Gospel Spreader: Duane Kale has been an admirable ambassador for Paralympic sport. Photo/File KAP240616DHkale
An appropriate gesture from one of Hawke's Bay sport's top blokes ... Paralympian Duane Kale.
When the swimmer, who won six medals including four golds and set four world records at the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta learnt he would be unable to attend his induction into the Hawke's Bay Sports Hall of Fame at the May 20 Hawke's Bay Sportsperson of the Year function at Taradale's Pettigrew-Green Arena there was no hesitation when deciding who will join his parents Dave and Llanore as his representatives. Kale told his former Havelock North-based coach John Beaumont and his wife Jean last weekend he would be thrilled if they attended.
"JB played a massive part in getting my head in the right space during those days," 1996 Hawke's Bay Sportsperson of the Year Kale recalled after shaking off the shock of his induction.
"It was a complete surprise," Kale said.
His fellow inductee will be former All Whites, Phoenix and Napier City Rovers soccer goalkeeper Mark Paston.
Hawke's Bay born and bred Kale, 49, was a competitive triathlete until 1991 when a spinal tumour resulted in him becoming an incomplete paraplegic.
"I was 21-years-old and thought I had cancer," Kale has said in numerous motivational-type speeches to schools and functions.
"I thought I was going to die. That's a pretty tough place to be when you're that age."
Kale, who these days works as the head of ANZ Direct in Wellington and has more than 300 staff under him, had been in pain for a long time after he fell off his road bike on State Highway 2 Lower Hutt, during triathlon training, when a left handlebar snapped off.
"No broken bones, one broken bike, and my pride was broken."
A good night's sleep didn't improve his sore condition so he went to a doctor who said he had typical symptoms from falling off a bike. Physio work didn't work so he went back to the doctor because of ongoing pain.
He had an operation on his back after squashing of his spinal cord was discovered, and then prescribed various pills to relieve the pain. But after about a year he was still sore so went back to the surgeon but was told he had a low pain threshold, had become addicted to the drugs, and needed to sort his life out.
"It was a pretty tough message because I thought I was doing okay," Kale recalled.
He saw another doctor about getting involved in sport but the doctor suspected something was medically amiss which led to Kale having a scan which found the tumour. A surgeon decided to remove the tumour but part of the procedure left Kale paralysed from the waist down.
"I thought having a disability meant going to sit in a corner and wait to die."
Kale thought about his early life growing up in Hawke's Bay and how much he had enjoyed swimming including national representation.
He got a trainer, established a swimming programme, and set some goals. Before long Duane was in the New Zealand team and competing in the Asia Championships where he won three gold medals, two silvers with the relay team, and achieved his first world record before being picked for Atlanta.
"When you think things are pretty bad and you think there's no hope, and you think 'gee I might as well sit in a corner and wait to die', don't take that choice because you just never know what may happen in the future. Never give up and aspire to achieve.
"It won't matter, 100 years from now, what your bank account balance was, what sort of house you lived in, or what sort of car you drove. I think the most important thing is make a difference to yourself but also make a difference to others."
Kale has certainly made a difference. He returned to the Paralympics as a swimming team manager and then as Chef de Mission for the New Zealand team at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympics.
In 2013 Kale was elected to the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board. He has a pretty good excuse for missing the May 20 function.
As a member of the International Olympic Committee's Evaluation Council he will be visiting Paris and Los Angeles as part of the process to select the host city for the 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympics. The successful city will be announced in September.
Kale is rapt with the state of Paralympic sport in New Zealand.
"It's fantastic to see the depth and breadth of it and where it has come from. It's good to be helping to create an environment for others to follow in our footsteps."
"From a global perspective we're always looking to see how we can use Paralympic Sport to make social change. It's an honour to be involved in this sort of stuff," he added.
Needless to say the Hawke's Bay sporting fraternity will be honoured to hear of his induction.