Jack’s big step towards taking his mark at Brisbane 2032

Could Jack Conroy, a 20-year-old from Sydney’s western suburbs with a physical and intellectual disability, be the athlete who captures the nation’s heart at the Brisbane 2032 Paralympic Games? 

While time will tell if that’s the case, Jack [photographed above] – who works at a funeral home and helps out at a cafe in his limited free time – may have taken the first step towards taking his mark on the Brisbane Paralympic stadium’s track, or maybe its aquatic centre’s swimming blocks, or even the archery range when he attended the inaugural New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Para Unit’s first ‘Para Transition’ evening.

Over 40 Para-athletes attended the first week of the sessions that will run for the next six weeks at Sydney Olympic Park. The aim is to allow attendees to sample a variety of sports to see which discipline they’re best suited to.

Outstanding 18-year-old NSW wheelchair racer Cormac Ryan, who’s on an NSWIS Para Accelerate Training Agreement, not only volunteered to help out as a coach but he set the tone when asked what advice he’d offer an aspiring Para-athlete. 

“Be enthusiastic,” Ryan said. “Just enjoy the experience and remind yourself why you’re doing this. People are here to support you, so I’d say set goals and go for them.” 

Tim Wilson, an amputee who learned while surfing the internet about the Para Unit’s plan to unearth a pipeline of talent to allow Australia to celebrate its most successful ever Paralympics at Brisbane hopes to end up in either Para-triathlon or Para-athletics. 

“Regardless, I’m just looking forward to getting into Para sports,” he said before being put through his paces by NSWIS’ experts, including Senior Strength & Conditioning Coach Tim Rogers, who this time last year, was training the New Zealand Warriors NRL Pathway teams. 

“The model is very similar to the Warriors,” Rogers said of the Para Unit’s talent search. “Only, instead of trying to find NRL players we’re after Paralympians. While it’s a broad space, what we’re finding is a lot of people don’t realise they qualify.” 

Fourteen-year-old Willem Meischke [photographed being presented with his training shirt from NSWIS’s Marianne Loh], who attended the session with his father Paul, encapsulated the spirit of the night. While Willem is a keen Para-swimmer, he is open to being steered to participate in other sports if he’s better suited for them. 

And that brings us back to Jack ‘Flash’ Conroy, recipient of the 2024 Penrith Young Citizen of the Year Award; who was awarded the Mater Dei Peace Prize for most outstanding Year 12 student; named the 2019 Nepean Dragons Football Club Senior Player of the Year for exceptional Sportsman; the  2022 Try Time Senior Player of the Year, a NSW representative in athletics and cross country, and who scaled Mount Kosciuszko to raise funds for the Everyone Can Dance charity .

He’s also a proud member of Nepean Senior Athletics after the club embraced Jack when he struggled to find a club willing to let him join. Every Wednesday he trains alongside able bodied athletes who encourage him to improve in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m events.

Despite Nepean’s invaluable support, Jack’s mother, Karen, and father, David, could easily have been speaking on behalf of other parents when they described the NSWIS Para Unit as an answer to their prayers. 

“We take him to events, like the Nationals in Perth, and see [athletes with] coaches and other support,” said David. “And it’s like, ‘well buddy, you have me.” 

“The NSWIS Para Unit provides us with a connection,’ said Karen, who met NSW Athletics coach Matt Rawlings, at the Para Transition night. They were ecstatic to learn Rawlings specialises in coaching a squad of Para-athletes in Sydney’s Hills district.  

“It also provides an opportunity to find out if Jack has the talent to get to the next level, and what connections we can create with experts to support him and his passion,” said Karen. 

A quick chat with Jack reveals he has endless volumes of energy.

He plays soccer; runs cross country; swims for Rainbow Club, and a few nights before his first Para-Transition session represented the Penrith Panthers Juniors against Parramatta Eels in ‘Try Time,” a format of rugby league that’s tailored for people with disabilities.  

He also has soccer commitments and attends ‘Everyone Can Dance’ classes. His parents note he’s also been counting down the seconds until the Para Athletics World Championships start in New Delhi, India today.

“I’m very excited,” Jack [photographed with NSWIS’s Ben Senior] said of the opportunities the Para Transition sessions could provide him. 

His parents say they’re eternally grateful to Mrs Hanrahan, the sports coordinator at Mater Dei, who opened a new world to their son when she encouraged Jack to run in 2019 because he showed a natural talent – although, everyone soon realised he didn’t understand the rules. 

“In his first 800m race Jack didn’t realise he could overtake the other competitors,” said Karen. “That was because he was used to following his dad around the track at training. He thought they were the rules. So, he waited for all the other kids to start and tacked onto the very end of the line. 

“He was just trailing them, and I was yelling ‘RUN AROUND THEM’ and run he did! Despite giving the winner a head start of a few hundred metres, he closed the gap and came second.  

After finishing fourth in the Open Men’s Para 800m at last year’s Nationals in Perth, David was shocked when Jack collapsed the following morning as they prepared for an outing to Rottnest Island.  

“Jack wanted to watch Gout Gout run that night, but he collapsed,” David recalled. “It turned out he had Influenza A. I now have no doubt he had it when he raced, but I didn’t know at the time.  

“Despite that he still ran the 800m in 2.27 minutes which was special because he’d never run under 2.30 before. It was a personal best and also a goal he’d set himself at the start of the year”.

As Jack went through his paces with the NSWIS staff, including Marianne Loh, the Head of the Para Unit, Paralympian and Para Unit Transition Lead coach Paul Nunnari, and colleagues Ben Senior and Glen Lebeau , along with NSWIS sports physiotherapists Emily Boulton Smith and Lachlan Mollica, Jack’s parents spoke of a son who constantly amazes them. 

“His younger brother is non-verbal, and we hear him always speaking to Adam, asking how his day has been; how he’s feeling – even though he doesn’t ever get an answer,” said Karen. 

“While Jack [photographed above with Paralympian Mali Lovell] doesn’t speak much, whenever he’s in his room watching recordings from athletics events all around the country, he calls the races because he’s mesmerised by what the commentators say. He parrots them word for word.  

“They’re so clear. We stand outside the door and listen because, to us, it’s so special. But if we open the door he stops and goes quiet.” 

Jack also works at Taylor’d Funerals, where he attends ceremonies and sets up prior to everyone arriving. He then greets everyone, distributing tissues, water, and order of service programs to mourners.  

“We didn’t know how that was going to go, but a wonderful funeral director, Karen Taylor was prepared for him to try,” said Karen proudly. “But he does it so well. He has so much concern [for the mourners] people enquire if he’ll be working during their service.

“He volunteers at a local cafe, Daily Break on a weekend, and it’s the same thing,” said David. “When he first started, we’d watch from the car, hoping he didn’t drop anything, but he didn’t. People drop in to say ‘hello’ to Jack, and at Christmas they give him presents.” 

So, could Jack Conroy be the athlete who captures the nation’s heart at the Brisbane 2038 Paralympic Games? Time will tell, but by linking up with the NSWIS Para Unit he’s taken a mighty step towards further enriching his life . . .  and, just maybe, Australian sport. 

Do you know a person with disability who can thrive in sport? Are you someone with a disability who’ve always thought ‘sport isn’t for me’ but just want an opportunity to give things a crack? The NSWIS Para Unit is still seeking athletes to register their interest and take a step toward high performance sport. Find out more here: https://www.nswis.com.au/nswisparaunit/

Daniel Lane, NSWIS

Photography: Rachel Tingey, NSWIS