Australia at the 1964 Summer Paralympics
| Australia at the Paralympic Games | ||||||||||
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| At the 1964 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo | ||||||||||
| Competitors | ||||||||||
| Medals Rank: 4 |
Gold 12 |
Silver 11 |
Bronze 7 |
Total 30 |
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| Paralympic history (summary) | ||||||||||
| Summer Games | ||||||||||
| Winter Games | ||||||||||
The 1964 Summer Paralympics, held in Tokyo, were the second of their type and ran from the 8 to 12 November. In these Games, Australia finished fourth on the medal tally, with a total of 38 medals (12 gold, 11 silver, and 7 bronze). The Australian team left Sydney for Tokyo on 5 November 1964, comprising 25 athletes, staff and others, having conducted final preparations and briefing at Prince Henry's Hospital. On 7 November, the team attended a reception hosted by the Governor of Tokyo Dr Royotaro Ayuimo.[1] The opening ceremony was held the following day, involving 375 competitors and 144 medal events in 9 sports.[2]
The games were, in general, given a glowing review by members of the Australian Paralympic team. Although timing was tight, the entire program being run in just four days, events were well organised and the athletes were treated with a sense of legitimacy and professionalism that had so far been absent from disability sport. One Australian athlete recalls, ‘At the village we [were] halted by a magnificent entrance welcoming us with flags, banners and posters for the Paralympics. It was clear that Japan had decided to show their visitors the hospitality and efficiency that she had shown the Olympic Visitors’[3]
Team
Australia sent 15 athletes to the 1964 Summer Paralympics.
The team members were:
| Athlete | Location |
| Bruce Thwaite (Team Captain) | New South Wales |
| Daphne Ceeney | New South Wales |
| Allan McLucas | New South Wales |
| Trevor French | New South Wales |
| John Martin | New South Wales |
| Gary Hooper | New South Wales |
| Elaine Schreiber | Victoria |
| Michael Dow | Victoria |
| Vic Renalson | Queensland |
| Roy Fowler | Queensland |
| Marion O'Brien | Western Australia |
| Frank Ponta | Western Australia |
| Bill Mather-Brown | Western Australia |
| Lionel Cousens | Western Australia |
| Elizabeth Edmondson | Western Australia |
| Reserves | |
| Miko Taminin | Queensland |
| J.Gidney | New South Wales |
Accompanying the team were 8 escorts, all with specific roles to play within the team:
– Dr George Bedbrook (Team Leader & Medical Officer)
– Johnno Johnson (Manager & Remedial Gymnast)
– Margaret Buzacott (Nurse)
– Kevin Betts (Attendant)
– Bill Gibbs (Attendant)
– K. Pinschers (Coach)
– Tim Timmermans (Coach)
– Cyril Thomas (Baggage Master)
Australia's main victories were in the pool, where Roy Fowler won three gold medals and Elizabeth Edmondson also won three gold medals at the age of 14.
Elizabeth Edmondson was the youngest competitor at the games.[4] She won three gold medals in the 1964 Summer Paralympics in the following events: the women's class 50-metre breaststroke with a world record time of 1.04.6;[5] women's class 5 50-metre backstroke with a world record time of 0.50.8;[6] women's class 5 complete 50-metre freestyle with a world record time of 0.39.7.[7] At the conclusion of the 1964 Games, Edmondson's parents acknowledged that swimming had greatly helped their daughter, but felt that she needed to quit the sport and concentrate on her education because swimming would not provide her with standing in life.[8] After the 1964 games, Edmondson returned home and prepared for school exams.[4]
Medalists
Events
Archery
Australia represented by:
Men – Lionel Cousens, Roy Fowler, John Martin
Women – Daphne Ceeney
Athletics
Australia represented by:
Men – Gary Hooper
Women – Daphne Ceeney, Marion O'Brien, Elaine Schreiber
[10]
Swimming
Australia represented by:
Men – Michael Dow, Trevor French, Roy Fowler Frank Ponta, Bruce Thwaite[11]
Women Daphne Ceeney, Elizabeth Edmondson
Coach Tim Timmerman
[10]
Table Tennis
Australia represented by:
Men – Allan McLucas
Women – Daphne Ceeney, Marion O'Brien, Elaine Schreiber
[10]
Weightlifting
Australia represented by:
Men – Michael Dow, Gary Hooper, Vic Renalson
[10] Bruce Thwaite[11]
Wheelchair basketball
Australia did not field a wheelchair basketball team at the 1964 Summer Paralympics.[12]
Wheelchair fencing
Australia represented by:
Men – Gary Hooper, Bill Mather-Brown, Frank Ponta
Women – Daphne Ceeney
Coach – Mr K. Pinches.
[10]
Closing ceremony
The ceremony was held in the indoor basketball arena, "a grand amphitheatre", according to Australian Paraplegic[13]
See also
References
- ↑ Australian Paraplegic Vol.3 No. 4, December 1964, pp.7, 9
- ↑ "Tokyo 1964". International Paralympic Committee Website. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ “With the Australian Paraplegic Team in Tokyo,”The Australian Paraplegic 3, no.4 (1964), 9
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Young Heroine Returns". The West Australian (Perth, Western Australia). 19 November 1964. p. 7.
- ↑ International Paralympic Committee; Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (2000). Paralympic Games results : Rome 1960 to Atlanta 1996. Sydney, Australia: Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee. p. 536. OCLC 223030936.
- ↑ International Paralympic Committee; Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (2000). Paralympic Games results : Rome 1960 to Atlanta 1996. Sydney, Australia: Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee. p. 535. OCLC 223030936.
- ↑ International Paralympic Committee; Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (2000). Paralympic Games results : Rome 1960 to Atlanta 1996. Sydney, Australia: Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee. p. 534. OCLC 223030936.
- ↑ "Another Golden Girl, Elizabeth Beats Polio". The Herald-Sun (Melbourne, Victoria: AAP, Reuters). 11 November 1964. p. 15.
- ↑ "1964 Tokoyo Medallists". International Paralympic Committee Historical Results Database. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 "Australian results at 1964 Tokyo Paralympics". International Paralympic Historical Results Database.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Reuben, Peter (22 February 1976). "Bowls". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ↑ Labanowich, Stan; Thiboutot, Armand. "Team Rosters:Paralympic Games (Men) 1960–1980" (PDF). Wheelchairs Can Jump. Retrieved 20 June 2012.
- ↑ December 1964, Australian Paraplegic Council, Perth, p. 15.
Further reading
Several oral histories are available online from Australian athletes who competed at the Games.
- Kevin Coombs interviewed by Robin Poke in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Library of Australia, 2010
- Daphne Hilton (nee Ceeney) interviewed by Robin Poke in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Library of Australia, 2010
- Gary Hooper interviewed by Rob Willis in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Library of Australia, 2010
- Frank Ponta interviewed by Robin Poke in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Libraty of Australia, 2010
- Bill Mather-Brown interviewed by Robin Poke in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Library of Australia, 2010
- John Martin interviewed by Ian Jobling in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Library of Australia, 2012
External links
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