Bruce Thwaite

Bruce Oliver Thwaite (2 December 1923 – 21 September 1991) was an Australian Paralympic competitor. During World War II, he sustained a spinal injury when he landed on a tree after parachuting from a bomber plane over Germany.^[1] He was treated at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital.^[1]

Bruce Thwaite

Personal information
Full name	Bruce Oliver Thwaite
Nationality	Australia
Born	2 December 1923 (1923-12-03)
Died	21 September 1991 (1991-09-22) (aged 67)
Medal record Lawn bowls Representing  Australia Paralympic Games 1976 Toronto Men's Pairs wh

He first represented Australia at the 1957 International Stoke Mandeville Games in archery.^[2] At the 1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth, he won gold medals in the Men's Swimming 50 m Crawl Class B and Men's Swimming 50 m Breaststroke Class B events, a silver medal in the Weightlifting Class B Middleweight event and a bronze medal in the Men's Precision Archery event.^[3] He competed at the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics in swimming and weightlifting. He then took up lawn bowls.^[2] At the 1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Dunedin, he won a gold medal in the Men's Singles event and a silver medal in the Men's Pairs event.^[2] At the 1976 Toronto Games, he teamed with Eric Magennis to win the gold medal in the Men's Pairs wh event.^[4][5] The first New South Wales Paraplegic Sports Club meeting was held in his jewellery shop in the Sydney suburb of Concord.^[6]

References

1. Grant, John (2005). Different theatres : from neurosurgery to sport for people with disabilities. St Leonards, N.S.W.: J.M.F Grant. ISBN 0646448803.
2. Reuben, Peter (22 February 1976). "Bowls". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
3. Report of the First Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, Perth , Western Australia, 10–17 November 1962. Perth: Paraplegic Association of Western Australia. 1962.
4. "B. Thwaite". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
5. "Lawn bowls pairs results for 1976". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
6. "WS NSW HISTORY". Wheelchair Sports New South Wales website. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.

External links

• B. Thwaite at the International Paralympic Committee