Barbara Elizabeth Worley, AM (13 September 1934 – 1 May 2014) was an Australian sports administrator who played a leading role in the development of Paralympic sport in Australia particularly in terms of sport administration.

Personal

She was born on 13 September 1934 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. In 1959, she married Don Worley and they moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. She returned to live in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

in 1963. In 1967, she was in a motor vehicle accident whilst travelling to Melbourne. The motor vehicle rolled over and her lap style seat belt crushed her. The accident left her with a broken spine. At the time of the accident, she was married to Don and they had three young boys. After the accident, she spent a year in Royal Adelaide Hospital. She became involved in sport as part of her rehabilitation. She died in Adelaide on 1 May 2014.

Sports career

Worley's sporting achievements included winning gold and silver medals in

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

at the

1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games The fourth Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were held in Dunedin, New Zealand from 13 to 19 January 1974. The Games were opened by Sir Denis Blundell, Governor-General of New Zealand. Participating nations The competing countries and competitors ...

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. In 1976, she was the Australian Women's Wheelchair Table Tennis Champion. In the 1980s she became involved in the administration of sport for people with a disability. In 1982, she was the first president of the Wheelchair Sports Association of South Australia. In 1988, she was President of the Australian Confederation of Sports for the Disabled. The Confederation was responsible for raising funds and organising the Australian team to the 1988 Seoul Paralyampics. The fundraising program raised just over $1 million. Worley and her husband Don were able to convince Hon Graham Richardson,

Minister for Sport A Ministry of Sports or Ministry of Youth and Sports is a kind of government ministry found in certain countries with responsibility for the regulation of sports, particularly those participated in by young people. The Ministry of Youth and Spo ...

to cover the costs of the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

(ABC) in filming the Games. Her husband Don began to film sport for the disabled in the early 1970s and the ABC's involvement came a few years later. In 1975, he filmed a documentary on the

FESPIC Games The FESPIC Games or the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, was a multi-sport event in Asia and the South Pacific region which is considered to be a precursor to the Asian Para Games, as two of its edition games in 1999 (7th) and ...

. This is regarded as the start of the ABC's involvement in the sport for the disabled. Donald Worley's films were donated to the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

. In 1989, she was appointed to the

Australian Sports Commission The Australian Sports Commission (ASC) is the Australian Government commission responsible for supporting and investing in sport in Australia. The Commission incorporates the Australian Institute of Sport. From 2018 to 2022, it was known as Sp ...

's Board, a position that she held until 1992. Worley has also been a member of other board and committees including: Sport Arts & Recreation Council (SPARC), Disability Information and Resource Centre (DIRC), Sport, Art & Recreation Council for People with Disabilities and Australian Bicentennial Authority Consultative Committee on Recreation and Sport for the Disabled. Worley has been employed special-needs consultant to Adelaide-based travel company Travelaffare. This role organised wheelchair-accessible holidays to overseas destinations.

Recognition

Worley has received the following honours in recognition of her work for disability sport and sports administration: *1997 – Member of the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AM) * 2000 –

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

*2001 – PARAQUAD SA Presidents Award

References

External links

Barbara Worley interviewed by Mick Fogarty in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project,National Library of Australia, 2013Don Worley interviewed by Mick Fogarty in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Library of Australia,2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worley, Barbara Paralympics Australia officials Members of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal 1934 births 2014 deaths Australian sports executives and administrators