Bill Mather-Brown

William Edgar Mather-Brown^[1] (born 14 April 1936) is an Australian Paralympian. He was born in the Western Australian city of Fremantle in 1936. At the age of two, he contracted polio in the town of Agnew in the Goldfields-Esperance region, northeast of Kalgoorlie. He spent two years in Kalgoorlie Hospital before moving back to Perth. He married Nadine Vine, who attended the 1972 Heidelberg Games as a team nurse.

Bill Mather-Brown

Personal information
Full name	William Edgar Mather-Brown
Nationality	Australia
Born	(1936-04-14) 14 April 1936 (age 89) Fremantle
Medal record Table tennis Paralympic Games 1960 Rome Men's Doubles Class B Commonwealth Paraplegic Games 1962 Perth Men's Doubles Class B 1962 Perth Men's Singles Class B Athletics Paralympic Games 1968 Tel Aviv Men's Slalom A Commonwealth Paraplegic Games 1962 Perth Men's Shot Put Class B Wheelchair basketball Commonwealth Paraplegic Games 1962 Perth Men's Competition Swimming Commonwealth Paraplegic Games 1962 Perth Men's Backstroke 50 m Class C 1962 Perth Men's Crawl 50 m Class C Weightlifting Commonwealth Paraplegic Games 1962 Perth Men's Lightweight Class B

Mather-Brown's involvement in sports began in 1955 when he joined wheelchair sports. He competed in the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1957, participating in several sports. At the 1960 Rome Paralympics, he won a silver medal in Men's Class B table tennis with Bruno Moretti and was a member of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team. In the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics, he competed in wheelchair fencing as part of the Men's Épée Team. At the 1968 Tel Aviv Paralympics, he won a silver medal in the Men's Slalom A event and participated in swimming, table tennis, and wheelchair basketball events.

In addition to his Paralympic achievements, Mather-Brown competed in the 1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games held in Perth. He won medals in four sports, including gold in weightlifting (Men's Lightweight Class B), wheelchair basketball (Men's competition), and table tennis (Men's Doubles Class B). He also secured a silver medal in Men's Class B table tennis and a gold medal in the Men's Backstroke 50 metres Class C, as well as a silver in the Men's 50 metres crawl, Class C.

Personal

He was born in the Western Australian city of Fremantle in 1936. He contracted polio in 1938 aged 2 in the town of Agnew in the Goldfields, Northeast of Kalgoorlie. He spent 2 years in the Kalgoorlie Hospital before moving back to Perth. He married Nadine Vine on 6 January 1967, who attended the 1972 Heidelberg Games as a team nurse.^[2] They had two children.^[2] He also published two book of verse; "My Destined Way" in 1984, and "The Songs of the Possum" in 1994"

Paralympic Games

Australian Paralympic Team members in the in-field at the athletics during the 1964 Tokyo Paralympic Games. From left (seated) Frank Ponta, team official John Johnston, Elizabeth Edmondson, unknown and Bill Mather-Brown

He has always been interested in sport and joined wheelchair sports in 1955. He went to the Stoke Mandeville games in 1957 and competed in several sports. At the 1960 Rome Paralympics, he won a silver medal in Men's Class B table tennis with Bruno Moretti and participated in the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team.^[3][4] At the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics, he participated in wheelchair fencing as part of the Men's Épée Team.^[3] At the 1968 Tel Aviv Paralympics, he won a silver medal in the Men's Slalom A event and participated in swimming, table tennis and wheelchair basketball events.^[3][4]

Commonwealth Paraplegic Games

Mather-Brown competed at the 1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in his home town of Perth. He won medals in four sports. In weightlifting he wonnthe gold medal in the men's lightweight class B, in wheelchair basketball he won Gold in the Men's competition, in table tennis he won a gold medal in the men's doubles Class B and a silver medal in the men's class B, in swimming he won gold in the men's backstroke 50 metres Class C, and silver in the men's 50 metres crawl, class C.^[5]

Recognition

• Inducted into Wheelchair Sports WA Hall of Fame.^[6]
• Life Membership of Wheelchair Sports WA - 1981^[7]
• Western Australian Citizen of the Year for Sport - 1981^[2]
• Australian Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame - 1995^[2]
• Australian Sports Medal - 2000 as a "basketball Paralympian - Captain/Coach since 1957".^[2]
• Centenary Medal - 2001 "for service to the community through disabled and wheelchair sports".^[1]