Peter James Marsh (19 October 1948 – 26 November 2012) was an Australian Paralympic athlete and table tennis player who competed at three

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

and won two bronze medals.

Personal

In June 1970, at the age of 21, Marsh sustained a spinal injury playing rugby league for

Wests Panthers The Western Suburbs Panthers, or the West Brisbane Panthers, or often simply referred to as Wests for short, is a semi professional rugby league club based in the western suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The club is the oldest in the ...

Lang Park Brisbane Stadium (Lang Park), currently known as Suncorp Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose stadium in the suburb of Milton, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Nicknamed The Cauldron, it is a three-tiered rectangular sporting st ...

. He became a quadriplegic complete below C5–C6. Before the injury he had participated in

surf lifesaving Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, in ...

, and he was working as a motor mechanic at the time. In 1976, the Paraplegic Welfare Association (now

Spinal Injuries Association Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Spinal column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoology), ...

) employed him, their first employee with a disability, as a welfare officer. He continued to work full-time for the organisation until 1983. He was also involved as an administrator with wheelchair sports organisations and is a life member of

Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association The Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association was the peak body for sport, recreation and fitness for people with a physical disability or vision impairment in the Australian state of Queensland. In January 2024, all the staff, assets and liabi ...

. In 2008, he worked as a volunteer with the

Marist College Ashgrove Marist College Ashgrove (abbreviated as MCA) is an Independent school, independent Roman Catholicism in Australia, Roman Catholic Day school, day and Boarding school, boarding primary school, primary and secondary school, secondary school for Sin ...

community service program. Marsh died on 26 November 2012. He is survived by his wife Anne and their son Kieran.

Career

At the 1976 Toronto Games, Marsh competed in athletics and table tennis and won two bronze medals in the Men's 60 m 1A and Men's Precision Club Throw 1A–1B events. He competed in athletics and table tennis at the 1980 Arnhem Games but did not win a medal. At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games, he competed in three athletics events but did not win a medal.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Peter 1948 births 2012 deaths Paralympic athletes for Australia Paralympic table tennis players for Australia Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Paralympics Table tennis players at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Table tennis players at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Australian male wheelchair racers Sportspeople with tetraplegia Sportsmen from Queensland 20th-century Australian sportsmen Australian wheelchair users Australian male table tennis players