Thomas Rockett Butler (14 February 1913 – 2 June 1963) was the second Australian to participate in the

International Stoke Mandeville Games The International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) World Games (or IWAS World Games) are a multi-sport competition for athletes with a disability, which were the forerunner of the Paralympic Games. The competition has been formerly known as t ...

, the precursor to the modern Paralympic Games, when he represented Australia in swimming in 1953 and again in 1954. Butler won the backstroke event in swimming at the 2nd International Stoke Mandeville Games in 1953, and was awarded his medal by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health,

Patricia Hornsby-Smith Margaret Patricia Hornsby-Smith, Baroness Hornsby-Smith, (17 March 1914 – 3 July 1985) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom. Early life and education Margaret Patricia Hornsby-Smith was born 17 March 1914 in East Sheen ...

. Butler placed second in the same event in 1954.

Charlene Todman Charlene Stuart Meade (née Todman; 1931 – 11 September 2018) was an Australian athlete who became the first Australian woman to participate in the Stoke Mandeville Games, the precursor to the Paralympic Games. She finished second amongst wome ...

, who competed in table tennis in 1951, had been the first Australian to participate in the International Stoke Mandeville Games. Born in

Townsville, Queensland Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 3 ...

, Butler was working as a farm hand in

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

by 1936. He enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

Manjimup, Western Australia Manjimup is a town in Western Australia, south of the state capital, Perth. The town of Manjimup is a regional centre for the largest shire in the South West region of Western Australia. At the 2016 census, Manjimup had a population of 4,349. ...

in 1941 and served until the end of the war as a corporal in Syria and Palestine and later in New Guinea and Borneo. Butler was a farmer in Manjimup when he was paralysed following an industrial accident in 1947, aged 34. He spent over two years rehabilitating in Hollywood Hospital in

Perth, Western Australia Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. Following his release from hospital in 1950, he drove home to Manjimup in his new Holden car, with specially-designed controls that he could drive with his fingers. Seeking further rehabilitation, Butler travelled to England to receive treatment by Dr Ludwig Guttmann at the

Stoke Mandeville Hospital Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital located on the parish borders of Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, England. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. It was establishe ...

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

. Although he was a veteran of World War II, he was ineligible for treatment at the Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne because his accident had occurred after the war. It was during his rehabilitation at Stoke Mandeville Hospital that he competed in the Games. Butler returned to Manjimup in 1954. He died 2 June 1963 and was buried in the

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West region of the state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destination for Western Australians; however, the closure of the Busselton ...

Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Thomas 1913 births 1963 deaths Paralympic swimmers of Australia Sportspeople from Townsville Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers People from Manjimup, Western Australia Sportsmen from Western Australia