Hi Gary here,

Just a reminder to you good people - please go to Albums (click top or bottom), then click on the link at the bottom ('click here for music with slide show'). You'll be reminded how courageous and determined you Amputees are. Great song too, don't forget to turn your speakers up. :o)

Please also read Aidan's golf story. Aidan started First Swing Golf Clinics at the age of 12 and is now 15.

Enjoy,

Gary

 

---

 

15^th June 2010

Hi Gary,

Michael Sobol here form Healing Hands Remedial Massage.  I'm a fully qualified Remedial Massage Therapist who works in Shape Up Gym.  I would like to take this opportunity to be part of this great venture that you are organising with Trent & Dayni for your members of SAAGA.

I am more than happy to come in for 2 hours to give free massages on the chosen dates that are on your calendar.

I look forward to working with you and your members.  If your members wish contact me directly my details are below.

Warm Regards,

Michael Sobol
Healing Hands Remedial & Therapeutic Massage

MB: 0421 891 199
Email: hhrtmassage@gmail.com

 

Hi Michael,
 
On behalf of the members of SAAGA I would like to thank you so much for the time you are giving up for the new crew on a Sunday at Shape up.
 
It is truly and gratefully appreciated.
 
Gary

---

 

12^th June 2010

 

Hi all, here are the dates on which I'm organising visits to the shape up Gym. As said previously there will be no charge for SAAGA members. The great people at Shape up have kindly come on board to support us.

Hopefully by the end of this weekend all dates will be on the calendar so you can register; It is a great opportunity for everyone to have a bit of fun but also to get some gentle exercise with great personal trainers.

They will be held one Sunday a month leading up to the SA Open; this way it will not interfere with the First Swing and Golf days.
 
Kind regards

 

---

 

10^th June 2010

Stephanie Na, Ambassador for SAAGA

Hello to all,

Hope everyone is well and keeping warm!!

Just thought I would update you all on what's been happening with me!

I've almost been home now for two weeks since my trip to Korea.  It was quite a good little trip; got to play a tournament which was a really good feeling, got to spend time with the grandparents and meet up with Dad's old school/uni friends whom always look after us and take us to restaurants where the food is delicious!!

After arriving in Seoul, Dad and I spent a few days with Dad's friends in Dae-gu and headed to Kyeong-ju on the Tuesday where the tournament was.  We played at The Honours Country Club.

The course was quite fun to play, fairly wide fairways, not very long but really big greens which made the week challenging.  I found it quite tough to read putts and pick correct lines but I was happy with my ball striking.  I had many 3 putts which resulted in bogeys and not enough birdies! I had +3, +3 which made the cut on the number (only top 50 pros + ties made the final round field).  I think there were around 70 players that made it through in the end.  And on the final day I had +1 which placed me =53rd.  Not a great result but definitely felt that I played better than that and I got a lot out of the week!  Once the final round was over, I just really wanted to start the week again as I was finally getting a better feel for the greens!

Playing in Korea this time has really made me appreciate what we have in Australia and has inspired me to work harder on my game.  I mean no range or nets to warm up, having to hit balls at another driving range off mats with terrible golf balls, no where to really practise chipping or pitching - complete opposite to what we are use to at home! Yet, the korean players are so good!  I noticed what one of the other major factors is to why they are so good; their mental skills - they are like rocks! So, since my arrival home I have been working really hard trying to knuckle down on everything as I will be home for a few more weeks!

Overall, I'm really glad I had the opportunity to play the event as it has been a little while since my last tournament, shame I don't have anything set in stone for the next couple of months as I feel that my game is in good stead for some good results! Although, I have been talking to the Futures Tour admin people and I am likely to get a few starts there so now I'm in the process of organising a temporary visa!! I plan to head over to the U.S at the end of this month, after celebrating my 21st birthday at home! My first birthday home in three years!  I definitely wouldn't mind being away for it again if I was playing tournaments but I guess it's a nice birthday to be home for and celebrate with family and friends!

That's about all for now,

Hope you are all well!!

And thanks for the ongoing support, would love to hear what's news with you! 

Cheers,

Steph :) 

 

---

 

The Wayne Riches Story

Wayne Riches below knee amputee, keen golfer and a proud member of SAAGA.

My story begins way back in 1968 when at age 14 I was diagnosed with Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes. Dealing with having daily insulin injections, hypo’s, high sugar levels and High School was certainly difficult but as the years went by and medicine improved with the treatments for Diabetics I didn’t miss out on too much in my life.
Sport was a big part in my life playing Cricket, Aussie Rules Football, Basketball and of course the odd game of Golf. I didn’t get to any great heights in my sports but I put in and made sure that I enjoyed meeting and playing with and against some wonderful people.
My life became really good when I met my lovely and caring wife Sue and we were married in 1987. Our lives were even further enhanced with the birth of our son Ben in 1994.
Our lives were hit for six when I was diagnosed with renal failure due to having Diabetes for 27 years. I was given the chance to receive a transplant of a Kidney and a Pancreas. This event occurred in November 1995.
What a life for my wife, a husband having a life changing operation and a young baby. I have been blessed that my transplant has been so successful that there has been no sign of Diabetes returning or any further failure of my new kidney.
I am truly grateful for the generous donation of my organs and will forever thank the wonderful person that gave me a second chance at life. Organ Donation is the most precious gift any person can give to another. 
In 1998 our lives were again blessed with the birth of another child our wonderful daughter Julia.

Enough of the history lesson!

