THE FIRST TABLE TENNIS MEDAL OF AUSTRALIAN PARALYMPIANS

The first Paralympic Games took place in Rome, Italy from 18 to 25 September 1960 featuring 400 athletes from 23 countries. Since then it has taken place every four years.

The Rome Paralympics owe their origins partly to the huge number of men and women suffering from spinal injuries as a result of World War II.

                                 Australian team in 1960 Rome Paralympic Games

For the first 30 years of the Paralympic movement in Australia, there was no umbrella organisation responsible for the Australian Paralympic Team, until the Australian Paralympic Federation was established in 1990. It was renamed Australian Paralympic Committee in 1998 and Paralympics Australia in 2018.

Australia has participated officially in every Paralympic Games since its inauguration in 1960 except for the 1976 Winter Paralympics.

Eleven Australian Paralympians participated in the1960 Rome Paralympic Games, and won 3 Gold Medals, 6 Sliver Medals and 1 Bronze Medal. Australia ranked the 7^th in all nations.

Bill Mather-Brown and Bruno Moretti won silver in the table tennis double event, although both competed in other sports. It is the first and one of eight Australian table tennis medals in Paralympic Games history.

Bill Mather-Brown - First Australian Table Tennis Medallist in 1960 Rome Paralympic Games

Bill Mather-Brown was born in Fremantle, Western Australian in 1936. He contracted polio in 1938 at age 2 and spent 2 years in the Kalgoorlie Hospital before moving back to Perth.

Bill had always been interested in sport and joined wheelchair sports in 1955. He went to the Stoke Mandeville games in 1957 and competed in several sports. At the 1960 Rome Paralympics, he won a silver medal in Men's Class B table tennis double event with Bruno Moretti

At the 1964 Tokyo Paralympics, Bill participated in wheelchair fencing as part of the Men's Épée Team^. At the 1968 Tel Aviv Paralympics, he won a silver medal in the Men's Slalom A event and participated in swimming, table tennis and wheelchair basketball events.

Bill competed at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth. He won medals in four sports. In weightlifting, he won a gold medal in the men's lightweight class B, in wheelchair basketball he won a gold medal in the Men's competition, in table tennis he won a gold medal in the men's doubles Class B and a silver medal in the men's class B, in swimming he won a gold medal in the men's backstroke 50 metres Class C, and a silver medal in the men's 50 metres crawl, class C.

       Bruno Moretti - First Australian Table Tennis Medallist in 1960 Rome Paralympic Games

Bruno Moretti was born in Ivanhoe, Victoria in 1941, and his spine was dislocated while he was being delivered at birth. He won a silver medal in men's doubles Class B in table tennis at the 1960 Rome Paralympics with Bill Mather-Brown.

At the 1968 Tel Aviv Paralympics, he won a gold medal in the Men's Slalom A event and two silver medals in the Men's 100 m Wheelchair A and Men's 4x40 m Relay open events; he also participated in table tennis events and in the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team. He coached Australia's wheelchair basketball team at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics and the first Australian wheelchair rugby team in 1984.

Bruno also represented Australia at the 1962 Australia Commonwealth Games and 1966 Jamaica Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, winning five gold medals in weightlifting, table tennis, basketball and athletics.

              Reunion of the 1960 Australian Rome Paralympic Team in 2010

                            R to L: 1st - Bill Mather-Brown and 4th - Bruno Moretti

Vice President of TTNSW, Ted Davis said: “As the greatest ever Australian para table tennis players and the pioneers of para sports, Bill Mather-Brown and Bruno Moretti’s contribution to our sport and to our country is highly respected and remembered forever, especially just before 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.”

Ted continued: “TTNSW would like to express our best wishes to the Australian Paralympic Table Tennis Team for their success in the coming Tokyo Paralympic Games. TTNSW is also very proud of that TTNSW Director, Stephen Gillespie is appointed as the Deputy Referee for the Table Tennis event at 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.”

David Lee and Michael Li wish to gratefully acknowledge of Table Tennis Australia, Paralympics Australia, Tokyo Organizing Committee of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and International Paralympic Committee.