Joint effort from Mancel College & Darra CementCo

Mancel College is a specialist Prep to Year 12 school for students with Language Disorder (Developmental Language Disorder or Language Disorder associated with other diagnosis such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or Down Syndrome).

Coordinator of Co-Curricular at Mancel College, Victoria Venter, said students at the college relish the opportunity to compete in interschool sport as much as their peers.

“However, due to their language disorder and the additional time they need to process sensory input, alongside difficulties with conceptual understanding, many students find traditional competitive sports quite overwhelming,” Victoria said.

“It can be hard to keep up with their peers, but despite the barriers they face, the students are resilient, courageous and capable,” she said.

“As the Coordinator of Co-Curricular, I am passionate for our students to become involved in competitive and representative school sport in an accessible way for them.”

When Micheal Sorrensen from Bowls Australia invited schools to nominate students for the Bowls QLD Secondary Schools Cup, Victoria was keen to get involved.

“Unbeknownst to me at the time, Mancel College principal, Peter Foster, had a personal connection with Darra Cementco Bowls Club parent Tammy Baart, who was heavily involved at the club with her son, Taylor,” she said.

Micheal met with club secretary Peter Gilbert and Tammy to see if they would take Mancel College students under their wing and the collaboration was quickly established.

A small, yet enthusiastic group of year 9-12 students visit the club for training sessions with the members every Monday afternoon.

“From the moment the students arrived at the Darra Cementco Bowls Club, they were given such a warm and hospitable welcome from the club coaching team and long-standing members,” she said.

“These wonderful people took such a keen interest in our students, and over several weeks, slowly and patiently taught them the basics of the sport.

“As a result of this, our students took to it like a duck to water and progressed in leaps and bounds!”

Victoria was quick to point out the inclusion of bowling arms at the training sessions.

“These fantastic aids allow students to build self-confidence by improving their accuracy and technique,” she said.

The Darra Cementco Bowls Club is committed to providing the students with a positive experience fully inclusive of their individual needs, which is arguably the key to increasing resilience and fostering a lifelong love of sports and recreation.

Victoria said that Mancel College students and staff appreciate, and are committed to, making the most of this collaboration.

“We hope to continue to develop our students’ skills to a level which will allow them to compete against other schools in the future,” she said.

“Perhaps even in the Secondary Schools Cup one day... Watch this space!”

Thanks to Victoria Venter from Mancel College for her story and photos of the students in action at Darra Cementco Bowls Club.

Taylor THRIVING AT DARRA CEMENTCO

In August 2022, Tammy Baart (Taylor’s Mum) sent the following text to Darra Cementco Bowls Club:

“Hi, my 11 year old son is interested in playing lawn bowls and learning how to play competitively. Is there an opportunity to play and try out first if he likes it or not?”

Taylor had expressed interest in lawn bowls to his mum for approximately a year, but Tammy wanted to determine if it was a fleeting interest or phase.

Taylor clearly did his homework prior to having Tammy reach out, as he had compiled a list of three clubs (in order of interest) and provided a pros and cons for each club on top of three reasons why and how lawn bowls would benefit him.

We at the club were obviously happy to have him, so down he came. Tammy advised us that he had been infatuated with bowls for the past year, had done heaps of research and decided that Darra was the club he wanted to go to. This was pretty amazing, since our website at the time was way out of date!

She also told us that Taylor was autistic and asked if that mattered. Autism was a word many of us down at the bowls club had heard of before but had not had a true understanding of what it meant.

Tammy detailed that most sports (unintentionally) are not very inclusive of people with additional needs.

Taylor had tried little athletics, AFL and soccer previously as his parents know and understand the importance being part of a community which values health, and that wellbeing is not just for the body, but mind too.

Tammy was aware that lawn bowls was a sport that allowed Taylor access and removed barriers such as physical athleticism (common among boys his age), sensory overload and was both an individual and team sport ensuring he was able to have a support person (if required).

For his trial, our Games Director (at that time Allan Rigney) took him out on the green and went through the basics with him. It is safe to say that he wasn’t one of those people who was a natural at the game, but the thing that made him stand out to us was his pure determination to get better. We had two coaches primarily working with him, plus many other people who offered their support and encouragement. He slowly got better at bowls.

Tammy informed us that during those first few weeks, she had never seen him so engaged in a sport. Although his anxiety was heightened due to trying something new, he was often heard talking about his time at the club at home. This is something that had never translated with any other sport or activity he had tried. Taylor’s interest had been spiked!

Bowls has made a difference is Taylor’s life.

When Taylor first turned up at the club, he wouldn’t say boo to anybody and wouldn’t speak to anyone. But, over time, he slowly became more comfortable, especially when his parents wouldn’t ask a question which Taylor wanted answered and made him ask himself.

Now he dumps his parents at the door and sits at a table with “the players” and talks up a storm – or asks two million questions! This is significant for his development as he now has the confidence to act independently outside of his home, and is something which is translating to other aspects of his life.

