Balmoral Beach Polio survivor
By: Patricia Hill I was diagnosed with polio in 1944 when I was 18 months old and living at Balmoral Beach NSW. I spent 3 months in Wade House, Camperdown Children’s … Continue reading →
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 →