Harry Mosby facts for kids
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| Full name | Harry Walter Mosby | ||||||||||
| Nationality |  Australia |
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| Born | 3 May 1945 | ||||||||||
| Died | 17 November 1993 (aged 48) | ||||||||||
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Medal record
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Harry Walter Mosby (born May 3, 1945 – died November 17, 1993) was an amazing Australian athlete. He was also known as Harry Moseby. Harry was a Paralympic athlete from the Torres Strait. At the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto, Canada, he won a silver medal. This was for the Men's Discus 1C event. He also competed in other events. He placed fourth in Men's Javelin C1. He was fifth in Men's Shot Put C1. He also finished twelfth in Men's Precision Javelin C1.
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Early Life and Accident
Harry Mosby was born on Yorke Island. This island is located in the Torres Strait. He was the oldest son in his family.
In the 1960s, Harry traveled to Western Australia. Many other Torres Strait Islander men went there too. They worked on building a railway. This railway connected mines in the Pilbara region to ports.
In 1966, when Harry was 21, he had a train accident. He lost both of his legs in this accident. It happened in the Pilbara region.
Recovery and Discovering Sport
After his accident, Harry spent four years recovering. He was at Royal Perth Hospital in Perth. During this time, he learned about sports. He took part in many sports days at the hospital. This was from 1966 to 1969.
Harry became a champion in several sports:
- He won the Dartchery doubles championship. He won in 1966, 1967, and 1969 with different partners.
- In 1966, he was also the archery champion. This was in the St Nicholas round.
Harry also started playing wheelchair basketball in Perth. He was part of a team called the Blue Jays. In 1973, his team played in the basketball grand final. Harry was given the JM Saunders trophy. This award was for the fairest and best player.
Competing at the Paralympics
Less than a year before the 1976 Summer Paralympics, Harry started training. He focused on track and field events in Perth. His hard work paid off, and he was chosen for the Australian team.
Six athletes and coaches from Western Australia went to these Games. Harry was one of them. His teammates included wheelchair basketball players Frank Ponta and Victor Salvemini. Their coach was Les Mathews. Also, Doug Rupe and Paul Gianni represented athletes with vision impairment.
Harry's teammate, Frank Ponta, remembered him well. He called Harry a "Thursday Islander" and a "big tall man." Frank said Harry competed against "Scandinavian guys who were even bigger." Harry himself was surprised by his success. He had only trained for three months. He placed second, winning a silver medal. The winner was Tauno Mannila from Finland.
Life After the Games
After the Paralympic Games, Harry returned home. He went back to the Torres Strait. He lived on Thursday Island for the rest of his life. Many people knew him as a taxi driver there.
In 1993, Harry was celebrated locally. He was one of only three people from Thursday Island to win an international sports medal. The other two were artistic gymnast Kylie Shadbolt and Olympic basketball player Danny Morseu. Harry Mosby passed away on November 17, 1993.
