Softball: Going to bat for disabled

Fully Focused: Les Broadman completes a training stint for his fundraiser which he hopes will enhance his chances of work. Photo/Paul Taylor

For former Hawke's Bay softball representative Les Broadman bouncing back from two mild heart attacks and 17 strokes took more out of him than any of the national tournaments he attended when in his prime.

And a month ago he was hit with another challenge, a bout of depression.

"I was struggling to find a job to suit my body and that got me down. I decided I had to get active again to get my fitness levels up to increase my chances of getting work and a good way of doing that is that fundraiser I talked about last year," Broadman, who turns 42 on Monday, said.

Last year Broadman planned to do a fundraising gala at Waimarama Beach during the summer to raise funds for and awareness of people with disabilities who are on the hunt for employment. A feature of the gala was going to be Broadman clocking up some metres on the rowing machine which has been his main form of rehab during the last five years since his strokes and heart attracks which left him paralysed down the left hand side.

Broadman ran out out of time during summer and with winter conditions in full swing Broadman has opted for an indoor fundraiser which begins at the Hastings Fitness Centre today.

"I'm prepared to row 40 kilometres a day for eight days. If it takes me 15 days to get eight full days of rowing in I'm happy to do that. Obviously if I can score a job I'll fit my rowing around work ... finding a job is the priority," the father of five and grandfather of two said.

"But until that happens I will row for as long as my body will allow me every day each day and just go home for a sleep each night."

While Broadman has extensive experience as a forklift driver and in warehousing he believed call centre work may be his best option in the near future.

"I came across others battling depression and I know there are people out there fighting an addiction to P ... I want to help them out too," Broadman said.

"It's not surprising Hawke's Bay has such high suicide and unemployment rates. I urge employers to see what disabled people like myself can do before judging us. Just give us a chance.

Don't shoot us down because we will give up. I know I'm not the only one in this situation and I want to help others who are."

During the late 1990s and turn of the century when Hawke's Bay men's softball teams were a force on the national scene Broadman was always among the first to be picked in Hawke's Bay and Central Vikings sides as well as his Fast Pitch premier team.

A "Mr Consistent" with the bat and a "Mr Reliable" with the glove regardless of what defensive position he was assigned, Broadman, a former New Zealand Under-19 rep, never let his coaching staff down.

It wasn't a surprise when Hawke's Bay softball legend and International Softball Federation Hall of Famer Chubb Tangaroa named Broadman in his "Hawke's Bay Selection", a paper-only team containing players Tangaroa considered the best he had played alongside during the two decades the four-time world champion pulled on the Bay colours. Those glory days became distant memories for Broadman as his battles on the diamonds were replaced by battles for life.

"Initially the desire to leave hospital was my biggest motivation every time I was there lying on a hospital bed. I didn't want to rely on others doing basic every day chores like wiping my backside for me," Broadman recalled.

"Now my motivaton is seeing how many kilometres I can row each day for the next eight or so ... it's for a pretty good cause."

■ Anyone wanting to help Broadman with employment opportunities or his fundraiser can email him at lesangelbroadman@hotmail.com