Who is Bourke?

"Bourke can be seen almost every day in his wheelchair in The Corso near Darley Road selling pens for the Shepherd Centre. He is listed at the Shepherd Centre in Strawberry Hills as one of its major fundraisers and he is extremely proud of this.

Bourke was born in an ambulance on Parramatta Road in 1946 as a blue baby and as a result he has cerebral palsy. He has been in a wheelchair for 61 years-all his life. Bourke's parents were unable to care for him after the birth of another child, so at the age of 11 years he was sent to Peat Island in an isolated area north of Sydney, where people were institutionalised as mentally and/or criminally insane. Bourke was neither. He was a young boy with cerebral palsy, wheelchair bound. He lived in what must have been awful circumstances for about five years. He was then housed in various hospitals, homes and centers.

When Bourke was about 16 years old, Dr Bruce Shepherd, co-founder of the Shepherd Centre, had an idea to try to assist Bourke with problems he had with physical movements from his hips down. The alternative was to have his legs amputated, and Bourke would have none of that. Bourke has had about 40 operations, the last one when he was 41 years old. Bourke had an idea too: to spend his time as a volunteer to raise money for the Shepherd Centre for deaf children. He has been doing so in the Manly and Chatswood areas on and off in some capacity for 30 years, but more recently on a full-time basis for between nine and 10 years. He lives in a bungalow in North Balgowlah, north of Manly, and is constantly out and about in his wheelchair, running around Manly and raising funds by selling pens, cards and, of course, occasionally undertaking a major wheelchair event.

Bourke is an official fundraiser for the Shepherd Centre. He operates his own race, so to speak. The Shepherd Centre does not pressure him in any way. He is just happy to help, knowing that whatever he does and the money he raises will assist deaf children and their families. Bourke is reliant on assistance from the Home Care Service of New South Wales. He has an established group of fantastic helpers and a team of friends who assist him with major events. Bourke generally organises the strategies for major events and he can be a hard taskmaster. In 1999 he organised an Easter raffle in Manly and raised over $1,000. Bourke is truly a good person, with a heart of gold.

Many other people are tireless in their efforts to raise money for various charities and organisations, but not many do so totally wheelchair-bound and with the enthusiasm and fortitude exuded by Bourke. He has a great sense of humour and is a frequent visitor to my office, where he likes to chat with the office staff. Bourke Gibbons has also contributed to Australian sporting life. He is a retired Paralympian, having represented Australia in bocce at the Games in Seoul and Barcelona. He truly should be saluted not only for his community work but for the abilities he has displayed in sporting life as a disabled athlete. Many people deserve to be recognised for their work in the community but not many do so wheelchair-bound and with such selflessness as Bourke."

David Barr

 

References

Legislative Assembly » 8 June 2000 » Mr BARR (Manly) [8.00 p.m.]: