; South Australian Rifle Association; adding shooting to her sporting repertoire; winning her gold medal for shooting at the 1976 Paralympic Games; her paralympic career, success at National Championships 1968); going as team secretary to the games in Israel (1968); Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh (1970), her medal tally; her love of competition, her enjoyment of meeting and socialising with people with disabilities from around Australia; the importance of able-bodied supporters and promoters to the strength of the team; her first sports' wheelchair, stolen in transit to Germany (2003) for national championships, borrowing a chair from other athletes; getting a 'new' wheelchair adapted to her needs as a paralympic shooter; Australian Paralypic Committee (APC).
Kosmala discusses what makes a good shooter/archer, mental aspects of the sport; the need for endurance to handle the rigours of competition; Paralympic Games in Arhnem, Holland (1972); Paralympic Games in Toronto, Canada (1976); meeting her future husband, Stan Kosmala; the classification process at Paralympic games; Paralympic Games in England (1984); guns, rifles; the qualification process for the London Paralympic Games (2012); Heather Turnbridge; the challenges of combining work, family and sport; the benefits of motherhood to a sportswoman; competing in Sydney Paralympic Games (2000); the excellence of the Beijing Paralympic Games (2008); the changing attitudes towards athletes with disabilities; receiving the South Australian Institute of Sport scholarship; Ken Cunningham; fund raising and financial support; the International Year of the Disabled Person (IYPD)(1981); Spina Bifida Association; the importance of sport in shaping people's attitudes and improving the lives of people with disabilities; important people in the course of her career; Yvonne Hill; Morialta Rifle Club, Adelaide; her memories of the National Wheelchair Games; Miro Sepic; Commonwealth Games; the politics (international and gender) of shooting; the difference between attitudes at a club level and international level; reflections on her leadership in her sport and contribution to the paralympic movement.
- Notes:
-
- The Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project is a joint project being conducted by the National Library of Australia and the Australian Paralympic Committee.
- Recorded on 8 April 2011 in Klemzig, S. Aust.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (9 p.) and uncorrected transcript (typescript, 117 leaves).
- Subject:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project.
This collection contains 57 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
You may copy under some circumstances, for example you may copy a portion for research or study. Order a copy through Copies Direct to the extent allowed under fair dealing. Contact us for further information about copying.
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Literary, dramatic or musical work
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2011
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
Request this item
Request this item to view in the Library’s reading room.
Similar items
- Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project [sound recording]
- Jenni Banks interviewed by Rob Linn in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project
- Kevin Cunningham interviewed by Ian Jobling in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project [sound recording]
- John Eden interviewed by Ian Jobling in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project
- Priya Cooper interviewed by Nikki Henningham in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project [sound recording]