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Story by
Brother Bill Firman fsc, Executive Director BoysTown,
a charitable organization dedicated to assisting
youth & families in Australia.
“One of the
most inspirational stories I read a couple of years
ago was about a young man called Bart Bunting. Bart
is a former student of Oakhill College in Sydney. I
re-print his story here as told in a College
publication:”
In an
interview with the Sydney Morning Herald after
winning his first Gold medal at the Winter
Paralympics, Bart Bunting (Class of 1993) said “It’s
a little scary, not being able to see anything and
going so fast”.
Our belief
that, as well as being a world class athlete, Bart
is a master of under-statement!
Bart, who
has been blind since birth, won two Gold (Downhill
and Super-G) and one Silver (Giant Slalom) medals at
the Winter Paralympics. Bart’s best previous
performance was two Gold medals at the 2000 World
Championships in Anzere, Switzerland. An incredible
accomplishment and all the more so when one
considers Bart has been skiing for less than five
years.
Bart is
guided on the slopes by his long-time friend, Nathan
Chivers. Nathan has a microphone in his helmet and
a loudspeaker attached to his bum bag; verbal
directions from Nathan are all Bart has to guide him
as he skis downhill at speeds of up to 80 kilometres
per hour. Stories are being retold of Bart’s
escapades at school where he refused to allow his
blindness to prevent him from participating fully in
the life of the College.
Bart’s
achievements have been recognised in many ways,
including the issue of a special set of postage
stamps by Australia Post. His medal wins helped put
Australia in eighth place in the overall medal tally
at the Winter Paralympics.
Bart, when
not skiing, is studying Computer Science at UTS in
Sydney.
The capacity
of the human spirit to overcome disadvantage and
achieve the impossible is extraordinary. I enjoy
skiing but it takes every bit of my concentration to
stay on my feet and not let those bumps in the
terrain throw me off balance. Imagine trying to do
that with no vision.
I have never
met Bart Bunting and I don’t know his current
circumstances. No doubt in his life there are ups
and downs and I would guess he probably sees himself
as rather ordinary and not a hero. But the Bart
Buntings of this world possess incredible courage
and determination.
My mother
used to talk of her great grandmother who left
England in the 1820’s bound for Australia on a
sailing ship with three young children. On the way
out, the children all died but she overcame her
grief and had several more children. The most
serious losses in life, the biggest challenges, are
there to be over-come.
The
Paralympics and the Bart Buntings of this world
remind us what self-belief and determination can
achieve. They do not indulge in self-pity. The
Nathans of this world are also to be admired –
lending time and talent to assist others. It is the
capacity of a person to rise to such a challenge
that is one of the finest qualities of the human
spirit.
BoysTown is
a very happy place to work. Surely, one might
think, with all the people we meet who are in
desperate need, it can be disheartening. On the
contrary we get wonderful encouragement from the
people who support BoysTown and we get inspiration
from the efforts of many young people who take giant
strides, once we help them with the first few
steps. Getting started is the hardest part. Giving
and receiving encouragement is also essential.
I love the
words of John Keats:
“ I leaped headlong into the sea,
and thereby have become better acquainted with the
surroundings, the quicksand, and the rocks, than if
I had stayed upon the green shore, and piped a silly
pipe, and took tea and comfortable advice.”
I wonder how
many people told Bart Bunting he was foolish trying
to ski. I wonder how many advised him to be
comfortable and safe from rocks and snow drifts. I
wonder how many times I – or you – choose comfort
before courage.
I recall that someone once said:
“A leap in the dark often ends in the ditch.”
Does that really matter? What
matters is that we have the courage to try again.
What matters is that we always see hope. I invite
you to enjoy another favourite saying of a friend of
mine, favourite because it is so positive:
“Even
dandruff is a sign of life” |
