Bali bomb victim given 5% survival chance now a star
It is hard not to notice Ben Tullipan on a golf course.
The 46-year-old Aussie walks confidently up to the tee and swings like a seasoned pro. Two artificial legs are the only clue he’s not your average club hacker.
Tullipan sustained horrendous injuries in 2002 in what is now known as the Bali bombings – a terrorist attack on a resort in the Indonesian tourist hotspot that killed 202 people.
Golf has been crucial to his recovery and on Monday and Tuesday he played in the NZ Disability Golf Open at Manor Park Golf Sanctuary in Lower Hutt.
A gentle stroll around a lush Wellington course is a world away from the trauma Tullipan witnessed two decades ago.
‘‘I was 5 metres away from a car bomb when it went off,’’ he recalls.
Unable to use his legs, he tried to drag himself out, but suffered further injuries from broken bottles and fire. Doctors told Tullipan he was unlikely to survive but if he did, he would never walk.
Two days later he was put on an Australian Air Force Hercules and returned to Australia. ‘‘I remember being in the Hercules and then I lost two or three months in a coma.’’
As well as both legs, he lost hearing on one side and most of his stomach muscles. More than 60% of his body suffered full thickness burns. Given a 5% chance of survival he wanted to prove the doctors wrong. Once he learned to walk, the former boxer looked for a new sport and when his mates joked he would fall over on his two artificial legs if he tried golf, he rose to the challenge.
Golf had given him many opportunities to meet people and tell his inspiring story, he said. Now living in Queensland, Tullipan works for Empower Golf running clinics encouraging those with disabilities to take up golf.
Disabled Golf New Zealand president
Andrew Woo said golf was the perfect game for those with a disability. The handicap system provides an even playing field for people like Tullipan.
Woo has a spinal cord injury as a result of a diving accident. Being told he could end up in a wheelchair made him determined to get on with life and golf has become his passion. He wants to see disabled golf grow and hopes one day New Zealanders will be able to play in the Paralympics.
Those taking part at Manor Park this week included a one-armed golfer and a totally blind golfer. A guide helps set him up and provides the distances to the hole.
Manor Park president Win van der Velde said it was amazing to watch the tournament golfers. ‘‘I have a few aches and pains but nothing compared to these guys. It is just amazing and very inspirational to watch them.’’