Acknowledgement of Country

‘In the spirit of reconciliation, Deaf Sport Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today and in the future.’

Acknowledgement of our Sport leaders, past and present

‘We acknowledge and respect the members of the deaf community and hard of hearing people in Australia, who preserve our rich heritage in sport, culture and language; Auslan (Australian Sign Language). Through Sport, we are inspired by our past, current and future leaders.’

Exhibition Welcome and introduction

‘Welcome! We’re excited for you all to join us at this exhibition “More Than Sport – History, Culture and Connection in Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communities”. This is the first time we have ever had a large museum exhibition about the role of sport in our Australian Deaf Community.

Here we have brought together the stories of deaf sports in Australia and on the world stage. We invite you to reflect on the important role sport has played in our community over the years – in our families, our social and community networks, our language, our creativity and innovation. Sport has motivated us to connect with our communities and be our best. In this exhibition, we are sharing highlights of over 140 years of our story.

We are very grateful to the City of Newcastle’s Museum’s Creative and Community Services team and Deaf Connect for working with us to prepare this exhibition for you all. Come in! Learn! Enjoy!’