DON’T JUST MEASURE LEGACY IN CONCRETE

IN life, the way we respond to adversity often defines our character as humans, rather than the adversity itself.

Listening to Curtis Mcgrath, OAM, speak this week at the Gold Coast Bulletin’s Future Gold Coast forum really stirred my emotions.

From 2012, when he suffered horrific injuries while defending his country in Afghanistan, to the amazing athlete and ambassador he is today really underscored the strength of human endeavour.

Curtis doesn’t ask for much, but his message to organisers, sponsors and politicians now plotting a course towards Brisbane 2032 is: the conversation regarding Paralympics must be held “parallel” to any discussions about the broader Olympics. In Curtis’s eyes – and mine – they are one and the same and we must ensure there is no deviation from this mutual discussion over the next 11 years. I will go so far as to request that the Premier’s title as Minister for the Olympics is changed to Minister for the Olympics and Paralympics. The parallel conversation has to start at the top and filter down to everything we do and say.

The GC2018 Commonwealth Games was the first Games to fully integrate both sports programs. Further, we ensured our Games had equal representation in male and female sports and that the para-program was part and parcel of those magical 14 days.

If we count legacy from these major events only based on how many new roads, rail lines or sporting centres we build, then our region and country is the real loser.

Legacy is about humanity – not concrete.

Legacy should not be measured solely on how we have improved our cities from a traffic-flow point of view or how many tickets we sold. True legacy should be measured by how better connected we are as humans, and how inclusive we are as a society.

And 2032 will be a defining period in our nation’s maturity – culturally, socially and economically.

We can get it so right by starting the conversation now about parallel decisions – and embedding these in our everyday actions.

Ironically, I make this plea while our city has no seat on any 2032 board.

Despite our incredible success in delivering the 2018 Games with the para-sport events run as part of the main program, the Gold Coast is an outsider for 2032.

I would hate to believe that politics has already entered the thinking of those shaping our future parallel decisionmaking boards for 2032.

I have little doubt that men like Curtis, or the budding young able-bodied and para athletes eyeing off 2032, would be left feeling somewhat betrayed if the people of the Gold Coast had no say in what will be the first truly regional games in Olympics and Paralympics history. Is that the message we want to leave them?

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