Right: Founder of Beyond Disability, Pearcedale resident Richard Stubbs, was honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on Monday.
By Glen Atwell
BRAVE, selfless, dedicated.
Friends and associates of Richard Stubbs, a Pearcedale resident honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) on Monday, speak of the Beyond Disability founder in the most glowing terms.
After a car accident in 1991 forced Mr Stubbs into early retirement with severe spinal injuries, he spent a year in bed, seemingly without a future.
Mr Stubbs was cut down in the prime of his career as a Commonwealth Bank executive and was left unable to walk.
Despite his often intolerable pain, Mr Stubbs decided against a lifetime of frustration, and used his disability as motivation and the catalyst in his decision to found Beyond Disability, a non-profit volunteer organisation devoted to helping others who have physical disabilities.
Beyond Disability provides housebound people with computer and Internet access, training and support for $11 a month.
The Internet technology allows those people to talk and communicate with family and friends via chat rooms and forums.
Mr Stubbs said a father-son moment sparked the brainwave for the program.
“After the accident I was spending a lot of time in bed, I couldn’t walk,” he said.
“My son set up a computer for me, hooked it up to the Internet and all of a sudden I had a window to the world.
“I instantly realised other housebound disabled people should have the same opportunity.”
In that moment, Beyond Disability was born.
Australian Governor-General Michael Jeffery named Mr Stubbs as an OAM recipient for tackling problems associated with housebound disabled social communication.
“I was staggered to be recognised alongside such an elite group of community-minded people,” Mr Stubbs said.
“All this because I have such wonderful support from local people, especially our volunteers.”
With vital help from a 32-strong army of passionate volunteers, Mr Stubbs has given disabled residents in the Mornington Peninsula area access to innovative home technologies.
Cranbourne team leader Tricia McGill has been a Beyond Disability volunteer for nine years and nominated Mr Stubbs for the OAM.
“Richard is great role model and an inspiration to so many people,” she said.
“He lives in pain. With his disability, you wouldn’t blame Richard for sitting back and letting life go by.
“But instead, he perseveres against the odds and helps as many people as he can.”
This year, Beyond Disability celebrates 10 years of community assistance and has helped more than 250 families in the region.
Mr Stubbs said with additional funding, the program could reach many more people.
“I saw last week’s $58 million lottery jackpot and thought just one per cent of that, or $580,000, would fund the program for five years,” he said.
“Many people rely on this program for online access, training and home visits from volunteers.
“We’d prefer to be able to get on with delivering the program, and not fundraising.”
Last week Beyond Disability received its first online donation, a major milestone considering the facilities had been available for the past two years.
“It has been a long time coming, but the community is beginning to take notice of what we do,” Mr Stubbs said.
To become involved with Beyond Disability, or to make a tax-deductible online donation, visit www.bdi.org.au.
Picture: Meagan Rogers.
