John had a work accident in 1980 in Australia. A rock-fall in an underground coal mine left him as a paraplegic. A few years later, John joined the Australian Wheelchair Basketball Team but unfortunately never played at the highest level, the 1985 World Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games being cancelled.
Two years later, John represented Australia in Wheelchair tennis this time, at the 1987 World Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Games where he won a bronze in the team event. John also won another 2 medals: the gold in the singles and the bronze in the doubles at the 1989 FESPIC Games in Japan.
In 1992, John qualified this time for New Zealand to the highest level of Para sport. He was named to be part of the team of 13 Paralympians who competed at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games in Spain. He was still competing in Wheelchair tennis and went to the 1/8th final in the double with fellow Paralympian #74 Glenn Barnes and the 1/16th final in the single event.
John’s photograph was taken in Iizuka, Japan in 1986 by partially sighted Japanese photographer Mr Masayohi Nakamura.
