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 nameBruce Oliver Thwaite
Nationality Australia
Born2 December 1923 (1923-12-03)
Died21 September 1991 (1991-09-22) (aged 67)
Medal record
Lawn bowls
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 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

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b c 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.
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