Edition 10
March 2006
Empower
Empowering TAC clients by sharing stories and information
Let the Games begin
with a disability. Athletes with a
disability are going for gold in 12
events across four different sports –
swimming, athletics (track and field),
table tennis and weightlifting.
All 12 events are part of the main
Games competition schedule with
medals counted as part of the main
medal tally.
The 2006 Commonwealth Games
are here. Many of the world’s best
athletes are competing in Melbourne,
including two hundred elite athletes
Attention please!
Attention motor racing fans
The countdown to the Melbourne
Grand Prix has begun. The Australian
Grand Prix Corporation has released
a brochure with information about
the event for people with a disability.
The brochure includes information
about transport, wheelchairaccessible buses and parking,
concession tickets, Companion
Cards, corporate hospitality, and
wheelchair renting.
The Elite Athletes with a Disability
program involves over 200 athletes,
specialist officials and support
staff. The athletes are competing
in the same sessions as their
able-bodied counterparts, giving
For a copy of the brochure contact
the Australian Grand Prix Corporation
on (03) 9258 7100.
Attention horse lovers
If you’re interested in horse
riding, the Riding for the Disabled
Association (RDA) has a range of
horse riding programs specifically
tailored to people with disabilities.
For more information, contact the
RDA on (03) 9532 0411.
spectators the opportunity to watch
and support all athletes taking part
in the Games.
In this issue of empower we meet
star swimmer Alex Harris who
overcame challenges to make the
all-conquering Australian Swimming
Team. Martin Trivett tells us about
his quest to walk again and his role
as a Games volunteer. And Melissa
Noonan relives the excitement of
being part of the Queen’s Baton
relay and explains how an accident
sparked a great idea.
Enjoy the Games. Go the Aussies!
Attention young artists
Youth Arts organisation NOISE
is calling young artists with a
disability 25 and under to submit
all forms of media-friendly works
such as photography, pictures,
music, words and industrial-object
design. You will be in the running
for micro-grants to make more
art and have your art seen.
To submit an entr y contact NOISE
on 1800 080 826 (free call). But
hurr y! Entries close on 31 March.
2 Empower
My journey to the Games
Martin Trivett
G’day my name is Martin. I’m forty
years old and have a wife, Bronwen,
and two young daughters, Emma
and Natalie. I’ve always been into
keeping fit and was on a morning
bike ride last year in Januar y when
I was hit from behind by a van.
My life turned upside down in an
instant. One moment I was on my
bike, the next I was in hospital with
a spinal cord injur y wondering if
I’d ever walk again.
After I had surger y to insert rods
on the sides of my damaged spinal
column and screws and clips to
suppor t the fractured ver tebrae
I was able to begin active
rehabilitation three weeks later.
I learnt to sit again in Februar y,
stand in March and walk with
crutches in April. Relearning basic
things that I took for granted was
frustrating at times, but the key
to success was a positive attitude.
I realise that sometimes
life doesn’t always go to
plan, but there’s no use
moping around, you’ve
got to get on with it.
You’ve got to be grateful for the
capacity you do have. After meeting
others at the rehab hospitals,
I felt that my injuries were a minor
inconvenience in comparison.
I decided that I wasn’t going to
feel sorr y for myself – I was going
to do the best I could with the
cards I was dealt.
Neighbourhood
House
Volunteering is a good way to get
out and about, meet new people,
learn new skills and get some
enough to run my 500 metre section
like I had hoped, but it was still
a special moment for me and my
family. I soaked up the atmosphere
but also concentrated on my walking.
If I get distracted when I walk
sometimes I trip over.
I did it! With a little help from his family,
Martin reached his goal of climbing Mt Oberon
in Wilsons Promontory.
I was proud when I was able to walk
ten metres unaided in the rehab
hospital. I was excited when I could
finally go home and play with my
kids. I was pleased when I made
a gradual return to work. And I was
rapt when the family went on a
camping trip to Wilson’s Promontory
and I climbed Mount Oberon with
my wife and daughters. It’s not the
highest mountain, but it was a goal
I set out to achieve not long after
the accident. Before my injur y I
carried the kids up this mountain.
This time I slowly walked the return
trip without assistance. But I’ve
never been as satisfied to reach
the top. Or as tired!
I don’t know how I would have made
it through without my family who have
been great motivators in my recovery.