Because Taylor was ‘different’ he was bullied a lot at school and other sports, but down at bowls he is just accepted and celebrated for who he is. He shared my [Peter Gilbert] car with a couple of other players on the way to GR8 competitions and the guys in the back were just stunned listening to him and in awe of his knowledge of bowls. Taylor spends much of his down time researching the history of lawn bowls, types of bowls and their lines as well as anything else he can sink his teeth into. It’s fair to say that his research skills have improved too.

Taylor is doing well at school – bowls has given him much more confidence and increased his self-esteem. This is reflected in his general behaviour and school work. Not long after starting bowls, he told his mum he feels like he’s really found somewhere where he belongs - a place where he can be ‘him’ without the worry of people not understanding his needs.

“Autism is my superpower” – these are the words Tammy has often said to Taylor throughout his bowls journey. In previous activities, his autism has held him back, but suddenly he found a sport where, when he could harness it, he could use his strengths as an advantage. Too many people just think of autism as ‘Rainman’ (the movie) – it is far more complicated than that. Taylor loves repetition and has an uncanny ability to focus on a task for many hours on end. While he’s always struggled to find a niche for this skill set, it certainly is an asset on the green.

One of Taylor’s greatest joys is to come down to the club on a Saturday and help to open the club – set up the tills, poker machines, the ATM, restock the drinks, fans, lights and doors. He has become so proficient at it that the guys who usually open now just sit and read the paper.

Having both been athletes, Taylor’s parents know how important sport is in teaching many skills far beyond the competition arena such as planning, organisation and discipline. Taylor’s keenness to be involved in all aspects of the club has really increased his literacy, numeracy, social interactions and the ability to try new things as a result of the mentorship of both his coaches and Darra members.

He has a wonderful support network of his parents (Tammy and Nathan), his younger sister Indianna, and his grandparents (Harry and Rhonda). The whole family are regular attendees at practice and games and enjoy seeing Taylor thrive on the green and now in more aspects of life.

The link with Mancel College

Tammy was a former school Deputy Principal who left the school system to become a consultant. While attending a function, she caught up with her old boss Peter Foster, who was now the Principal of Mancel College. Having worked together for many years, their conversations have always been about family and so an update occurred as to how Taylor was going.

Tammy couldn’t hold back on how proud she was in the development of Taylor as a person, how he had come out of his shell and how much he had changed (for the better) as a result of bowls. Over a few months, Peter followed Taylor’s journey more closely and was impressed. Peter then asked if the bowls club would be interested in providing bowls as an activity for Mancel College, and of course Tammy said “yes”.

At the club, we are also looking to start a similar program with St James College, the school which Taylor attends. Having now competed at the Junior State Championships and the Gr8s, Taylor’s teachers are keenly following his progress. Taylor has also brought some school friends down to the club to have a trial and has the commitment of his teachers to enter a team in the Secondary Schools Cup.

Mancel STUDENTS AT THE CLUB

It took a few months to prepare, but on 6 March this year a minibus dropped off eight students and a couple of staff to begin their bowls journey.

We had been told approximately how many students were going to come and that they all had additional needs, some more so than others. So, we made sure we selected a group of people with appropriate skills and temperaments to coach them. We did a rush job getting Blue Cards for all these people and doing the Club Coach Course. We have been supported by Regional Bowls Manager, Micheal Sorrensen from BA.

The students arrive, super excited every Monday. We generally use five coaches, Micheal when he is available and Tammy – as a former teacher and parent of an additional needs child she is a huge help.

The activities are the same as any new bowler would do – learn how to hold the bowl and then deliver it –the only difference with coaching other kids is that these kids take a bit more time and understanding.

Mancel is operated by Language Disorder Australia and the students travel across Brisbane to attend. The students all have language difficulties, from almost nonverbal to extreme verbal challenges.

Almost all of them have never played any sport, as their skill sets and the lack of inclusivity in mainstream sport has prevented participation.

Bowls sessions are a mix of laughter and excitement, high fives and elbow bumps. Even more so when the green erupts after one has touched the jack. The students get so much enjoyment from their improved skills.

Most of them are now at the stage where we can have a modified game which is super exciting, not just for them but for us as well.

It is noticeable how the extremely non-communicative students have come out of their shells.

Just last week, Tammy was working with a student who has weekly speech therapy around how she could make sentences about lawn bowls to impress her therapist! This young girl was so excited and even did a practice with one of the coaches working with Tammy to shape some sentences.

Playing lawn bowls is not just about participating in a sport. It has allowed these children to develop the confidence that they can do things. That they, like everyone else, can experience success.

Although it was challenging sometimes at the beginning to ensure that our club had the right sized equipment and support aids to set the students up for success, it has been so worthwhile for all involved.

Our members have grown in their understanding and perspective of individuals with additional needs too.

Above all, the enjoyment for our coaches and members, who are experiencing this success alongside Taylor and the students, is priceless.

Contributed by Peter Gilbert & Tammy Baart