The Jim Bacon Memorial Award
2008 Jim Bacon Memorial Award - Jayden Broad
Jayden Broad
Jayden Broad, 2008 Jim Bacon memorial ward Winner, being presented with his award by MLC Doug Parkinson, representing the Premier of Tasmania, at the 2008 Ron Barassi Debate.
This award is presented to a young person with a disability who has displayed sportsmanship and a spirit of fun in their sporting endeavours. The scholarship provides a cash amount of $1,000 and commemorative certificate.
Jayden is 12 years old and suffers from aspergers syndrome and participates in athletics, gymnastics, ten pin bowling, soccer and cricket. He has been a member of Special Olympics since 2006. In April 2008 was a member of the Tasmanian Special Olympics Team at the 2008 Special Olympics national Junior games in Canberra and was appointed Captain of the Athletics Team.
Displaying all the attributes of an eager, hardworking young man who is an inspiration to team-mates, he also was a member of the gold medal winning soccer team.
In an interview with The examiner newspaper, Jayden described the day as the most exciting day of his life and having his mother, grandmother and several friends in the audience topped it off.
David Montgomery with proud Mum, Bronwyn
2007 Jim Bacon Memorial Award - David Montgomery
The Jim Bacon memorial Award is presented to a young person with a disability who has displayed sportsmanship and a spirit of fun in their sporting endeavors.
David has been swimming competitively with the Special Olympics swim squad for four years. He has been swimming since he was 3 weeks old, according to his mum and has a champion swimming dad as his inspiration and siblings who love the water.
In May 2004 at his first National meet in Adelaide for Tasmania came home with 3 gold medals for individual events 50m and 100m, and silver in 4x50m relay and in October 2006 he came home from the National Games in Queensland with another 3 gold and one silver.
His success can be attributed to actually enjoying training, has great team spirit and dedicated to improving style and technique.
Callum Loh
2006 Jim Bacon Memorial Award - Callum Loh
Thirteen year old Callum Loh is a rower for the Glenorchy Rowing Club in Hobart who in his first season of competitive rowing achieved second placing at the State championships and third in the Australians.
His coach, Kay Suter, attributes his success not only to his determination to improve, but also his sportsmanship and keen sense of humour. “He races against others with varying disabilities. To balance this out, the races are handicapped. Callum’s response to his race finish position is always impeccable. His good sense of humour and spirit of fun shines out. An example of this was one day after he lost a race by a second when he quickly joked to the handicapper that whatever the winner paid him, he would double it next time!!
He always acknowledges the success of others, but a large part of his success can be attributed to his determination to improve, epitomised by never missing a training session, even when tired from the physical effort of just being at school.
Joshua Christian
2005 Jim Bacon Memorial Award - Joshua Christian
The Jim Bacon Memorial Award was also presented at the Ron Barassi Debate, by The Premier, Paul Lennon, to wheelchair tennis player and basketballer Joshua Christian from Hobart.
This award, for a young person with a disability who displays sportsmanship and a spirit of fun in their sporting endeavours was enthusiastically received by Josh, 15 who confessed that he could not decide which event he enjoyed more.
In 2005 he also competed in his first national junior games, winning a silver medal in tennis and a bronze in basketball. The basketball medal was a triumph for international co-operation as the team comprised three Tasmanians, two South Australians and five Japanese players.
Named “South Japmania”, the players had a lot of fun and tough games despite the language barriers – but then smiles are smiles in any language, aren’t they?
Christopher van Keulen
2004 Jim Bacon Memorial Award - Christopher van Keulen
Sixteen year-old Christopher van Keulen, proved that cerebral palsy is no handicap when it comes to participation in sport.
The inaugural winner of The Jim Bacon memorial award for an athlete who displays a spirit of fun and inspiration, Christopher has only been playing wheelchair basketball for two years and competes in a Launceston weekly competition. In April he will travel to Sydney to compete in the national junior disabled games, quite an achievement in such a short space of time.