Robert Staddon (swimmer)

Staddon was born in 1960 and grew up in the Sydney suburb of Avalon.[1][2] In 1972, his family moved to Cooranbong and in 1973 to the Newcastle suburb of New Lambton.[1] He attended Broadmeadow High School until 1977. After leaving school, he joined the Royal Australian Navy as an able seaman.[1] In September 1980, he had a water slide accident in Jakarta, Indonesia that resulted him becoming a quadriplegic.[3] He underwent rehabilitation including swimming at Royal North Shore Hospital.[1] He was coached by Eric Arnold at the Junction Swim Centre in Newcastle.[1] From 1982 to 1986, he focussed on swimming and worked as an instructor at Forster and Junction Swim Centre.[1] He then lectured on the prevention of spinal injuries for Royal North Shore Hospital.[1] He became the first quadriplegic in Australia to gain an advanced open water diving certificate and a coxwain's certificate.[1]

At the 1981 Para-Quad national Games in Melbourne, he won a gold medal and two silver medals.[1] He won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 1982 FESPIC Games in Hong Kong.[1] At the 1983 International Stoke Mandeville Games he won two gold medals and a bronze medal.[1] He competed at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games, where he won three bronze medals in the Men's 100 m Freestyle 1C, Men's 25 m Backstroke 1C and Men's 3×25 m Freestyle Relay 1A–1C events.[1][4][5]

In 1984, Staddon received the "Best Single Sporting Performance" award from Sport Australia, the NBN Sport Star of the Year Special Award, and the Para-Quad Sporting Federation's "Most Outstanding Swimming Award".[1] He was named "Citizen of the Year" by the Newcastle Australia Day Council in 1987, and was inducted into the Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame in 1999.[1][6]

• R. Staddon at the International Paralympic Committee