We would like to nominate Julie Iles to receive the Frank McHugh Memorial Award this year.

Julie has introduced our short-statured members to all kinds of sporting activities played on an equal basis.

Julie attended a convention in the USA where she experienced the thrill of competing in athletics and swimming events, table tennis and took part in a basketball match  with Little People of America. Dhe won medals in most of these events.

She returned home full of enthusiasm and immediately began organising basketball training sessions for interested LPAA members. Now both Sydney and Melbourne have regular training sessions and games. Our first interstate basketball match took place at the Mount Evelyn Convention in 1990 and the second challenge will be at this year’s Gold Coast Convention.

Julie has also made it possible, through her connection with the Les Autre Association, for us to compete in State and National Games, against members of the Amputee Association. A number of our members have won medals in swimming, track and field events and table tennis in these Games. 

As adults we can remember back to competing against our average-sized peers in sporting events and feeling degraded by continuously coming last, or just given jobs to help the teachers in school sports as we were “too small” to play. It is fantastic to now see and feel the enthusiasm of our members and our children as they play and compete as equals.

We think Julie deserves this award for what she has done in the sporting field for Little People, and for her own sporting achievements.

Muriel Cottrell
Sandra Parker
Dawn Bos
Rosemary Hobbs

(Reprinted from LPAA Journal, no. 120, August, 1992, p. [10].)

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Last updated: 23 August, 2008