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Future of wheelchair sports in Newcastle ‘exceptionally bright’

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With names like Christie Dawes, Kurt Fearnley, Lauren Parker and Rheed McCracken, there is no doubt that Newcastle and the Hunter are home to some of the country’s best Paralympians. 

But, what about the lesser-known wheelchair athletes?

Did you know outside of Sydney, Newcastle is one of the most popular regions for wheelchair sports in NSW? 

“Numbers continue to grow across all eight of our sports, and we’ve got an incredible community that are promoting what’s on offer here in a great way,” Wheelchair Sports NSW/ACT’s sport coordinator for Northern NSW Matthew Haines said.

“We have six of our sports currently available in Newcastle which are wheelchair basketball, wheelchair track and road, frame running, disability lawn bowls, wheelchair tennis and para powerlifting. 

“Wheelchair basketball is loved across the entire country, and has the highest participation numbers across our sports, but there is a growing need for other activities in Newcastle as well.

“In 2022 we’re aiming to introduce wheelchair AFL and wheelchair rugby hubs to the region, as well as continuing our Junior Wheelies school holiday program.

“I believe it is going to keep on growing year after year.”

When it comes to the future of wheelchair sports in Newcastle, Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes says it is bright.  

“Having athletes like Christie and Kurt here has raised the profile significantly in recent years,” she said.

“I think it has an exceptionally bright future and we are only doing more year on year to ensure accessibility around all of our public spaces in our community.”

Christie Dawes adds access to sports in Newcastle has grown dramatically since she was a child. 

“With the exception of a couple of years in Sydney I have lived here my whole life,” she said.

“It really is a great place to live and if you’re a wheelchair athlete it is a great place to train.

“Every session I do I can jump in my racing chair in my driveway and whether I am going to the Fernleigh Track, the Broadmeadow racecourse or the Fearnley Dawes Athletics track it doesn’t matter I can just get in and push there so it is ideal training for someone who is wheelchair racing.”

The seven-time Paralympian says Newcastle is a great community to be a part of.  

“When I started, we didn’t have any sports here, it has really come a long way,” Dawes said. 

“It just makes life easier because it is not always easy to access the equipment you need or the knowledge that you need.

“Our community is quite big compared to what it used to be, 30 years ago it wasn’t existent so now we have a lovely little community.

“It’s just great that we can support each other in whatever sport we’re doing.”

Anyone interested in joining a wheelchair sport in Newcastle should visit the Wheelchair Sports ACT/NSW website

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