Emma and Natalie, who were used
to a ver y active dad, have had to
adjust to what things I can and can’t
do now, or not quite yet.
But one thing I did do, with the girls
clapping and cheering in the crowd,
was take part in the Queen’s Baton
Relay on 3 March. I hadn’t recovered
job experience. If you’d like to get
involved in volunteering, a great
place to start is with your local
Neighbourhood House. There’s
a variety of things to do at a
Neighbourhood House, including
writing, computer work, making
I’m also a volunteer at the
Commonwealth Games. I’m in
charge of a team of eight other
volunteers. Our job is to run the
deliver y schedule, which basically
means we have to make sure
equipment, food and drink is
delivered by suppliers to the right
venues at the right times. I’m proud
to have been offered a leadership
role especially considering I had
to go through a tough inter view
process to get it! I’ll be at Games’
venues throughout the two weeks
of competition although I think I’ll
be too busy to see many events.
I’m philosophical about the accident.
I realise that sometimes life doesn’t
always go to plan, but there’s no
use moping around, you’ve got to
get on with it. I can do many things
that others can’t. I don’t think the
accident limits me. If anything,
I put limitations on myself.
Access for All Abilities
Interested in getting fit, having
fun and meeting new people?
Your Access for All Abilities
regional provider can help you
get involved in sport and
recreation in your local area.
To get in touch with your Access
for All Abilities regional provider
contact Sport and Recreation
Victoria on (03) 9208 3426.
deliveries, helping at local festivals
and taking par t in community
tree planting and clean-up days.
To find the location of your local
Neighbourhood House, contact
(03) 9654 1104.
3 Empower
Melissa makes a difference
Melissa Noonan
I participated in the Queen’s Baton
Relay on the day before the Games
began. I had a flat five hundred
metre section on St Kilda Rd. I was
in a wheelchair for some of the way,
but am proud to report that I walked
most of it. I trained for weeks to
build my strength and endurance for
the day and it was definitely worth it.
It was one of the highlights of my life.
To walk at all meant that I had come
a long way since my accident in
September 2003. I suffered horrific
injuries to my legs and pelvis and
lost two thirds of the blood in my
body. I was in a coma for two weeks
and actually dreamt that I lost one
of my legs. So when I woke up
and a nurse told me that my right
leg above the knee had been
amputated, it came as no surprise.
It was tough to accept at first and
there were some teary moments,
especially before the different
operations I had to have. It was also
hard totally relying on others for my
personal care. I was just grateful for
the support of family and friends
– I found out later that some friends
secretly organised shifts so that I
always had company in the hospital.
Soon I started to think about what
I could do to get on with life again.
My first goal was to spend some
of Christmas 2003 at home with
my family. I was exhausted and
could only stay a short time, but
I was happy to be home again.
My next goal was to work hard on
my rehabilitation and get used to
standing and walking on my new
prosthetic leg. I had a lot of spills,
but I simply got up and tried again
– I had no choice.
During this tough time in hospital,
I searched to understand what
my new life would be like and how
I could get my independence
back. What would happen next?
What would I be able to do?
How would my disability change
my life? What could I expect?
Melissa (front row, third from left) pictured with peer support volunteers from Limbs 4 Life.
Melissa founded the organisation in 2004.
I felt completely alone. Despite
having a wonder ful medical team
looking after me there was no
assistance in the way of peer
support or information. I craved
to meet people who had experience
and knowledge on this subject,
and those who had overcome their
injuries to lead productive lives.
I choose to focus on
the things I can do, rather
than dwell on the things
I can’t.
By chance I met Jason, a fellow
amputee. Through his suppor t
and friendship I star ted to get the
information I so desperately
needed. Jason was able to share
his experiences, and discussed
the challenges that lay ahead.
More impor tantly he was living
proof that life could resume for me.
Jason became my informal peer
suppor t worker, suppor t he never
had, and something which I believe
should be available to ever yone
who has experienced limb loss.
This problem needed to be
addressed. I was lucky to meet Jason
but every amputee should have that
opportunity. The seeds for Limbs 4
Life had just been planted.
Along with Jacinta, who worked in
an amputee unit of a rehabilitation
centre, we planned the formation of
an organisation to provide amputees
and their families with information
and peer support. But finding
sponsorship and funding for Limbs 4
Life proved difficult in the early days.
We received so many rejections –
I remember one person saying that
‘it will never get off the ground’.
