gave me hope” “Harry
The prince’s Games have helped these Aussie diggers heal
Peter Rudland barely survived a deadly Black Hawk helicopter crash in Afghanistan in 2010. The former Special Forces soldier almost lost his leg after his rifle embedded itself in his limb when the chopper came down. He also suffered a broken back, pelvis and a frontal lobe bleed, and has endured more than 30 operations since then.
Tragically, the horrific crash claimed the lives of four other service personnel, including three Australians, and injured eight others.
LOST HIS WAY
“I was medically retired from the army after 28 years’ service,” the 47-year-old from Terranora, NSW, explains. “Afterwards, I struggled to find what I was going to do next. I’d always been fit and driven but after the accident I was lost.”
Peter’s participation in Prince Harry’s Invictus Games has played a big part in his rehabilitation.
“When I first tried recumbent cycling, which I could do without pain and which I first competed in at the Orlando Games in 2016, it gave me that feeling of being able to get out and do things for myself again,” he says. “It also set me back on the path of healthy living.”
Meeting Harry at the Orlando and Toronto Invictus Games was a boost, too. “He’s a top bloke, and comes across as someone who really cares about the welfare of soldiers,” says Peter.
“I asked him what he likes best about being with defence personnel and he said he can be himself, he relaxes around us. He’s from our world.
“Harry’s pretty funny,” he chuckles. “He gives us Aussies some stick too – but then as a former soldier himself he has a laugh with all of us.”
The big-hearted, young royal established the Games four years ago. More than 500 competitors will be in Sydney for the 2018 event, which kicks off on October 20. They will compete in 11 adaptive sports, including archery, swimming, and powerlifting.
Peter – whose journey to his third and final Invictus Games has been captured in the ABC documentary Fighting Spirit: Wheeling Diggers’ Invictus Games Dream – will represent Australia in cycling and wheelchair rugby.
“The program shows that there are lots of different types of military injury,” he explains. “From short and long-term physical effects to the mental health issues, Invictus Games competitors are affected by a wide range of symptoms, but the Games help in our recovery.
“Harry’s Invictus Games have been hugely positive for me – and for so many other military people,” says Peter. “I’m a huge fan.”
‘He’s a top bloke. He cares about the welfare of soldiers’