Helensburgh paratriathlete Nathan Johnston is being recognised with an OAM for his service to people with disability through sport.
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The winner of the Australian Paratriathlon Championship in 2013 and 2014, para-champion at the Australian Ironman Championship in 2015 is a member of the Cronulla Triathlon Club placed second for a visually impaired athlete at the Hawaiian Ironman World Triathlon Championship in 2015.
Along with his sporting success Mr Johnston has done considerable charity work. He ran 424 kilometres with the Pink Lads from Narromine to Sydney to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation in 2013 and has participated in fundraising activities for NSW Police Legacy.
He has been involved in organising an annual fun run at Helensburgh and Stanwell Park which has raised more than $50,000 for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. And is also a motivational speaker who visits schools, corporate groups, retirement villages. He talks about his life and how he has coped with adversity and the challenges of having a disability on a daily basis.
COVID-19 brought that to a halt in 2020 but he did do some via Zoom. He also he used the time to train, keep fit and look after his health while developing a new webpage for his motivational talks.
Mr Johnston said he wasn't expecting any recognition.
"It was a complete surprise," he said.
"It is a real privilege and I am an honoured. It is very humbling to know someone nominated me."
Mr Johnston grew up in Helensburgh and starting losing his vision while still in primary school.
"I am legally blind and only have a little light perception on a bright day," he said.
"As a kid I was pretty active through school before I started losing my vision at around eight or nine years of age."
He was active with the surf club at Stanwell Park and and was a good swimmer and surfer.
He continued doing a lot swimming as a teenager, particularly in the ocean.
And was able to run competitively again after finding a guide at a running club in Kogarah.
He started doing 5km runs and a group from his local RSL club raised some money for a tandem bike he started doing some charity bike rides.
"In 2011 a mate of mine asked if I would like to do the Australia Day Aquathon in Wollongong. And it just went on from there," he said.
He went on to train with other athletes with disabilities and started entering Triathlon Australia events, starting with short course and half marathon, before stepping up to ironman length events.
"And I went in the Sydney to Surf in 2015 with Tony Abbot," he said.
Mr Johnston is grateful for sponsorship companies such as Shell and Coates Hire that helped him enter half a dozen events.