My Story...

Born Evan James Fraser on the 22nd April 1954 at Bundarra, northwest of NSW near the country town of Inverell.

At the ripe old age of one, the Fraser family moved from their sheep station to a dairy farm at Scone. What a wonderful life it was to live off the land - milk cows twice a day, raising cattle, hay rides in summer and sliding across the frost heavy grass with bare feet during the winter months.

In 1964 at the age of ten, Evan and his family left the dairy farm (which is now the location of the new Scone race track) and moved to the big-smoke - Sydney. His dad decided Sydney offered a greater opportunity for the five children, with its high educational standards and work related options. A year later Evan began playing Rugby Union for Carlingford Primary School.

After two years his team won the Brian Palmer Prestige Shield of Schoolboys Rugby for the best 6 stone 7lbs team in NSW.

During his first years at Carlingford's Cumberland High School, Evan (or his parents) decided that the main should be on focus on education but it was short lived when he grabbed the opportunity to play Rugby for Dundas Valley Juniors as a hooker. Not only did his team win the competition in his first year but it was also the first team in the Parramatta district to win the City of Sydney Championship for the best under 14 team in NSW.

For years the same team stamped their authority as they continued up the divisions, until 1971 when they were beaten in the Grand Final of the under 18 division. Although most of the boys were still only 17, the loss could be blamed on the teams focus on the football being transferred to a way of releasing the contents of the two balls of their own. It was unfortunate that their new middle leg couldn't be used for running or kicking the football.

Finishing his apprenticeship at Totalizators in Silverwater, as a fitter and turner at the age of 21, Evan soon packed his bags and fled to the land of the long white cloud.

Leaving behind a number of distressed girlfriends, Evan sought a new life in the way of a working holiday (plus he needed a new variety of women). He borrowed $130 from his sister Pam, which he proudly repaid 3 years later and boarded a plane for New Zealand.

New Zealand gave Evan the independence he desired plus the opportunity to get out of the rat race and enjoy the challenges and rewards life had to offer.

Eventually Evan met up with a few guys at the local pub (where else?) in Auckland and began playing Rugby for Cornwell. After 3 games in the under 21s he was invited to play first grade for the same club.

Going to New Zealand was one of the best decisions of his life. Not only was he working and playing Rugby but his Aussie accent was working a charm with the ladies. Evan enjoyed life in NZ to the fullest, expanding his horizons and meeting some great friends who many are still friends today.

In September 1976. Evan decided to return home to the family in Sydney. Again, he left behind a string of girls who had to make do with his photo, but there was one special lady in particular that chose to stay in NZ.

Evan met a lot of people through sport, one in particular who's father had the honour of becoming the All Blacks coach in 1983. Evan has maintained a close friendship with him and his son along with many of his NZ footy mates.

In May 1977 after working one Saturday morning at Ampac Plastics in Silverwater, Evan happily ran onto the football field at Concord oval as the hooker for Hornsby 1st grade rugby team to play against West's. At 4.19pm on this cold and wet afternoon, a fatal scrum collapse instantly changed Evan's life forever. For the next 11 months Evan laid in intensive care at the RNSH. For eight of those long months he survived on a life support respirator because his lungs had paralysed. The compressed upper vertebrae located at the top of his spine caused severe nerve damage, which was beyond medical repair. This left him as a Quadriplegic and unable to move any part of his body from the neck down.

Rehabilitation only lasted 3 months and he was told that there was nothing more they could do because the spinal cord had been cut. Evan went back to Carlingford to live and his parents took over the 24 hours care.

For the next 14 months, he stayed at home except for the times when his mates took him to the football - the best type of rehabilitation method, which he really enjoyed. This was the only time his parents got a break, so Evan decided to move to the newly established Ferguson Lodge at Lidcombe. The lodge provided 24-hour care and the much needed social contact with others. Evan immediately joined the social committee and got into the thick of things.

In the year 2000 and 24 years after the accident he still lives at Ferguson Lodge. He first started working by helping others with disabilities to find suitable accommodation, then after 2 years became the switch board operator. This offered a challenge as each time the phone rang he had to bite on a special stick-type of apparatus then with the stick, push the appropriate switch button, relocate the stick to free up his mouth, then speak to the person calling.

Last Updated ( Friday, 06 April 2007 )