Rangiora woman named ‘Skier of the Year’

Press, 28 March 1979, Page 38

Rangiora woman named ‘Skier of the Year’

Mrs Gillian Hall of Rangiora, was yesterday named as the inaugural winner of the New Zealand Ski Association's “Merit Award for the Skier of the Year.” Mrs Hall is a well-quali-. fied ski instructor and physiotherapist who has been the driving fore# and inspiration behind the development of efforts to bring ski-ing to the disabled in New Zealand. The award, covering the year 1978, carries a fine silver trophy which was originally presented by Mr (now Sir) Bryan Todd for inter-do-minion team ski-ing. This event is now discontinued, and the trophy was revived by the N.Z.S.A, in 1978 for the new skier of the year award. The N.Z.S.A. intends to present the award each year, with both racing and nonracing skiers being equally eligible to win it. Mrs Hall started ski-ing at Coronet Peak in 1958. She later qualified in ski instructing both in New Zealand and abroad, and after qualifying in physiotherapy at Christchurch in 1971, she has practised at home and overseas. Her work with disabled

skiers began in Switzerland where she taught dwarfs, asthmatics and other disabled people to ski. She introduced disabled ski-ing programmes in New Zealand in 1975, and continued this work later that year in Colorado where she taught ski-ing to amputees, the blind, war veterans and people suffering from cerebral palsy and neurological disorders. The New Zealand Association for Disabled Skiers was formed in 1976 on her efforts, but it was in 1978 when Mrs Hall, as Training Director for the N.Z.A.D.S. was able to bring her New Zealand programmes to full fruition. The President of the New Zealand Ski Association Mr lan Borrin, of Wellington, said yesterday that Mrs Hall’s work for disabled skiers had brought the enjoyment of snow and the mountains to large groups of people who otherwise would never have experienced the pleasures of winter sports. “Without her efforts the disabled skier programmes throughout New Zealand would probably never have got under way,” he said.