March 3^rd 2008

Rotary Club of Redcliffe Sunrise Inc

PO BOX 49

MARGATE QLD 4019

Dear President

The Redcliffe Sunrise Rotary Club have elected to aid in the funding of the Australian Down Syndrome Swimming Team to attend the 2008 World Down Syndrome Swimming Championships in Portugal (November 2008).

The fund Raiser is a dinner and swimwear parade to be held on May 7^th at the Belvedere Hotel, Woody Point. (Further details are attached).

We extend an open invite to all Rotary Clubs to join us in this fund raising event to help these swimmers achieve their dream of representing Australia in the World Championships.

It’s easy too, please buy just one table of 10 seats to this charity dinner at a cost of $650, or donate a gift that can be auctioned on the night, or indeed make a monetary donation to the cause.

Whatever your contribution, it will be most appreciated and of course, your club will be well advertised on the night for their participation in this event.

The Team members are listed below;

Ben	Carr	Alexandra Hills	QLD	Greg	Blanch	Armidale	NSW
Colin	Marks	Banyo	QLD	William	Brunsdon	Armidale	NSW
Ty	Belnap	Buddina	QLD	Daniel	Rumsey	Bundanoon	NSW
Clinton	Stanley	Cooroy	QLD	Brendan	Foley	Elanora Heights	NSW
Jessica	Watt Hine	Forestdale	QLD	Louise	Richardson	Oyster Bay	NSW
Michael	Cox	Jindalee	QLD	Lucy	Dumitrescu	Wahroonga	NSW
Nicholas	O'Regan	Margate	QLD	Tahnee	Afuhaamango	Casuarina	NT
Tiffany	Smith	Nudgee	QLD	Amanda	Kozik	Balwyn	VIC
Jana	Clancy	Sunrise Beach	QLD	Phoebe	Mitchell	Bellbrae	VIC
				Olivia	Sayers	Toorak	VIC
				Patrick	Ricciardo	City Beach	WA
				Stephen	Donovan	Mt Pleasant	WA

Attached to this letter you will find some interesting reading on the history of the Australian Down Syndrome Swimming Team, we hope this will inspire you to help with the fund raising effort.

We hope you can see your way to help the Fund Raising committee make this event a successful one. Please contact either one of us to arrange your donation……

Yours Sincerely Ed & Lynn

Australian Down Syndrome Swimming Team

Fund Raising Committee redcliffesunrise@rotary9600.org

Ed O’Connor 0438210222 ed@jelichjones.com.au

Lynn Davies 0411586848 lynn.davies@workcoverqld.com.au

Some History…

People with Down syndrome are able to compete in Multi Disability Swimming events under the S 14 classification for swimmers with an intellectual disability.

An intellectual disability includes people with Autism or Attention Deficit Disorder as well as Down syndrome.

However, it was realized that swimmers with Down syndrome were being outclassed in competition by other people with learning disabilities who were also able bodied and did not have the same physical disabilities that are associated with Down syndrome.

So to give these swimmers the opportunity to participate in a fairer competition - the Down Syndrome International Swimming Organization was formed in the U.K. in 2002 where the first International Championship was held in Reading England.

A team of 5 swimmers from Queensland went to South Africa to the 2^nd World DSISO Championships in 2004 and came home victorious. The success at these Championships

was inspiring. They came home with 29 medals, 8 gold 13 silver 8

bronze and 3 World Records. A segment was aired on “A Current Affair”

which recognised all the athletes and the team was dubbed the

“Fabulous 5” for their efforts and the inspiration they gave to average

Australians.

On return from South Africa it was decided to form the Australian

Down Syndrome Down Under Swimming Organization.

The first International Championship for the Australian team was in Limerick Ireland in 2006.

A team of swimmers was selected throughout Australia - it was a rigorous selection process.

Swimmers had to be in squad training and they had to meet the qualifying times set by the International Board. The 22 swimmers came from Queensland, Victoria, NSW, and Western Australia.

The Australian Organization applied for and was given permission to have the Coat of Arms on the uniforms and a 2 day training camp was held for the whole team on the Sunshine Coast five months before the Championship.

All the funding for the uniforms, travel costs, accommodation etc is met by the Organization who fund raise throughout their states. The swimmers pay a levy to make up the shortfall. There is no government funding.

Following the World Championships a team was selected from their performance in Ireland to attend The Down Syndrome Invitational Swimming Championships in Taiwan June 2007.

17 swimmers, 5 Coaches/carers and a Team Managers went.

The team did themselves very proud, 18 Gold, 15 Silver, 14 Bronze and out of the 15 World Records broken Australia broke 8, and every swimmer did a P.B. in a least one event.

The next event is in Portugal in November 2008.

There will be 7 Coaches/Carers, a Team Manager and 21 swimmers.

It is exciting to see that 6 of the Coaches and 9 of the swimmers will be from Queensland and 2 of the Coach/carers and 1 swimmer are from the Redcliffe area.

Let’s hope to see these happy faces again in Portugal 2008!