Thomas Rockett Butler (14 February 1913 – 2 June 1963) was the second Australian to participate in the

International Stoke Mandeville Games The World Abilitysport Games (known as the IWAS World Games before 2023) are a parasports multi-sport event for athletes who use wheelchairs or are amputees. Organized by World Abilitysport (formerly IWAS), the Games are a successor to the origin ...

, the precursor to the modern Paralympic Games, when he represented Australia in swimming in 1953 and again in 1954. Butler won the backstroke event in swimming at the 2nd International Stoke Mandeville Games in 1953, and was awarded his medal by the Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Patricia Hornsby-Smith. Butler placed second in the same event in 1954. Charlene Todman, who competed in table tennis in 1951, had been the first Australian to participate in the International Stoke Mandeville Games. Born in

Townsville, Queensland The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, Butler was working as a farm hand in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

by 1936. He enlisted in the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...

Manjimup, Western Australia Manjimup is a town in Western Australia, south of the state capital, Perth. The town of Manjimup is a regional centre for the largest shire in the South West region of Western Australia. At the 2016 census, Manjimup had a population of 4,349 ...

in 1941 and served until the end of the war as a corporal in Syria and Palestine and later in New Guinea and Borneo. Butler was a farmer in Manjimup when he was paralysed following an industrial accident in 1947, aged 34. He spent over two years rehabilitating in Hollywood Hospital in

Perth, Western Australia Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

. Following his release from hospital in 1950, he drove home to Manjimup in his new Holden car, with specially designed controls that he could drive with his fingers. Seeking further rehabilitation, Butler travelled to England to receive treatment by Dr Ludwig Guttmann at the

Stoke Mandeville Hospital Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service (NHS) hospital located on the parish borders of Aylesbury and Stoke Mandeville, Buckinghamshire, England. It is managed by Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. It was established ...

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...

. Although he was a veteran of World War II, he was ineligible for treatment at the Repatriation Hospital in Melbourne because his accident had occurred after the war. It was during his rehabilitation at Stoke Mandeville Hospital that he competed in the Games. Butler returned to Manjimup in 1954. He died 2 June 1963 and was buried in the

Busselton Busselton is a city in the South West (Western Australia), South West region of the States and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia approximately south-west of Perth. Busselton has a long history as a popular holiday destin ...

Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Thomas 1913 births 1963 deaths Male Paralympic swimmers for Australia Sportspeople from Townsville Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers People from Manjimup, Western Australia Sportsmen from Western Australia 20th-century Australian sportsmen