John Croll honoured for service to people with a disability
After making great strides for disabled athletes with Paralympics Australia, John Croll has turned his attention to helping ordinary Australians with a disability find joy in sport
Northern District Times
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A career of working with disabled athletes has taught John Croll one big thing.
“They all have amazing stories to tell.”
The Ryde resident has been made a member of the Order of Australia for his significant service to people with a disability and to Paralympic and sporting organisations.
After carving out an extensive early career in media and public relations, Mr Croll joined Paralympics Australia following his first Paralympic Games experience at the Turin Winter Games in 2006.
“I saw these amazing athletes flying down the hill at over 100km an hour on one leg and I just thought I’ve got to be involved with this,” Mr Croll said.
“I saw what Paralympians can achieve and I just wanted to contribute and help them achieve their goals.”
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Throughout his time with Paralympics Australia, including eight years as vice-president, Mr Croll made enormous commercial and performance strides for Australia’s disabled athletes.
“We did some great things around getting the Paralympic Games broadcast onto commercial TV and … with Sport Australia to get more funding for Paralympians,” he said.
“Then there’s also the evolution of our partnership with the Essendon Football Club and the development of (shared centre of excellence) The Hangar at Tullamarine.”
However Mr Croll regards his proudest moment as just being in the crowd at the London Paralympics in 2012.
“London 2012 was just shown as one big festival of sport,” he said.
“To be in London and see Australian athletes doing personal bests in front of 60,000 fans was such a proud moment for me.”
With Paralympics Australia thriving, Mr Croll has now turned his attention to improving the lives of ordinary disabled Australians in his current role as chairman of Disability Sports Australia.
“DSA is more about getting people with a disability more active, more often,” Mr Croll said.
“It’s about people in the community being able to be involved in sport and having that goal of getting up and getting moving.
“That’s where I am now.”