MARCH 8, 2016 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
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All barriers broken A Sunbury Heights Primary School pupil is continuing to defy the odds, overcoming a birth defect, relative inexperience and the death of her mother on her way to picking up a swag of ribbons. Lilly Rowbottom, who started swimming in May, 2013, was the toast of her school after winning the 50-metre breaststroke and backstroke at a regional meet in Northcote last week. The nine-year-old’s sister and guardian, Megan Rowbottom, said Lilly had been unable to complete a couple of strokes or even breathe under water before starting intensive classes at Sunbury Aquatic and Leisure Centre. ‘‘She’s come so far, so quickly,’’ Ms Rowbottom said. ‘‘It’s been a real spin-out for us.’’ Lilly was born without a right hand after an amniotic band cut off circulation while she was in-utero. ‘‘When my mum was pregnant, we went for her 20-week ultrasound and Lilly’s hand was gone,’’ Ms Rowbottom said. ‘‘But we’ve always said she’s lucky because it could have wrapped around her neck. ‘‘Losing an arm versus what she could have lost – we’re grateful for that.’’ Ms Rowbottom said Lilly refused to let disability hold her back. ‘‘She’s the kind of kid who just tries to adapt to everything she can,” Ms Rowbottom said. ‘‘My own little one’s got a small motorbike, and obviously the throttle is on Lilly’s stump side. Realistically, she shouldn’t be able to ride it, but she’s got a baby bottle cap and a zip-tie tied to the throttle. She sticks her stump in it and makes it go. ‘‘She always comes up with little ways to get on with it. The only thing she really has trouble with is doing her hair and cutting her food.’’ Swimming has provided Lilly with a valuable outlet, especially since the death of her mother in November, 2014. ‘‘Mum was diagnosed with stage three cancer in October, 2013, and she passed away the next November,’’ Ms Rowbottom said. ‘‘Lilly’s swimming has certainly helped her. Even now, every Monday she does swimming … it’s just her favourite time of the week.’’ Ms Rowbottom leads a busy life herself, juggling caring for Lilly with the needs of four children of her own. She’s also studying to be a teacher’s aide and started her first placement at Sunbury Heights last week. ‘‘Trying to juggle it all, we’re busy, but we make it work,’’ Ms Rowbottom said, adding
(Joe Mastroianni)
By Matt Crossman
LILLY AND MEGAN ROWBOTTOM
that extended family and the school had also provided great support. ‘‘You can’t stop life. You just get on with things.’’ Lilly’s family is waiting to hear if she will progress directly to the Schools Sports Victoria state titles, with the outcome dependent on a
points total. The grade 4 pupil dreams of one day becoming a Paralympic athlete. ‘‘She’s always on about that – that’s why she pushes herself so much,’’ Ms Rowbottom said. ‘‘Mum would be so proud.’’
Special-school push under way A support group is involved in talks that may lead to the creation of a dedicated specialist school at Kyneton. Macedon Ranges Central Victorian Autism Network is working on plans for a P-12 school catering for children with disabilities. As reported by Star Weekly Weekly, the network has previously floated the idea of an autism centre in the new Kyneton education precinct, amid reports that local schools had told parents they could guarantee a pupil’s safety for only three hours a day. Network spokeswoman Fiona Le Nepveu said their vision had been expanded to include children with other disabilities, in response to frustrations about the area’s lack of education options. ‘‘If you live in Woodend and to the south, you can go to Sunbury [and Macedon Ranges Specialist School], but if you live anywhere north of that, you have to go all the way to Bendigo,’’ she said. ‘‘We’re sending kids out of our community so then mum doesn’t get to do school pick-ups and meet other mums. Then, when the kids do work experience in secondary school, they don’t get to do it in their communities. We’ve got kids doing all these long trips on buses, which only adds to the pressure they face.’’ Ms Le Nepveu said Sunbury and Macedon Ranges Specialist School, which has a secondary campus at Bullengarook, was also nearing capacity. The proposed new school may follow the model of Port Phillip Specialist School in South Melbourne, which integrates therapists into its programs. ‘‘We think we’ve got the numbers to make it feasible,’’ Ms Le Nepveu said. ‘‘With the Kyneton education hub going ahead and a new primary school being built, it’s the right time to get it done.’’ Ms Le Nepveu has met with Macedon MP Mary-Anne Thomas’s office and acknowledges it is ‘‘early days’’, but she says supporters hope the school will not be far away. ‘‘We understand funding is difficult, but we’re also very prepared to fundraise and are looking into philanthropic and grant options.’’ Matt Crossman
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