Raymond Barrett (1952 – August 2000) was an Indigenous Australian Paralympic athlete who competed in wheelchair events. He won a bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany.
Personal Life
Raymond Barrett was born in 1952 in New South Wales, Australia. He was an Indigenous Australian of the Wiradjuri people. In 1965, at age 13, he was struck by a car while riding his bicycle home from Heathcote High School, leaving him a paraplegic. Prior to the accident, he had been a champion juvenile athlete in able-bodied sports, including archery, shot put, discus, long-distance running, and sprints. He completed his education at Lakemba School for the Handicapped and later trained as a printer under the New South Wales Disabled Workers' Organisation. He was named "Trainee of the Year" by the New South Wales Association for Training the Disabled in Office Work (NADOW).
Athletic Career
Barrett competed in numerous national and international events. His major achievements include:
- 1970: Won 9 gold medals at the National Paraplegic & Quadriplegic Games in Melbourne. At the Third Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Edinburgh, Scotland, he won 2 silver medals in the Wheelchair Dash and 1 bronze medal in Wheelchair Basketball.
- 1972: At the 14th Annual Paraplegic and Quadriplegic Games, he placed 1st in Shot Put, Wheelchair Dash, and Slalom (Class 2). At the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany, he won a bronze medal in the 100-metre Wheelchair Dash and placed 5th in the Slalom.
- 1973: At the National Paraplegic & Quadriplegic Games in Holroyd, New South Wales, he set a world record in the 100-metre sprint (silver medal) and a world record in the 4 × 100-metre men's relay (gold medal). He also won a silver medal in fencing.
- 1974: At the Fourth Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Dunedin, New Zealand, he won gold, silver, and bronze medals, setting world records in the Wheelchair Dash. At the International Stoke Mandeville Games in England, he won gold in the Wheelchair Sprint, and bronze medals in Wheelchair Basketball and Slalom racing.
He also served as an official timekeeper for the New South Wales Athletic Association and the able-bodied National Games in Melbourne.
Later Life and Legacy
Following his return from Europe in 1974, Barrett was involved in a second car accident that left him an incomplete quadriplegic with brain stem damage. He spent two years in hospital before returning home. He later moved to the Gold Coast, Queensland, where he lived in the care of his parents. He died in August 2000 at age 48.
A sporting complex at Port Hacking High School in Miranda, Sydney, is named "The Ray Barrett Field" in his honour. He was also recognised in the centenary celebration book of the Sutherland Shire (1906–2006).
