Issue date
Nominations for the 2014 Attitude Awards have closed and the 3 finalists in each category announced, and a very familiar name appears under the “Making A Difference” category!
That familiar name is Brendan Tourelle, who is chairman of Sailability Auckland, president of the International Hansa Class Association, and Vice President of TASC to name just a few of the hats Brendan wears! And what a well deserved accolade – Brendan has put many voluntary hours into not just Sailability Auckland, but many other organisations in his efforts to increase the sailing opportunities for disabled sailors.
In 1999 Brendan was working as a commercial painter when he fell 6 meters from a ladder that collapsed and he became a T4 paraplegic. Trying to put on a brave face and look at it as a new beginning, he took up sailing, and now passes his skills on to others using a sailing simulator at the spinal unit in Auckland. Brendan tells new paraplegics about the feeling of being back in control you get from being out on the water, and urges them not to be shy about getting out in public and not to let anything stop them from trying a new experience.
Voting is now open on line and you can vote once daily until 3rd December at http://attitudelive.com/votable/brendan-tourelle
The 2014 Attitude awards is a black-tie event and will be held on World Disability Day, Wednesday 3rd December, 2014 at the Viaduct Events Center.
To purchase tickets, or for more information, go to http://attitudelive.com/information-and-resources/attitude-awards-2014 .
