Meet our Ambassadors
Darrel Sparke
Raised in country NSW, Darrel became a below knee amputee at the age of 5 due to a machinery accident. As a late teen Darrel began training in the sport of Taekwondo. Darrel has over 25 years of Taekwondo instructing under his belt. He is the head coach at the University of Newcastle, and on the Sport Taekwondo Australia, Para- Taekwondo Development Committee. He is Australias’ only lower extremity amputee to obtain all levels up to the world recognised Black Belt rank of 4th Dan. Wears Re-Flex Shock™ with Unity®.
Don Elgin
Don Elgin was raised in NSW and was born without the lower portion of his left leg. At the age of 18, Don became a World Champion and a staggering 20 years on, represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games. Away from the sporting arena Don is a highly sought-after facilitator, helping teams and individuals become high performing, he is also the founder and director of StarAmp Global, a boutique management company representing some of Australia’s finest amputee talent. Don is also a published author following the release of his two books ‘One Foot on the Podium’ and ‘One Foot Beyond the Podium’. Wears Cheetah® Xplore.
Glenn Bedwell
Glenn is 62 years old, very happily married with two sons, two daughters-in-laws and 4 grandchildren. He has been a RAK amputee since 1991 due trauma and had Osseointegration in 2012. Glenn retired after 42 years, working with the same employer. He lives with his wife on the Qld Gold Coast. Living life to the fullest, with plenty of domestic and international travel and enjoys being a Peer Support Volunteer with Limbs 4 Life. Wears Proprio Foot®.
Jade ‘Red’ Wheatley
Jade lost both legs in a workplace accident at just 19 years old when a road roller cab fell on him at work - crushing his legs. Two years later, Jade found the courage to get back into the ocean to surf. In September 2015, Jade was one of the first Australians to represent the country in World Adaptive Surf Championships in California. In August 2016, Jade completed the “Walk for Waves” – a walk over 165km from Newcastle to Sydney, raising awareness for Australian Adaptive Surfing. Jade was awarded the ASB Greater Good Award at the 2017 Australian Surfing Awards. Since 2015, Jade has competed at the World Adaptive Surfing Championships as part of the Australian Surf Team, winning a Silver medal in the 2017 championships in La Jolla California. Wears Pro-flex® XC.
Joany Badenhorst
Originally from South Africa, Joany was involved in a severe tractor accident in 2005 on her parents’ farm. After just missing out on selection for the 2012 Australian Paralympic Team, she was approached by the Australian Paralympic Committee to transfer to its new Para-snowboard program. In 2014 Joany was the first female from Australia to compete in the Snow-boarding sport on the world’s biggest stage. Joany currently holds world #1 rank in the overall SBX Globe. Joany was appointed co-captain of the Australian Paralympic Team and was the first ever female Australian flag-bearer for the Australian Paralympic Team in the Opening Ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea. Wears Pro-flex® LP Align.
Mike Rolls
Mike’s expertise is in resilience. Mike believes that Less, really is more. This attitude is at the core of his work as a motivational speaker. In September 2001, at the age of 18, Mike’s life changed forever. He contracted one of the deadliest diseases on the planet, Meningococcal Septicemia while on an end of season Football trip. This lethal, fast acting and brutal infection left him with horrific internal and external injuries, including multiple amputations. Mike combines raw, real life adversity, with extensive research on the topic of resilience to create presentations and programs that challenge, educate, entertain, and inspire! Mike is an emerging Professional Speaker who motivates and inspires his audiences to reach for the stars in all that they do. Mike believes that we are all far more powerful than we can ever imagine and we must never underestimate our capabilities. Wears Re-Flex Rotate™.
Nathan Parker
Nathan is currently a recreational flight instructor in Lismore, NSW, while also working towards his Commercial Pilot Licence. After losing his left hand in a military bus rollover accident in November 2015, Nathan was fitted with an i-Limb Quantum and hasn’t looked back since. In 2017 and 2018, Nathan was also fortunate to represent Australia at the Invictus Games, competing in both Indoor Rowing and Athletics. Wears i-Limb® Quantum.
Nic Zanelli
Nic became an above knee amputee after losing his leg in a motor vehicle accident over 20 years ago while on leave from officer training in the Army. In the early 1990’s, Nic challenged the assumption that above knee amputees couldn’t remain active and in 1994 he set on the path to becoming an amputee athlete. Wears Proprio Foot®.