Career Ray Barrett (athlete)

ray barrett (right) poses fellow new south wales paralympian terry giddy.

athletes competing @ 1972 summer paralympics heidelberg germany required financial assistance of $1800 eligible attend games. barrett contacted international lions club of engadine new south wales, australia, held fundraising event @ local returned servicemens league (rsl) club , raised $1000 towards targeted cost. realizing additional finance needed, club appealed sutherland shire council , local organisations , interested people in sutherland shire, local government area of sydney, support raymond barrett olympic fund.

barrett wrote fifty companies seeking sponsorship without success. contacted jack griffiths, promotion manager of westfield shoppingtown miranda fair miranda, suburb of sydney, held competition in retail industry of shopping centre provided prize. barrett sold raffle tickets throughout competition , presented prize of gold seiko watch. generosity of community in assisting barrett funds needed, recognised @ community event in governor general of australia attended.

major athletic events of barrrett s sporting career:

1970 @ national paraplegic & quadriplegic games, melbourne, won 9 gold medals in various sports, , selected athletics time keeper able bodied national games, melbourne. @ 18 years of age competed @ third commonwealth paraplegic games, edinburgh scotland, winning 2 silver medals in wheelchair dash, 1 bronze medal in wheelchair basketball. barrett s outstanding success @ national games earned him selection commonwealth games. twenty member team selected, barrett althlete sutherland shire, selected compete @ games.
1972 @ 14th annual paraplegic , quadriplegic games, 8–14 april, class 2 events, 1st shot putt, 1st wheelchair dash, 1st slalom. 1972 summer paralympics, heidelberg germany, 1 bronze medal, 100 metre wheelchair dash, 5th slalom.
1973 athletics paraplegic , quadriplegic games, adelaide, south australia, class 2, 1st precision javelin defeated frank ponta 4 points, 2nd shot putt, 3rd discus. @ national paraplegic & quadriplegic games, holroyd new south wales, 18–24 march, 2nd place silver medal world record,100 metre sprint, defeated frank ponta. gold medal world record 4 x 100 metre men s relay, silver medal fencing. @ first competitive event in rifle shooting, field of 21 competitors finished 10th, ahead of libby kosmala née l. richards. discuss 6th place, shot putt bronze medal , frank ponta silver medal. slalom gold medal. historical reports noted new world records in class 2 of 100 metre wheelchair sprint broken.
1974 fourth commonwealth paraplegic games, dunedin, new zealand, barrett won gold, silver , bronze medals , set world records on 3 occasions in wheelchair dash, 1 bronze medal in wheelchair basketball.
1974 international stoke mandeville games, england. 1 gold wheelchair sprint, 1 bronze wheelchair basketball, 1 bronze slalom racing.

barrett competed in other games while travelling through europe after stoke mandeville games of 1974, winning gold medal in disabled sports competition in holland. both , friend paralympian hugh patterson, travelled him, invited coach wheelchair basketball in basle, switzerland.

following return home europe, both , hugh patterson involved in car accident. barrett left incomplete quadriplegic brain stem damage , after 2 years in hospital, returned home in heathcote nsw. later moved gold coast, queensland australia, lived in care of parents. died in august 2000, having lived thirty 5 years after first accident.