From the News Editor
Last time we sent out Active Hands was back in December. When New Years came around, it was like playing Tetris halfway in. That Tetris game mood is still going right now!
These past few months, I've been seeing Deaf Sports Australia going from strength to strength. This could not be done without the expertise and integrity of our staff's performance, whatever their role is.
Our Classification team has also seen an increase in submissions the last few months, many of which comes from NSW's end, regardless of the current climate in that state.
In April next year, we will be hosting our 19th Australian Deaf Games in Newcastle/Lake Macquarie. This is Australia's biggest sporting event for the deaf and hard of hearing community. It sees over 1000 people attending.
Phil and Garry have some goodies to share, as do a number of our Sports Development Officers. Have a good read, all!
Yours in sports,
Lauren Townsend
Media & Communications Liaison Officer
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General Manager's Report
Welcome to our Winter Edition.
We welcome Jesse Cattach to the role of Sport Development Officer for Deaf Sport Recreation Victoria. Jesse replaces James Hale who has been in the role for a number of years - thank you James for your time, passion and commitment and no doubt will we still see you around at our sporting activities.
We also will soon welcome Rosalie Kassulke as our new Finance Officer (P/T) starting on July 5th. Rosalie has wonderful skills and experience and will be a great asset to DSA. Garry West-Bail has been managing the finances for many years and has done a terrific job keeping DSA is a solid financial foundation - Garry will assist Rosalie with the transition.
Garry is still with us project managing the 2022 Australian Deaf Games and Inclusion Alliance work.
The last few weeks were spent on writing funding applications, both ongoing funding for Deaf Sport Recreation Victoria and new project funding opportunities for Deaf Sport Australia and Deaf Sport Recreation Victoria. We also completed an application for WADRA to become a State Deaf Sport Association. Fingers crossed good news soon. This work took considerable time and patience putting other important work on hold to ensure applications for ongoing and project funding are completed in time.
I was able to break out of Melbourne for some travelling to meet staff in NSW (Newcastle and Sydney) and QLD and visit the ACT earlier this year but unfortunately the recent COVID outbreaks in VIC and now other States / Territories has stopped that. We know this impacts on your opportunity to participate in sport, recreation, community and family activities. Please take care and stay safe.
Enjoy the news and stay in touch.
Yours in sport,
Phil Harper
General Manager
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Deaf Sports Australia News |
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Deaf Sports Australia's AGM updates
With our 2020 Annual General Meeting back in February (zoom meeting instead of planned Newcastle venue due to COVID-19 outbreaks), we have two new faces on the DSA Board - Hannah Britton who returns after a few years away and is responsible for sport and membership. Tim Fitzmaurice was appointed by the Board as Director of Finance. We welcome them both. Outgoing Board members are Ricky Bryan and Darren Howell who served the Board over the number of years - many thanks Ricky and Darren. We had a full day Board meeting in Brisbane last March which enabled us to review our work for the next 12 months and strategic plan.
Our 2021 AGM will be on Saturday 6th November 2021. For the last 2 years, they have been in February, however because of the Australian Deaf Games in April 2022, we are returning to our normal AGM month. The AGM, which will include a member's forum, will be held in Newcastle (NSW) and will include a day where the ADG GOC have a workshop (Sunday 7th November) with all the Sport Co-ordinators to prepare for the 2022 Games.
To all our National Deaf Sport Organisation and State Deaf Organisation members - please lock in this weekend to attend.
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Supporting DeafACT's new Sports Development Officer
We have also been closely supporting DeafACT with their new staff member Brad Jones on his and the Board's work in sports and recreation in the ACT. This is an exciting development and hopefully they will continue on in the same way as our other States.
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Sporting School Program
Having started in Term 4 2020, we continue to develop opportunities for deaf and hard of hearing students across Australia to participate in sport programs alongside our National Sport Organisation partners. We have worked with schools in Queensland, NSW and Victoria and starting to expand beyond including the ACT. For more information on the SSP, see here.
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Australian Sporting Alliance for People with Disabilities (ASAPD)
The Alliance consists of 9 national disability sport organisations including Deaf Sport Australia. The purpose is to work together, advocate, inform and support the government and the sport industry in ensuring deaf people and people with a disability have the same opportunities to participate and enjoy sport and physical activities of their choosing. We have recently submitted responses to government and sport industry inquiries on disability and made sure that our message "is heard". More information can be found here.
