Three and a half decades on and still going strong …
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Tomorrow will see the 35th staging of the Forbes Special Sports Day.
The day will be held on Wednesday, May 4, at Red Bend Catholic College with morning tea at 9.30am and the team march past led by piper Brian Tisdell.
The Special Sports Day will be officially opened and the Advocate Cup for the march-past will be presented, and then novelty games and serious but friendly competition will start.
“Please bring your happy, friendly face and help us all enjoy the day,” organiser, Dianne Decker said.
The day was organised for participants with an intellectual disability to vie for the annual marching trophy and “just have fun”, Mrs Decker said.
Athletes travel from Dubbo, Orange, Cowra, Condobolin, Young, Parkes and Forbes.
It started in 1981 in the Year of Disabled because Mrs Decker recognised that there were no opportunities for people with disabilities to participate in sports.
In the beginning it included wheelchair sports such as basketball and marathons, but also included swimming at the heated pool, bowls, field archery, shot put, javelin, to name a few.
The early days saw the participants camping out at Forbes showground.
It was this early start with the Special Sports Day in Forbes that saw some of the athletes join together and start their own wheelchair association.
“They all started to get very famous and travel all over the world … Some started up businesses to manufacture sports wheelchairs and equipment,” Mrs Decker said.
“I am proud of their achievements.”
For further information on Forbes Special Sports, contact Mrs Decker on 6852 2902.
