Invictus Games Sydney 2018 presented by Jaquar Land Rover provides 500 servicemen and women from 18 nations, whether currently serving or retired, with the opportunity to compete in front of family, friends and spectators in the wonderful city of Sydney.
For the 72 members of the Australian Team, competing at a home Games will add to the experience and for the co-captains Nicole Bradley and Matt Brumby there is the additional leadership role and honour.
Bradley is keen to use her role as Australian co-captain the Invictus Games to provide a calming influence and a positive example, not only to her teammates, but to all people going through a hard time.
Bradley was discharged from the Australian Defence Force in 2015 after 22 years’ service and struggled to settle into her new life. She admits her confidence “had taken a real knock”.
However, through sport and her involvement in the Invictus Games, the former logistics officer has been able to turn the corner. She wants to use her experience to help others in the team – and beyond – as they come to terms with their conditions.
“When I left the army I didn’t know what work I was going to do, how I could define myself or what skills I could use,” said Bradley. “Having the amazing honour of being named a team captain has shown me that I’m really valued, that I’m a real person and people have faith in me.
“There’s plenty of interest in the Games and it’s an amazing opportunity for us to get the story of our veterans out there. But I think it’s going to be important for all people having a hard time in life because they’ll be able to see what can be overcome.”
Bradley has overcome plenty since being discharged. She acquired injuries during her early training in the 1990s, tried to shield them but was later struck with two bouts of deep vein thrombosis. Powerlifting has provided Bradley with a positive focus and the 45-year-old has also taken up discus and shot put. She will compete in all three events at Invictus Games Sydney 2018, which starts on October 20.
The Australian Team will assemble on Monday for a two-day camp at the Sydney Academy of Sport and Recreation, where they will be presented their uniforms by the Governor of NSW, General David John Hurley, AC, DSC, FTSE. It will be a prized milestone for Team members.
“I didn’t know how much I needed these Games and to be around these people until recently,” said Bradley.
“I had little to do with the veteran’s community before the Invictus Games. I hadn’t been engaged. But this year I marched on Anzac Day for the first time. It was about feeling like I had a place.
“Often female veterans, particularly, don’t feel as accepted, especially by older veterans, because we’re not seen as the stereotype. It can be really hard and I think it’s part of why I lost myself in the organisation for a long time and found it hard when I left.”
Bradley’s co-captain, former Royal Australian Navy Steward Matt Brumby, admitted to some nerves in the lead-up to the Games, in he will compete in athletics, cycling and wheelchair rugby.
“My individual sports are on the first couple of days,” he said. “Then the focus for me will be on the captaincy role of making sure everyone enjoys the experience. For some it’ll be a once-in-a-lifetime experience – whether they’ve done one or two before, it’s about them enjoying it and getting as much out of it as they can.”
Brumby knows the value of inclusion through sport, especially for former service personnel. He joined the military at a young age and “had the blinkers on because it’s a very regimented lifestyle”. Upon being discharged, he struggled to adjust to life as a paraplegic, but years spent working on a farm expanded his outlook.
“I started to see I could do other things,” the 40-year-old said. “A few years later a friend of mine got me into a triathlon. I’d missed sport, doing something physical, but I started realising there’s two sides to it; there’s the sporting side but there’s also social interaction, and you get a lot out of that.
“The military is a big family. That’s why a lot of people struggle when they leave. It’s a bond you don’t have with anyone else. I think the Invictus Games will bring some of those feelings back and strengthen some of those bonds for people,” said Brumby.
Participating before a large home crowd will be a highlight in Bradley’s recuperation.
“Australians love sport and Invictus Games is competition in its purest form. I think it’s going to be invaluable for all of our competitors, but also for Australians because they’ve never seen competition like this. Everyone’s got an amazing story and if people take the time to hear about them they’ll be amazed.”
There are still tickets available to some sessions of Invictus Games Sydney 2018.
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David Sygall
Invictus Games Sydney 2018