Jeffrey Stewart Heath (15 October 1955 – 7 March 2004) was an Australian Paralympic archer and a disability publisher and advocate.

Personal

Heath was born on 15 October 1955 at

Glenelg, South Australia Glenelg is a beach-side suburb of the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Located on the shore of Holdfast Bay in Gulf St Vincent, it has become a tourist destination due to its beach and many attractions, home to several hotels and dozens of ...

. From the age of seven he used a wheelchair due to bone cancer. In 1979, Heath completed an Associate Diploma (Recreation), Salisbury CAE and in 1983 he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Recreation), University of South Australia. He was married to Yvonne Baillie and they have a daughter. He died of

mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops from the thin layer of tissue that covers many of the internal organs (known as the mesothelium). The most common area affected is the lining of the lungs and chest wall. Less commonly the lining ...

on 7 March 2004.

Sporting career

Heath competed in archery and dartchery at the 1976 Summer Paralympic Games in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He finished eleventh in the Men's Novice Round Open, ninth in the Men's Pairs Open and eighth in the Mixed Novice and Tetraplegics Round Team A-C.

Employment

Heath's employment involved working on disability and inclusion issues for organisations based 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 ...

. He was the editor of Link, a leading Australian disability magazine. He was the founder of the Disability Information Resource Centre in Adelaide. From 1988 to 1993, he was executive director of Disabled Peoples International (DPI) South Australia.

Politics

Heath was a member of the

Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is a centrist political party in Australia. Founded in 1977 from a merger of the Australia Party and the New Liberal Movement, both of which were descended from Liberal Party dissenting splinter groups, it was Australia ...

, representative for South Australia on the national executive and national journal editor. He unsuccessfully stood for the electorate of Norwood at the

1982 South Australian state election State elections were held in South Australia on 6 November 1982. All 47 seats in the South Australian House of Assembly were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia (South Australian Division), Liberal Party of Australia led by ...

. At the

2001 Australian Federal Election The 2001 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 10 November 2001. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 seats in the 76-member Senate were up for election. The incumbent Liberal Party of Australia led by Prime Minis ...

, he was number two on the South Australian Senate ticket and was not elected.

Recognition

* 1972 - Queen Scout Award, a Rotary youth leadership award * 1981 - Selected to lead Australia's first street march for people with disabilities in Sydney in 1981. * 1996 - Churchill Fellowship to study the production and exhibition of goods and services for disabled people - Germany, United Kingdom and United States. * 2000 - Torch bearer Sydney 2000 Paralympics. * 2003 - 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 ...

for service to people with disabilities as an advocate for improved services and through the publication of Link magazine.

References

External links

Jeff Heath Website at Wayback Machine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath Jeffrey Paralympic archers for Australia Paralympic dartchers for Australia Australian male archers Archers at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Dartchers at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair category Paralympic competitors Australian disability rights activists Deaths from mesothelioma in Australia Members of the Order of Australia 1955 births 2004 deaths Paralympic athletes for Australia Sportspeople from Adelaide