Rachel Mealey: As the world’s best wheelchair basketball teams battle it out in Paris, a former gold medalist has his sights set elsewhere. Four-time Paralympian Gerry Hewson is looking for the sport’s next rising star somewhere surprising in the regions. He says a key way of improving the sport before Brisbane 2032 is to expand the code to all corners of the country. Lani Oataway reports.

Gerry Hewson: So roll it out, hold it against the wheel and pick it up.

Lani Oataway: Wheelchair basketball legend Gerry Hewson is teaching kids how to play the game in the regional New South Wales town of Parks about five hours west of Sydney.

Gerry Hewson: So give it a go, roll it out and see if you can pick it up.

Lani Oataway: He wants them to know it’s not that different to the stand-up version.

Gerry Hewson: Really the only difference is certainly there’s no slam dunking allowed, that’s really, really important.

Lani Oataway: He’s on a mission to grow the sport in rural areas. He’s set up five wheelchair basketball clubs this year in Orange, Cowra, Goulburn, Port Macquarie and now Parks.

Gerry Hewson: The thing is if you have a disability or a mobility restriction in a country town, regional town, there’s no way that you can play a team sport. So this is really giving people an opportunity to be able to play a team sport for the first time for most of them.

Lani Oataway: Wheelchair Sports New South Wales ACT supplies 14 chairs worth $6,000 each and covers court hire costs for up to two years, thanks to state government funding. Gerry Hewson, who grew up in Young, says projects like this are key to boosting the sport before the next Paralympics.

Gerry Hewson: So I came across Kurt Fearnley many, many years ago when I was doing a wheelchair basketball roadshow for wheelchair sport at Blaney High School. He jumped in a chair, he actually played for Australia in an under-23 world championship in Canada and won a bronze medal. So you don’t really know who’s out there, who’s the next Kurt Fearnley, who’s the next Gerry Hewson or as we have here, Victoria Simpson, who is part of the Gliders squad and has played for Australia in that team. So you don’t know. So these people are out there and we want to try and find them.

Lani Oataway: Victoria Simpson grew up in Parks and travelled to nearby Forbes to play wheelchair basketball when she was in primary school. But after two years, the club shut down.

Victoria Simpson: The nearest next place to do basketball is probably Sydney or Canberra. You couldn’t really go to anywhere close by unless that meant like around 10 hours of travel each weekend.

Lani Oataway: So what did you do in the meantime?

Victoria Simpson: So I mainly just did like training by myself or I have like younger siblings and then I’d make them like get into a chair and they’d help me with drills and all that.

Lani Oataway: The aspiring Paralympian will coach the Parkside and is delighted locals can now access the sport in her hometown.

Victoria Simpson: I think it’s really important for everyone to be able to participate and especially for children that are younger that do have disabilities that are able to play wheelchair basketball. I think it’s very important to have places for them to be able to come and you know just have fun and to get a feel. Oh, is this something I really want to do or is it something that is just fun or I won’t pursue it or is it the starting steps to becoming someone like yeah, Gerry Hewson.

Lani Oataway: Kathleen Newman and her family moved to Parks from Sydney four years ago. But sport opportunities for her now 13-year-old son Cameron Hughes, who uses a wheelchair, were limited.

Kathleen Newman: Anything could have been good. Unless we’re travelling like a two hour round trip going to Orange or Dubbo, the closest cities, there hasn’t been anything in the town for him.

Lani Oataway: She’s relieved he can now participate with others who might not have a physical disability.

Kathleen Newman: It’s not just for him and other wheelchair users, it’s great for other people to come join in them sports and actually see what it’s like to be in a wheelchair and see it’s maybe not as difficult as it looks.

Lani Oataway: Cameron says he’s excited to play his beloved game again after a four year hiatus.

Cameron Hughes: There’s not really many sports for people in a wheelchair but it’s pretty good they’ve started it like this so people can actually get in a wheelchair and play. It’s fun to play with other people that are in a wheelchair even if they’re not always in a wheelchair.

Lani Oataway: Gerry Hewson’s mission doesn’t end here. He’s got plans to set up another eight clubs in rural areas next year. He says the feeling he gets seeing kids give the sport a go is unbeatable.

Gerry Hewson: When I first started in 1980 I couldn’t hit the ring, couldn’t hit the net, couldn’t hit anything you know and for me it was all about fun. It was about getting out there, getting your sweat up, hanging around people that maybe certainly for me had the same disability and finding out how they did things. So seeing kids out here for the first time, that’s unreal, that’s what it’s all about.

Rachel Mealey: Wheelchair basketball legend Gerry Hewson ending that report by Lani Oataway.