Once again our lives took another turn and a minor motor vehicle accident happened where I hit the big toe on my right foot on the brake pedal and bruised it.
Nothing much too worry about but due to the circulation damage to my feet from having Diabetes for so long the bruise which was the size of the head on a pin became larger and larger and eventually became infected. This resulted in the amputation of the toe and eventually the amputation of the leg below the knee.
This is when I had trouble seeing how I would be able to cope in the future with two young kids, work, driving a car and doing all the things around the home which became fairly heavy, but I was lucky to be helped by some wonderful staff at the RAH who helped me with these issues. One day when I was sitting in the waiting room at the Prosthetics at the RAH for a fitting of the initial prosthesis. I saw a poster with a one legged guy playing a golf shot completing his swing with a prosthetic leg and I wondered if I could play golf again. I mentioned this to my prosthetist and he said why not. So on the way out I wrote down the name Gary Hart and the contact number. Once back at work and getting around pretty well I decided to make contact and what a contact it was, this Yorkshire man who is very up front and a bit confronting at first, but what a positive attitude, which inspired me to continue and one Sunday morning I drove down to the Grange Golf Club with my son and met some very inspiring people, among them Mr Gary Hart, Mr Nev Watt, Mr Rodney Coombe and others, who I cannot remember, these people were all hitting golf balls on the practice range with the Grange Golf  Pro helping along with Gary Hart, this was my 1st  First Swing Golf Clinic experience.

I hit maybe 100 balls and felt great, but the next few days I was suffering.

Since that day I have been further involved with the First Swing Golf Clinics & Golf Days organised and run by SAAGA at the Adelaide Shores Golf Park leading up to my playing in the 1st and 2nd South Australian Amputee Golf Opens.

At these events I have played with people that inspire and prove to all that amputees are not only disabled people but are people who can use their own extraordinary abilities to do what ever they wish.

The First Swing Golf Clinics and SAAGA have given me the opportunity to once again enjoy life, become more confident within myself and be able to look forward to the future. I am excited about being able to play golf interstate at other Australian Amputee Golf events.

Finally I must thank Gary Hart for introducing me back to golf, giving me the opportunity to meet many wonderful and inspiring people here is SA, Australia wide and Overseas.

Thankyou Gary for your diligence and dedication in the formation of SAAGA and the other ventures that you are involved in for Amputees Australia wide.

 

King Regards

Wayne Riches.

PS the picture attached is my family in April 2010 at the lighthouse near Coles Bay in Tasmania.

 

---

 

7^th June 2010

Hi Gary

Please find attached a photo of myself and Trent with Michelle and Shannon from the Biggest Loser, on the day we did a Boot camp with them in Adelaide.

We would like to offer you a training day for your friends at Shape Up on a Sunday, in which they can experience the studio and the trainers with a one-on-one personal training session.
The Gym will be especially opened for you on this day and will only be open to your friends. They can try out a 30 minute training session with our trainers- Steph and Rachelle- and utilise all the facilities that we offer.

For this day, the cost to you will only be what we pay our trainers per 30 minute session which is $20 per client.

Kind Regards
Dayni & Trent

 

---

 

7^th June 2010

I would like to take this opportunity and thank Dayni & Trent for their kind support and sponsorship of SAAGA members and for allowing us private use of the gym. I would also like to thank personal trainers Steph and Rachelle, both of whom I work with personally; you couldn't meet nicer people.
 
Dayni and Trent have given us an excellent offer and I thank you so much on behalf of our members; you are indeed wonderful and caring people.
 
On a second note, there will be no charge at all for members as SAAGA takes care of the rest.
 
Please go to Sponsors and click on the Shape up logo, just to see what a great Gym and great people we are going to be working with.
 
See you there
 
Gary Hart
President
SAAGA

---

 

7^th June 2010

 

Hey Gary,

I won the South Australian Trainee Championship. I shot 2 under for 4 rounds and won by 4 shots from Sam Hughes.

I also finished 3rd overall for the Southern Region Championship. I had rounds of 73, 70, 74, 69 against a par of 72. The Tournament was played at Tocumwal golf club. 138 players started the week and it was cut to top 50 after 2 rounds.

Thanks mate
Nathan Kent

 

---

 

7^th June 2010

 

We at SAAGA would like to congratulate Nathan Kent on his past efforts in the South Australian Trainee Championship. What a true champion you are Nath; great effort.

Nathan works with me mid-week at Adelaide Shores, doing our First Swing Golf Clinics with The Community Re-Entry Program, Flinders University. Nathan's dedication and how well he adapts himself is a credit to his chosen profession.

The feedback from this group on Nathan is tremendous. All who are in this young man's company have the same in common; we all praise in what a nice giving individual he is and he will indeed be successful in his chosen career.

Cheers mate and well done.
 
Gary

---

 

7^th June 2010

Hello everybody, it's been a while for News, 1^st off the rank.

SAAGA would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Dave McNally for his continued support with  Volunteering - notonly with the First Swing Golf Clinics, but also being a big part in organising all the volunteers at each of the SA Tournaments. This year's Open will be no different.

To show our appreciation to Dave's continued dedication, we presented Mr McNally with various shirts, vests and caps and SAAGA paraphernalia.

Again Dave, on behalf of SAAGA's members, we thank you so much for your time and support.

Photo viewed is Mr McNally been presented his goodies from Gareth Jones (PGA AAA), Head Professional Coach at Adelaide Shores Golf Park.

Gary Hart
President
 
S.A.A.G.A.