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Achilles Melbourne stomps and conquers

21/6/2017

By Peggy Soo (Achilles Melbourne Athlete with Vision Impairment)

We stomp stomp stomped our way to the MCG! Brooke, Maddy, Christine and I, along with guides Jeff, Deb, Adrienne and Sarah all braved the cold and stomped around the MCG for the 2017 edition of the Stadium Stomp. We climbed all the stairs without even stopping to watch a sports game!

Brooke and Sarah started early and completed the whole course of 7,300 steps. This consisted of both level 1 and 4, with level 4 being the steepest part of the MCG (don't look down if you are afraid of heights!!). After a pre-race ABC radio interview from Brooke and TV appearances from Sarah/Brooke on 7 news and Maddy on ABC news, Maddy, Christine and I tackled the short course with our guides which consisted of level 1 with 1800 steps. Both courses included a victory lap on the grounds of the G.

We stomped our way with a man in a gorilla suit, Wonder Woman and some firemen. We earned our medals in the end, feeling very much accomplished. A few of us had a much needed refueling breakfast/lunch at our favourite cafe, In A Rush.

Thank you to all the guides and Achilles for making this possible, including guides who took us up and down hills and stairs prior to this event. Thank you Achilles for making this possible for us to attend. If you are contemplating this event for next year, I would highly recommend it. It is very supportive, has a wonderful atmosphere without the need for timing chips!

(Picture above: Victory selfie with [front left to rear back right]: Adrienne and Peggy; Christine and Deb; Maddy and Jeff; standing on MCG grass, level 1 stands with empty seats and stompers in background right, black finishing banner and other stompers in background.)

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The Many Ways of Seeing - Achilles Sydney member Nick Gleeson publishes his memoir

5/6/2017

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We are beyond proud to announce that Honorary Lifetime Member Nick Gleeson has published his first book, a memoir on his life after losing his sight at age 7 and his amazing adventures thereafter. Please read the below press release with links to online retailers provided at the bottom.

Well done Nick for setting and achieving another lifetime goal. In the words of Sylvia Plath – “And by the way, everything in your life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt”

THE MANY WAYS OF SEEING
BY NICK GLEESON WITH PETER BISHOP

An inspiring true story of blindness, friendship and adventure.

In desperation, I look up into mum’s face. A small face – a loving face – And the lights go out. Her face is the last image I will ever see in my lifetime.

Written with warmth, humour and honesty, The Many Ways of Seeing is Nick Gleeson’s story – an inspiring portrayal of a man exploring the world without sight.

Nick Gleeson has trekked great distances around the world, climbed Mount Everest, carried the Sydney Olympic torch, and most recently completed an arduous 200km expedition across the Simpson Desert.
Blind since the age of seven, Nick lost his sight when an automatic supermarket door struck his head, causing a retinal detachment.

As he grew up in the working-class suburb of Broadmeadows, Nick taught himself to ‘see’ without seeing: learning the shape of each shoe so he knew left from right. Holding the huge, rough hand of his father. Smelling the well-worn vinyl of the family car.
Many years later, when Nick meets co-author and leading Australian writing mentor, Peter Bishop, he has led an amazing life filled with more than its share of challenges, loves, losses, and laughter.
Before he was twenty, he’d lost his mother to chronic illness and his brother Russell to a shooting accident.

But when you come from the Broadmeadows of the 1960s, you can’t help knowing what it means to do it tough, and Nick’s modesty and ease with the world shines through on every page of The Many Ways of Seeing.
Nick describes himself as a very ordinary person who has managed to follow many of his dreams – among them raising two children with his wife Heather, who is also blind.

A unique collaboration of memoir and conversation, The Many Ways of Seeing will open readers eyes to the different ways people see and experience the world, give deep insights into the writing process, and inspire Australians of all abilities.

The Many Ways of Seeing is the first book published under the new Ventura Press imprint, Peter Bishop Books, which aims to create opportunities for emerging writers.

The Many Ways of Seeing is available at all good bookstores and online at Booktopia and Book Depository.

Photo of the front cover of The Many Ways of Seeing

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Achilles Melbourne stomps and conquers

The Many Ways of Seeing - Achilles Sydney member Nick Gleeson publishes his memoir

THE MANY WAYS OF SEEING
BY NICK GLEESON WITH PETER BISHOP

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Achilles Melbourne stomps and conquers

The Many Ways of Seeing - Achilles Sydney member Nick Gleeson publishes his memoir

THE MANY WAYS OF SEEINGBY NICK GLEESON WITH PETER BISHOP

Our Mission

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THE MANY WAYS OF SEEING
BY NICK GLEESON WITH PETER BISHOP