The efforts and achievements of Terry Giddy as a paralympian have been celebrated world-wide, but it is his contribution to the Kempsey community that he is being remembered for fondly following his death.
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Terence Kenneth Giddy was born in Kempsey on April 2, 1950 and died in Kempsey on August 18, 2023 at the age of 73.
He married his wife Margaret in 1978 and they remained a partnership until her passing in 2022. Mr Giddy is survived by his three stepsons, Lloyd, Kevin and Tim Newell.
Lloyd Newell was one year old when My Giddy and his mother met and will forever see him as his father and his hero.
"He was my dad, my best mate, my everything," said Mr Newell.
"He was my world."
Australian athlete and legend
At the age of 15 Mr Giddy was in a tree-felling accident and lost the use of his legs.
"He was cutting timber out the back of Kempsey in the bush with his grandfather and a tree ricocheted off another tree and hit him," said Mr Newell.
"He got airlifted off...they didn't think he would make it through the day."
He not only survived the serious accident, he didn't let it get in the way of being an award winning athlete.
He would go on to become a Paralympian winning six paralympic medals; one gold, three silver and two bronze.
Mr Giddy represented Australia in discus, shot put, javelin, 200, 400 and 800 metre, basketball, weightlifting; the list goes on.
"It wasn't just one sport he did, it was like everything," said Mr Newell.
During his lifetime Mr Giddy was recognised for his achievements.
In 1992 he was selected to carry the Australian flag at the Paralympics in Barcelona, Spain. In 1988 he received an Advance Australia Award, then in 2000, he received an Australian Sports Medal.
His hometown of Kempsey was also justly proud of his achievements.
Leading up to the 2000 Olympics, Mr Giddy was selected to carry the Sydney Olympic torch as it travelled through Kempsey. That same year he received an Australia Day award and was given the "key to Kempsey".
Mr Newell says his step-father is being remembered for his loyalty, his morality, honesty, courage and strength, and believes he inspired every person he met along the way.
"Everyone who met him, they're better people; they're stronger, they have more resilience, they're just better," Mr Newell said.
"He was my hero, but then there [were] hundreds of people whose life he changed."
"You know when he put his hand on your shoulder and said 'you can do this', you thought 'yeah, I can.'"
Mr Newell remembers My Giddy as someone who was larger than life.
"Terry wasn't from this planet," he said. "He was too big, too much to give...he was superhuman."
!['Big Terry's Little Gym' was a pride and joy for My Giddy who trained numerous powerlifters in his time. Picture by Ellie Chamberlain 'Big Terry's Little Gym' was a pride and joy for My Giddy who trained numerous powerlifters in his time. Picture by Ellie Chamberlain](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/178739304/78458877-9aaf-48de-8093-b83e5166895f.JPG/r0_0_3024_2271_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
While Mr Giddy was well-known around the world for his career as a paralympian, his other passion in life was what followed; training powerlifters.
'Big Terry's Little Gym' was were inspiration continued to flow and world titles stacked up.
"He loved his gym. He was really good at training, too. He won [his clients] lots of awards" said Mr Newell.
It wasn't all work, though. There was some play.
Mr Giddy loved betting on the horses. Mr Newell said it was his step-father's number one hobby. And Number two and three.
"Every Sunday was race day," he said.
Along with being a guest speaker at schools, Mr Giddy was always saying yes to participating in community events.
"He was a great race-caller and MC," said Mr Newell. "No wasn't a word he used very often".
"Especially no, or 'no I can't do that'. You'd never hear him say something was too hard."
Mr Giddy will be remembered as a tenacious man. There was never an obstacle too great for him. He loved his community and felt that love returned.
"He was good to Kempsey and Kempsey was good to him," said Mr Newell.
In the eyes of his step-son, Mr Giddy will always be a hero and a true champion.
"His sheer utter physical strength and his mental health was second to none."
![Flags flew at half-mast for Terry Giddy on Tuesday, September 19, outside Kempsey Council Chambers. Picture by Ellie Chamberlain Flags flew at half-mast for Terry Giddy on Tuesday, September 19, outside Kempsey Council Chambers. Picture by Ellie Chamberlain](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/178739304/aaeb626f-4224-4ac0-b23b-5e24148b15d5.JPG/r0_0_4032_3024_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Tributes by Kempsey Mayor and Member for Oxley
Kempsey Mayor Leo Hauville gave a message of condolence on September 19, 2023 during the Council Ordinary Meeting.
Mr Hauville first met Mr Giddy during his time at West Kempsey Public school as the stepfather to a student of his, Lloyd Newell.
My Giddy visited the school, like he did many others, to be an inspiration to the students. Mr Hauville recalls Mr Giddy being treated "like a rock-star", especially after showing off his gold medal which he received for discus in 1984.
"The students of the school would have a lasting impression of a kind and humorous man who took on the world and achieved success," said Mr Hauville.
"For all who met him he was an inspiration to achieve their best."
Michael Kemp MP, Member for Oxley, made a tribute to Terry Giddy on August 23 during the Legislative Assembly of NSW Parliament.
"He was a remarkable individual who redefined the boundaries of human achievement, donning the green and gold on the world stage and becoming a hometown hero for Kempsey as a six-time Paralympic medallist," said Mr Kemp.
"Terry Giddy from Kempsey was more than a Paralympian; he was a beacon of hope, an ambassador of determination and a true embodiment of the idea that our limitations are only as powerful as the spirit that drives us to overcome them."
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