Adventure experiences in the Hunter Valley

Hunter Valley Resort shared Singleton Council's post.

4 days ago

A true professional. He installed our new hotel guest WiFi system and is deeply engaged in our local community. Go Luke!The sounds of weekend mornings for lots of parents across Singleton is the sound of their children playing sport, and cheering them on from the sidelines. But for some kids, the sound and the movement of team sport, not to mention the social and physical expectations, can be a real challenge. Luke Boldery aims to change all that.

Luke is on a mission to see disability normalised, and give all kids living in Singleton, and its surrounds, the opportunity to participate in sport. As well as managing his own technology company, iTech Frontier, Luke is also President of the Singleton Track and Field, a member of the Singleton Sports Council and, as of last month, the latest member of the Singleton Disability Advisory Committee. Driven by high performance (by his own admission), Luke is determined to shift public perception, create community, and above all, be a role model for his kids.

After joining little athletics as a six year old, it was Luke’s time as a track and field volunteer at the Sydney Paralympics that opened his eyes to the integral role sport plays in shaping lives. He said it made him realise what was important – an enlightening experience he values as one of the best in his life thus far. But it was this year’s Commonwealth Games that Luke said provided the template that sport needs to embrace inclusion.

“There was just this shift in thought – able-bodied and disabled athletes competing on the same programme. To me this was a no-brainer. I have always seen people as people. If I can change some other people’s way of thinking, and get others to think in the same way, and add that support mechanism to other people so they can be enabled, then well you are part of the shift.

“If we can get people engaging in our club that maybe wouldn’t have previously, for any reason (level of performance, financial, disability etc.), all these things are barriers. If we can pull these barriers down, there shouldn’t be any reason that kids can’t all be part of what we create. Athletics is a powerful enabler and the basis of most sports, activities and movement. In this technological age, it’s important to get our kids active at least one day a week, off their devices and in the community striving to do their best. It’s grassroots.”

Luke’s energy and commitment is something of a character trait – and something he says he wouldn’t have any other way. But not all sporting clubs encourage diversity and inclusion of people from a range of different backgrounds and abilities (and 2018 research from leading Australian Universities backs this up). But Luke is proud to be a champion for inclusion, and wears the trailblazer tag proudly.

“If that is what I am, then I am happy to wear that tag, because someone has to be. It’s a good thing, and hopefully we can create some awareness in the community and people open some doors to opportunities, and people can use this to help others,” he said.

Singleton Track and Field have been working with Singleton Council to apply for NSW grants to upgrade infrastructure at the club, including the clubhouse and an inclusive long jump track.

“In a perfect world, we would love to have Singleton Track and Field as a hub of inclusion. I want disabled people to participate not just as supporters or spectators, but as athletes. We already have a para-athlete that competes at a state level for our club. But we want a higher percentage.

“I just loathe to think that there are kids out there that don’t get to do sport, because they are not able to, or don’t think they can. They may have been shot down in the past, or made to feel not welcome…whatever the barrier is, I think the barriers are starting to lift – it’s a society thing, it’s a perspective shift. Someone has to be the ice-breaker at some point. There is a lot of sheep in the world, so if you can be the shepherd that promotes someone doing something good, or create shifts in the way people think, an enabler… some people just won’t do things until they see someone else do it.

“Sport is a powerful, powerful motivator for people, and should be leading the way in this arena. Image, well being, and a sense achievement are things that people take for granted, and are all generated by sport. No one should miss out on that.

“It’s also great to show my kids that they can make a difference. Being supportive of people in the community – that’s what it is about – creating community through sport.”

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