Shall We Dance?
By: Rita Hayes My father, Canice Hayes, was an Irish step-dance champion. Dancing was important to my parents as evidenced by their naming me Rita, after Rita Hayworth, arguably Fred Astaire’s … Continue reading →
In My Dreams – Lynette Rutherford
By Lynette Rutherford (Infantile paralysis experienced at age 4 – Left arm paralysed and weak side) In My Dreams I still dream I am serving in tennis, Am marching, with baton … Continue reading →
Polly – My Polio Story
By Pauline (Polly) Corrigan My family arrived in Sydney Australia 17th June 1951. After a short time at a migrant camp we moved to a furnished house with an engineering job … Continue reading →
If only…
By Rosalie Cogger-Collins If only the Polio Vaccine had been available in the early 1950’s my sister Gloria and I would not have suffered from having Polio and be now suffering … Continue reading →
My First Pandemic
By Anonymous Our last Polio pandemic was from the mid-1930s to 1956. Anyone here in Quorn born much earlier than 1956 will remember it, probably vividly. The US bacteriologist, Jonas Salk, … Continue reading →
The shape of life: polio, disease and my mum
By Matt Gibbs My mother, Margaret Gibbs, is seventy years old and doesn’t look a day over sixty-nine. Aside from a pronounced limp on her left side, caused by polio, Mum … Continue reading →
Embraced by it long before understanding of anything around
By Sajid Hossain Yes, I’ve survived! Thanks to the Almighty for such caring parents, grandparents and uncles who did everything within their reach to help me. I was mischievous but not … Continue reading →
Walk This Way
By Suzanne Brigham Contracting polio at 13 months of age (66 years ago) had more of an impact for my family in the first 16 years than me. I knew nothing … Continue reading →
Vaccines and Viruses: A History of Pandemics
COVID-19 seems like a contagious virus without parallel, but Australia has been hit by devastating pandemics before. The Spanish flu killed 15,000 Australians in 1919, smallpox decimated the Aboriginal population, HIV/AIDS … Continue reading →
Believe in Yourself
By Maureen Maloney I am starting my story from March 2020 when the Corona virus Pandemic began. Isolation, not seeing loved ones, fear and of the unknown and death all seemed … Continue reading →
“Change of life” – at 20 months!
By Jen Pretty (Rev.) I have no memory of this place, although I lived here for 6 weeks many years ago, when I was only twenty months old. I have invited … Continue reading →
The after
By Colin Ogilvie Just a few words that express my problems seventy years after. Quite often, roughly monthly, severe aches (pain) occurs in various sections of the body which have been … Continue reading →
Beware of operations
By Jessie McKay I contracted polio when I was 3 but didn’t get the symptoms of post polio until I was well into my 60’s I am writing this to make … Continue reading →
Poetry and other things
By Bob Cowley I was a happy and popular toddler. Then, just after my third birthday, I got polio. I had it for eighteen months – confined to bed, hours of … Continue reading →
Polio Schmolio
Thankfully at age 16 the doctor declared that nothing further could be done and I put the very unpleasant experience to the furtherest place in my mind. I studied visual arts … Continue reading →
“I saw the birth of the Paralympics games – but they were not called that then.”
By Sheila King In about 1946/7 I was a patient at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital. Nearly all patients in the ward I was in were there for the long term. The … Continue reading →
Neena Bhandari on SBS Hindi
Polio survivor, Neena Bhandari spoke in two interviews on SBS Hindi, to help outreach to polio survivors from CALD backgrounds (all interviews are in Hindi).
Continue reading →My Dad is a Polio Survivor
My dad contracted polio in 1954 when he was 2 years old he was hospitalised and put in a cast, he has had polio ever since and even now at the age of 67 he has PPS (late effects of of polio) and I’m proud to say he is a post polio survivor.
Continue reading →Pandemic; Margaret’s Experience | Short Film
Margaret is a polio survivor, currently living in NSW. The following video was completed by a student for his HSC Visual Arts major work: Margaret has been kind enough to share … Continue reading →
Gary Newton speaks at Horsham Rotary Clubs
Polio survivor and Polio Australia Board Member, Gary Newton, spoke at a Rotary event in Horsham. There was almost 70 attendees, and Gary spoke to the auidance about Rotary, Living with … Continue reading →