Gloria Una Pascoe ( Smith, 19 February 1919 – 19 March 2004) was an Australian Paralympic vision-impaired lawn bowler. She also had epilepsy.

Biography

Gloria Smith was born at the Salvation Army Hospital,

North Fitzroy Fitzroy North is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the Cites of City of Merri-bek, Merri-bek ...

in February 1919. Her parents were John and Cecil Gertrude () Smith. She was the youngest of six children - Jack, Oriel (known as Judy), Elsie, Roma and Vincent. She grew up in the Greensborough area and went to Greensborough School. At the age of nine whilst playing basketball in the school playground she lost consciousness. She was diagnosed as having

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

. As her life progressed, her eyesight was deteriorating. At the age of 55, she became totally blind. She received assistance from the Association for the Blind in Kooyong on how to live without sight. The Association formed a Blind Bowling Club and held its first Blind Bowls Championship at the St Kilda Bowling Club. She played bowls for four years before becoming totally blind. She was able to play pennant bowls with sighted bowlers. At the age of 14, she left school and attended Stott's Business College to train as a typist. In 1941, she married Alf Pascoe who was in the Air Force. She was selected to participate in the

1980 Summer Paralympics The 1980 Summer Paralympics ( nl, Paralympische Zomerspelen 1980), branded as the Olympics for the Disabled, were the sixth Summer Paralympic Games. They were held in Arnhem, Netherlands, from 21 to 30 June 1980. Background The Soviet Union, ho ...

Arnhem Arnhem ( or ; german: Arnheim; South Guelderish: ''Èrnem'') is a city and municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands about 55 km south east of Utrecht. It is the capital of the province of Gelderland, located on both ban ...

and she won a gold medal in the Women's Singles B. In 1981, she came first in the Victorian State Titles held at Footscray and as a result she was chosen to represent Australia at the Second World Blind Bowls Championships in England. At the Championships she won a silver medal. At the 1983 FESPIC Games, she won two gold medals. In 1983, she won the Progress Press Sports Star of the Year. In 1987, the Association for the Blind bestowed on her Life Membership for services to the Association. Her husband, Alf Pascoe, died in 1988. They had a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Bruce Pascoe, a writer. A book was published on her life - ''Gloria : light in the dark'' by Gloria Pascoe and Bruce Pascoe.

References

1919 births 2004 deaths Australian female bowls players Blind people from Australia FESPIC Games competitors Lawn bowls players at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Australia Paralympic lawn bowls players of Australia Paralympic medalists in lawn bowls People with epilepsy Sportswomen from Victoria (Australia) Visually impaired category Paralympic competitors 20th-century Australian women {{Australia-bowls-bio-stub