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2022 Australian Deaf Games
An update from our Project Manager Garry West-Bail
We are now moving into a very exciting stage of the developments and planning for the 2022 Australian Deaf Games. The Games registrations and now the sport fees are live on the Games website. Jamie Howell, Julie Elvery and Ruby Miller were the first three to register for their chosen sports!! In addition to the launch of the sport fees, the draft sport program and schedule is now on the website. We are very pleased to see so many sports involved including the great number of demonstration sports – these include CrossFit, Mountain Bike Riding, Sailing, Surfing and Triathlon
The Deaf Sports Australia Board has confirmed the Games Organising Committee representation with Kate Matairavula and Todd Wright taking on the Co – Chair role of the Committee. We would like to wish Kate and Todd all the best in managing and navigating the Committee as the Games plans evolve and are rolled out.
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The members of the current Games Organising Committee (GOC) are:
- Kate Matairavula and Todd Wright – Co-Chairs
- Kylie Clear – Interpreter coordinator
- Andrew Wiltshire – Ceremonies coordinator
- Sera Bennett – Sports coordinator
- Paul Harrison – Website and Registration coordinator
- David Parker, Jitka Nivratil and Haley Martin – Social coordinators
- Neil and Anna Mackintosh – Logistics and transport coordinators
- Kate and Apenisa Matairavula – Oceania coordinators
- Petti McInnes – Lake Macquarie City representative
- Mark Stratford – Newcastle City representative
- Claire Dunne and Bridget Nunan - Volunteers Coordinators
- NSW Deaf Sports representative - Kimberly Larsen
- Marketing - Samuel Taylor
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Julie Lyons, our Queensland based Sports Development Officer for DSRQ, is working from home. She will also attend events booked in.
In March, I provided a Deaf Sports Awareness Training to Tennis clubs at Tennis Queensland (Tennyson) one afternoon. They learnt basic Auslan in sport and they also learnt how to communicate with deaf people through the Deaf Deaf Sport World workshop for 45 minutes. It was an enjoyable workshop.
I will be on regional tour visiting Mackay and Townsville next month. The tour includes visiting Multi-Disability Lawn Bowls, schools, state sporting organisations and community-based organisations. My two main tasks will be to organise the ADK activities and also to promote Deaf Sports.
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Regional Tour - Mackay & Townsville regions
The regional tour will include visiting Mackay and Townsville from Monday 19th July - Friday 23rd July.
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DSRQ Deaf Sports Day
When: Friday 10th September 2021
Where: University of Queensland Athletic Tracks
Time: 9am - 2.30pm
RSVP: 20th August 2021
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DSRQ Futsal Gala Day
When: Friday 22nd October
Where: Kedron State High School
Time: 9am - 2.30pm
RSVP: 17th September 2021
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DSRQ Multi-Sport Day / DSRQ Expo
When: Saturday 21st August (TBC)
Venue: TBC
Time: 10.30am - 2pm
All deaf sports clubs will be there to promote their clubs as part of Australian Deaf Games. If you want to be a part of the QLD Team for the Australian Deaf Games, please come to find out more about their clubs.
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Deaf Sports Awareness Training - Tennis
Just will be organising another Deaf Sports Awareness Training to Tennis clubs in the Sunshine Coast on 28th August. If you wish to attend the DSAT, please contact Tennis Queensland for more information.
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Diving Clinic
Diving Queensland has held their diving clinic last weekend on Saturday 26th June. There will be another one in September. Please watch out for their upcoming events for deaf and hard of hearing children.
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Jesse Cattach, Sports Development Officer for DSRV, is working from both his home and the Head Office and will continue to do so until the end of this year. He will also attend events booked in.
Hello! I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself as the new Sport Development Officer at Deaf Sports Recreation Victoria. I’m very excited to be working at this organisation.
James Hale had recently resigned from his role at DSRV and I would like to thank James for all his hard work and time at this organisation. I wish him all the best for the future.
We have some very exciting events coming up in Deaf sports, for both primary and secondary schools and the 2022 Australia Deaf Games is less than a year away!
Students will be pleased to hear that Deaf Sports Day is officially returning after not being run for a couple years. DSRV is taking over the role of organising Deaf Sports Day for the foreseeable future and we are very confident in bringing back our beloved Deaf Sports Day where several schools are participating and being involved in one of the biggest social/ sporting events of the year for Deaf students, both primary and secondary across Victoria.
An opportunity to chat via Zoom with the Victorian Deaf Education Network allowed me to introduce myself in my new role as well as share information on the Deaf Sport Day and Sporting Schools Program.
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DSRV Deaf Sports Days
Secondary School - 31st August
Primary school - 26th October
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Lauren Townsend, Sports Development Officer for NSW Deaf Sports, is also working from home and will continue to do so until end of this year.
This year, schools across NSW were finally opening up, allowing visitors on-site. This enabled myself to finally visit these schools and educate the deaf and hard of hearing students about Deaf Sports.
We've also got new members joining our Committee at NSW Deaf Sports. I'd like to formally welcome them myself:
Chair - Donovan Mulligan
Secretary - Dion Galea
Treasurer - Kimberly Larsen
Committee - Sammi Trist
Committee - Josh Sealy
We have had a few committee meetings and the last one was conducted last night. A number of things are being planned and we are very excited to get the ball rolling.
