Queen's honours go to Gary

Gary Carr

JULY 2017 | David Claridge

DIAGNOSED WITH sleep apnea in the early 1990’s when it was barely understood as a sleep disorder, Gary Carr focussed on raising awareness not only in Tasmania but nationwide.

As part of the Queen’s Birthday Weekend, Gary received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his many services in health, volunteering and sports.

“I still can’t believe it, it’s unbelievable,” he explained.

“I knew I was in the mix, but nothing can be assured until you see your name up in lights.”

Mr Carr as a pioneer helped create Sleep Disorders Australia in 1992, being the first and only Tasmanian President to date, who championed the cause to raise awareness.

Among many volunteering achievements, Gary fondly remembers volunteering in Sydney in 2000 at the athlete’s village at the Olympic and Paralympic games, organising transport for teams.

Also involved in AFL Tasmania and the Northern Tasmanian Football League, Mr Carr remembered how one of the most satisfying areas of his journey was in 1979.

“I led a team of dedicated basketball people and got some sponsorship and formed the Launceston Casino City Basketball Team. It was the first Tasmanian team in the national league.”

“The Australian Basketball Federation invited the team to tour New Zealand after a college team from the USA could not make the trip.

Eight games were played in New Zealand including three Test matches against their National Team. The team won two of the Test matches and the only loss was the middle game against New Zealand, played in Dunedin on a freezing winter’s night.”

It was the first time the team had played together he explained. “In 1981, we became the only Tasmanian team to win a national basketball league title.

The 78-year-old is currently working on a project that is aimed at inattentiveness, fatigue and sleepiness in drivers on the road. “It is those three problems that are causing one third of all major accidents and deaths in this state,” Gary said.

Photo | Mike Moores