Katherine Deves: Lib candidate badly injured in ski fall

Katherine Deves, the controversial Liberal ‘captain’s pick’ to take on Zali Steggall, has been badly hurt while skiing at Thredbo - on the same run where an 18-year-old died last month.

High-profile former Liberal federal election candidate Katherine Deves may need surgery after taking a nasty fall on the NSW ski slopes.

Ms Deves broke her shoulder in three places when she tumbled after hitting a patch of ice and rock on the popular ‘High Noon’ run at Thredbo.

The shoulder joint was also dislocated in the fall on one of the longest and steepest runs on the Australia ski fields.

She fell on the same run where Sydney teenager Oliver Johnston, 18, died late last month after losing control and launching headfirst into gum trees.

Oliver Johnston, 18, of Killara, who died after an accident on the High Noon run at Thredbo ski resort in June. Picture: Supplied

Ms Deves, the so-called ‘captain’s pick’ made by former prime minister Scott Morrison in an effort to win back the former blue ribbon Liberal Sydney seat of Warringah from popular independent Zali Steggall, was injured on Monday.

She fell on the lower, steep section of the category ‘blue’ run at about 11.30am and had to be placed in a plastic stretcher — referred to as a “blood bucket” by skiers — after receiving first aid from the Thredbo ski patrol.

Patrol members then took her for a check up at the resort’s medical centre where her shoulder joint was put back in place.

A tweet that Katherine Deves, the former Liberal candidate for Warringah at the 2021 federal election, sent out to her Twitter followers from the ski slopes at Thredbo about an hour before she fell and broke and dislocated her shoulder on July 18. Picture: Twitter (Katherine Deves)

Ms Deves, who attracted massive media and community attention after historic social media messages about her view of transgender sports issues emerged, was staying in a nearby lodge with her three school-aged daughters.

“I’m a good skier,” Ms Deves told the Manly Daily. “I’ve been doing it for 40 years.”

About an hour before she fell, Ms Deves took a selfie-portrait, showing her in a ski helmet and visor, with the heading “Snow Day! @Thredboresort” and sent it out to her close to 1800 personal Twitter followers.

“We’d booked this trip a while ago,” she said. “It was a longstanding family holiday.

“It was a great day on Monday and I’d only been skiing for about an hour before I fell.

“I hit some ice and rocks near the bottom of High Noon and went over and landed on my shoulder.

“Now I can’t even get my clothes on or off without help from my mum.

“I’ve been speaking with a doctor who told me I may need surgery.”

Katherine Deves was unable to attend a meeting of Warringah Liberals, via Zoom, due to the painful shoulder injury. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

Ms Deves had planned to attend a meeting of the Liberal Party’s Warringah Federal Conference, via Zoom from Thredbo on Monday night, where the fallout from the defeat by Ms Steggall was to be discussed.

“But I couldn’t make that meeting, I was really in a lot of pain.”

The meeting at Balgowlah RSL, attended by about 100 Liberal Party members, voted unanimously to support a motion by the Sydney FEC to make changes to party rules to stop preselection “captain picks”.