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NSWDS' events TBC:
- Trivia Night
- Gala Days
- Deaf Festival
- Christmas Party/Family Picnic
- Awards Night
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Office of Sport NSW's Workshop and SPRINTER Symposium
Two weeks ago we went to a Stakeholder Engagement Workshop and SPRINTER Symposium, hosted by the Office of Sports NSW and SPRINTER. I found both the workshop and symposium valuable. We got to hear from Natalie Ward MLC, the brand new Minister for Sport, Multiculturalism, Seniors and Veterans, her vision for the sporting sector. There was a presentation from the Office of Children's Guardian about Child Safe Standards in the sporting industry, plus another presentation from the Office of Sport's CEO Karen Jones.
The Symposium had guest speakers from a range of backgrounds, including Dr. Lindsey Reece, Director for SPRINTER. It was learnt that doing research and collecting data can help bring things to light and it enables us to see what we are lacking in areas not covered, such as trends and seeing what is actually happening within our community on the daily basis.
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Sporting Schools Program
I organised for our deaf Touch Football coach, Peta Ware from Newcastle, who is also a staff at the City of Newcastle and she absolutely inspired a number of these kids with her athleticism, her enthusiasm and can-do attitude at one of the schools. Simply put - Peta is a role model with a lived experience that the students can relate to and they were able to learn all that they needed to know about touch football. It is absolutely wonderful to watch the children's faces light up and their knowledge of the sport grow, in the modified communication methods that works for many of them.
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In the past few weeks, with the funding round opening up for Term 3, I've had several schools across the State reaching out to me, with enquiries about this program. I look forward to sharing our sporting passions with these children.
Funding round for Term 4 opens up on Monday 16th August 2021 - Friday 27th August 2021. Please follow their page on Facebook for when they announce the opening of this funding round.
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Lions' Deaf School Camp
We accepted an invitation by the main organiser, Mr Ray Fearn, to attend a camp occupied by deaf and hard of hearing students who travelled from parts of NSW to interact with each other. Three of our affiliated sport clubs taught close to 100 youth in attendance - the sports taught were Football, Netball and Touch Football. It was a great experience for our volunteering staff, and feedbacks we got were very very positive.
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Deaf Sports Presentation
I presented to Assistant Principals on Zoom meeting organised by NSW Department of Education. I used this opportunity to also elaborate on what we do at NSW Deaf Sports, our programs and pathways available to deaf and hard of hearing students.
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Meeting with NSW Touch Football
Deaf Touch Football NSW's representative Mathew Grech and I meet with Rob Pidgeon (in person) and David Stone (via Zoom) at NSW Touch Football. We discussed awareness of deaf in touch football and our other services/program. One of their clubs in Newcastle are excited to host the Touch Football event for the upcoming Australian Deaf Games in April next year and are interested in taking our Deaf Sports Awareness Training.
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Brad Jones, Sports Development Officer for DeafACT, is also working from the office and will continue to do so until end of this year.
Hi, I am the new staff for DeafACT and I am doing two roles - Community Liaison and Sport Development. My goal is to try and grow more participation in the ACT's deaf community, as well as encouraging more athletes in going to the 2022 Australian Deaf Games.
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DeafACT Cricket
The Cricket Academy started on 16th June and will be on every Wednesday. This is for the DeafACT to prepare for the NCIC in Geelong on 2022 January. Jason Schmidt, Rob Regent and Brad Jones are working together to provide this session for three groups - ID, Deaf & Hard of Hearing and Blind athletes, with the intention to grow community and sporting participation.
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DeafACT Seniors
The Recently on 16th of June, the DeafACT seniors went on a trip to Bowral to visit the Museum for Bradman Cricket. It was a lovely day for a lunch at the cafe.
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World Championships Updates |
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2022 Deaflympics
The 2022 Deaflympics due to be held in Brazil, South America during May 2022 is no longer advised. DSA worked with our National Deaf Sport Organisations and Sport Integrity Australia (risk management assessment for health and safety) to assess whether we send an Australian team due to Brazil being a serious COVID-19 hotspot.
Sadly, DSA will not be sending an Australian team to Brazil due to health, safety and insurance risks. Their announcement can be read here.
We are already aware of our Federal Government’s concerns and restrictions on international travel and quarantine rules still likely to be in place in 2022.
See here for more information on the 2022 Deaflympics here.
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Basketball - 2023 World Championships in Greece
Deaf International Basketball Federation (DIBF), has confirmed that the 2023 World Championships for Men and Women will be hosted by Heraklion in Greece. The event will take place in the month of June/July 2023.
Read here for more information.
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