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Kevin Coombs
OAM PLY
	Coombs carries the Paralympic torch as part of the torch relay at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Opening Ceremony
Personal information
Full name	Kevin Richard Coombs
Nationality	Australian
Born	30 May 1941; Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia
Died	5 October 2023 (aged 82)
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Wheelchair basketball

Kevin Richard Coombs OAM PLY^[1]^[2] (30 May 1941 – 5 October 2023) was an Australian wheelchair basketballer and athlete who competed at 5 Paralympics including the first Paralympic Games in 1960.^[3]^[4] He was the first Australian Aboriginal Paralympic competitor for Australia.^[3]

Personal life

It was a really big effort because they [the medical team] didn't know how we were going to travel – we didn't know how we were going to travel either.

Kevin Coombs^[5]

Coombs was born on 30 May 1941 in the Victorian town of Swan Hill, to Cecil Coombs and Rosie Clayton. After losing his mother at age five, he and his four siblings lived with relatives in the New South Wales town of Balranald.^[6] He grew up in rural Victoria in a large family.^[3]^[7] He became a paraplegic at the age of 12 when he was accidentally shot in the back while out shooting rabbits.^[8] He spent time at the Royal Austin Rehabilitation Hospital in Melbourne where he was introduced to sport as part of his rehabilitation program.^[8] One of the sports that he competed in was wheelchair basketball. He competed in the first Australian championships in 1960 and was then selected to compete at the 1960 Summer Paralympics.^[8] Coombs only brought one wheelchair to the Paralympic Games, the wheelchair he used every day. His wheelchair weighed about 40 kilograms (88 lb).^[9] Outside of sport, Coombs worked for the Victorian Department of Human Services until 2000. During his career with the Health Services he established the Koori Hospital Liaison Officer program, was the coordinator of the Koori Drug and Alcohol Program and was also Manager of the Koori Health Unit.^[3] Before working at the Department of Health Services, Coombs worked for Community Services Victoria.^[3] He was a Wotjobaluk elder.^[10]

His grandfather, Alfred "Jack" Coombs, as well as Alfred's brother, Willie, served in the Australian Imperial Forces in the Western Front during World War I.^[11]

One of Coombs' daughters, Rose Falla, is the first Aboriginal magistrate in Victoria.^[12] His other daughter, Janine, is the Deputy Chair of Barengi Gadjin Land Council.^[13]

Coombs died on 5 October 2023, at age 82.^[14]

Sporting career

Coombs was part of the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team at the 1960 Rome, 1968 Tel Aviv, 1972 Heidelberg, 1980 Arnhem and 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics.^[15] He served as coach/captain at the 1972 games and as captain at the 1984 games.^[16] He also participated in athletics events at the 1968 and 1972 Paralympics.^[17] He captained the silver medal-winning Australian wheelchair basketball team at the 1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Dunedin, led the Australian team in gold medal performances at the 1977 and 1982 FESPIC Games, captained the team at the 1977 Silver Jubilee Games, and played in the 1983 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship.^[15]^[16]

Contribution to the community

Chairman of the Committee for the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships (1986)^[16]
Ambassador for 'National Indigenous Strategy for Literacy and Numeracy'.^[15]
Coach of the Victorian Junior team.^[15]
Member of the Indigenous Committee for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.^[18]

Recognition

In 1983 Coombs received a Medal of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to sport for the disabled and to Aboriginal welfare".^[2] He had a street named after him at Sydney Olympic Park.^[9]

In 2000, Coombs was selected as one of final torch bearers for the Paralympic torch relay during the 2000 Summer Paralympics opening, carrying the torch inside the Stadium Australia.^[8] That year, he received an Australian Sports Medal.^[19]

In 2007, Coombs was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.^[15]

Basketball Australia holds a national annual Kevin Coombs Cup for Juniors with the first held in 2007.^[20]

In 2011, the Victorian Department of Health and Department of Human Services named a meeting room in honour of Coombs achievements.^[21]

In 2012, Coombs was inducted into the Victorian Indigenous Honour Roll.^[10]

He was a life Member of Paravics / Wheelchair Sports Victoria.^[16]

In December 2016, he was inducted into the Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame.^[22]

At the 2016 Australian Paralympic Committee awards, the Uncle Kevin Coombs Medal for the Spirit of the Games was awarded for the first time.^[22]

After his death in 2023, Coombs was awarded National Trailblazer Award at National Indigenous Sporting Awards^[23]

He was the first person conferred the 'PLY' postnominal letters.

Bibliography

Coombs, K. A Fortunate accident : a boy from Balranald. Melbourne, Aboriginal Affairs, Victoria.

Notes

^ "The Paralympic pioneers who helped create a PLY legacy". International Paralympic Committee.
^ ^a ^b "Coombs, Kevin Richard, OAM". It's an Honour. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Mr Kevin Coombs" (PDF). Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 March 2011. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ Roberts, Michael, ed. (2008). Great Australian Sporting Moments. Melbourne, Victoria: The Miegunyah Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-522-85547-0.
^ International Paralympic Committee 2010, p. 6
^ "Kevin Coombs OAM (born 1941)". Victorian Indigenous Honour Roll website. Archived from the original on 5 February 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
^ "Paralympic pioneer celebrates two major milestones". Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Willis, Andrian (8 April 2004). "Didj u Know – Kevin Coombs". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 3 June 2004. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b International Paralympic Committee 2010, p. 7
^ ^a ^b "A conversation with Uncle Kevin Coombs – part one". International Indigenous Volunteer Network website. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 14 October 2014.
^ Tlozek, Eric (24 April 2022). "Family reunited with 100-year-old World War I Indigenous soldier's medal ahead of Anzac Day". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
^ Chadwick, Vince (30 January 2013). "State's first indigenous magistrate appointed". The Age. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
^ Kesteven, Sophie; Smith, Amanda (21 December 2021). "Kevin Coombs defied the odds and became Australia's first Indigenous Paralympian". ABC Radio National. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
^ "Paralympic Legends Remembered for Pioneering Spirit and Ever-Lasting Impact on Para-Sport". Paralympics Australia. 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Kevin Coombs". Basketball Australia. Archived from the original on 18 September 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Kevin Coombs". Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
^ "Kevin Coombs". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
^ "This Sporting Life". Deadly Vibe Group. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ "Coombs, Kevin: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
^ "Wheelchair Basketball". Australian Basketball Association. Archived from the original on 12 September 2009. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ "Naming of conference room honours Kevin Coombs OAM". Department of Human Services and Department of Health. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 28 May 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Six inducted into the Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame". Australian Paralympic Committee. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
^ "From field to pitch, here are the winners of the 2023 National Indigenous Sporting Awards". NITV. Retrieved 13 November 2023.