However, we were determined and
refused to give up. Eventually we
got a major sponsor and in October
2004, Limbs 4 Life was incorporated
as a not-for-profit organisation.
Since then I’ve been busy promoting
the organisation – recently I was
interviewed on radio and by New Idea
magazine. The organisation has
grown a lot, we have appointed a
Board that is experienced in issues
that matter to amputees and we now
have nine peer support officers to
visit the hospitals. But we’re always
looking for more volunteers!
Since the accident many things
have changed – some for the better.
I choose to focus on the things
I can do, rather than dwell on the
things I can’t. I have many things
to be grateful for. And I’m looking
for ward to watching the Games!
Have you ever considered
starting your own business and
working from home? If you are
thinking about self-employment
and need some business advice
or support, contact the Victorian
Business Line on 13 22 15.
They will be happy to discuss
your idea or other resources
to help with the initial stages
of starting a business.
4 Empower
One little goal at a time
swam more and more and worked
with an instructor until I was
swimming a kilometre twice a week.
As my strength and fitness improved,
I swam up to 4 kilometres three
times a week.
Aussie swimmer Alex Harris is swimming at
the Commonwealth Games. Photo courtesy
of Sport the library.
Alex Harris
Swimming has been a big part of
my life since I was seven. When
I was 18, I had a car accident and
suffered an Acquired Brain Injur y
which left me unable to walk or
even talk. I had to learn to do these
things again, but funnily enough
I was able to star t swimming
without relearning it.
After my accident, swimming became
a large part of my rehab. I would do
hydro at the rehab hospital and after
the exercises I would swim 20 laps
just for myself. Over time I gradually
TAC support
coordinator
Desi Glaubitz
I work as a suppor t coordinator
in one of the TAC’s brain injur y
teams but at the moment I am on
annual leave playing basketball
for Palma in the Italian Women’s
Basketball League.
I have played competitive basketball
from a very young age. I have played
in some amazing places around the
world including Spain, Russia, Brazil,
Empower is published three times a year
by the Transport Accident Commission.
© Copyright Transport Accident Commission, 2006
That’s the key to getting on with
things after an accident. You set
yourself little goals, one at a time
and with achieving each one you
become more independent.
That’s ver y satisfying. In hospital
I tried to do as much as I could
because I didn’t want to rely on
others. Things like learning to tie
my shoelaces and going to the
toilet by myself were ver y hard
at first. As things slowly improved
I got more confidence to do more.
One of my goals after my accident
was to learn to drive a manual
car again. I always drove a manual
and I didn’t like having to drive
an automatic. No-one forced me
to learn again, it was something
I wanted to do for myself. It took
some time but it was a great feeling
to drive a manual by myself again.
Another goal was to get back into
competitive swimming. It was
hard work and took a long time,
but once I got going there was no
stopping me. I’ve been able to
travel the world through swimming
and I even broke a world record
back in 1997 for the 50m freestyle
in my class. But the best moment
in my swimming was to win a gold
medal at the Athens Paralympics
in the men’s 4 x 100m medley
with my mates.
It’s a great thrill to be swimming
at the Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne. I’m getting on a
bit now but I know I can do well.
Just like my recover y I’ve set
myself little goals and I want
to beat my personal best time.
I never wanted to be disabled, but
I’m still here and I want to tr y and
do as much as I can. My accident
put a dampener on things, I was
dealt a bad hand, but ever yone
gets a bad hand at some stage of
their life. How you play your cards
is totally up to you.
Korea and Hong Kong. I captain the
Bulleen Melbourne Boomers in the
Australian Women’s Basketball
League. It was a great honour to be
selected in the Australian Women’s
basketball squad in the lead up to
the Commonwealth Games even
though I didn’t make the final team.
Before coming to the TAC, I worked
and studied in the disability field
and worked with people with severe
disabilities. These experiences have
allowed me to work closely with
TAC clients who have a brain injury
and help them face the challenges
of everyday life.
TAC support coordinator Desi Glaubitz is
captain of the Bulleen basketball team.
Pictured here with Bulleen mascot ‘Boomer’.
With my love of sport, I regret that
I will not be in Melbourne during the
Games. I would like to congratulate
one of my clients Samantha Gill who
took part in the Queen’s Baton Relay.
Telephone:
Website:
1300 654 329 or 1800 332 556
Visit www.tac.vic.gov.au
(toll-free outside the Melbourne metro area)
8:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday.