Bill Mather-Brown interviewed by Robin Poke in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 4901270
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Mather-Brown, Bill, 1936-, interviewee
- Online Access:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2010 June 3
- 2 sound files (ca. 136 min.)
- Series:
- Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project.
- Technical Details:
- Mode of access: Online.
- Summary:
-
Bill Mather-Brown born in Freemantle, W.A. talks about his parents and family background; his brother Donald; contracting polio at the age of two; the family living at Agnew near Kalgoorlie at the time; spending two years at Kalgoorlie hospital; the effects that it had on his body; his philosophy of life; Kevin Coombs; working as a sports reporter with station 6IX; seeing wheelchair basketball for the first time; basketball training; the court at Trenton Park; Sir George Bedbrook; the beginnings of the wheelchair basketball teams in Perth; the spinal injury unit in Perth; Johno Johnston; patients encouraged to become fit and strong; winning some weightlifting competitions; Ludwig Gutmann; Stoke Mandeville Games in England (1957); John Rayne; medals; competing at the first Australian Paraplegic Championships (1960) in Melbourne; his selection for the team for the first Paralympics, Rome (1960); fundraising; support staff; his definition of the Paralympics; the standard of officials at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Mather-Brown discusses meeting his future wife, Nadine (1967); Tel Aviv Paralympics (1968); patients rights; the importance of fitness for paraplegics; Heidelberg Paralympics; Commonwealth Games in Dunedin, New Zealand (1974), Kingston, Jamaica (1966) and Edinburgh, Scotland (1970); the decision to stop taking part in competitive basketball; Winter Paralympics; being made a life member of the Wheelchair Sports Association and W.A. Citizen of the year for sport (1981); Frank Ponta; being awarded the Australian Sports medal (2000); Tony South; coaching wheelchair rugby; his thoughts on wheelchair sport and competition; the classification of disabled athletes; his children; inventing a hand control for automatic cars which is commercially produced; the East Fremantle football club; using his links to the team to inspire his athletes to play at their highest level.
- Biography/History:
-
Bill Mather-Brown has been a wheelchair sportsman for over fifty year. He is a three-time Paralympian and has also contested several Commonwealth Games for the disabled. In 2002 he co-authored a book, The fight in the dog, about his life in wheelchair sport. He has also published two volumes of poetry.
- 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 3 June 2010 in Perth, W.A.
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (5 p.) and uncorrected transcript (typescript, 78 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
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2080 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2010
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