The word “invictus” is Latin for unconquered, a symbolic name for the Games that give wounded, injured and ill servicemen and women the chance to compete on an international stage. While the focus may be on sports, for the competitors, especially those from the Hunter region, the games bring new motivation and meaning to their daily lives. Read their stories: 

Aaron Elkin – Cycling

When Aaron Elkin jumps on his bike to race at the Invictus Games, it won’t be the winner’s podium he is thinking about. The Newcastle-born cyclist just wants to finish the race in front of family and friends.

Finishing a task, keeping his concentration and staying motivated have all been difficult since he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

“To know that I spent 10 months training for this one day and one race is pretty amazing,” he said.

“It is all about finishing, for me, because it shows myself that I can do it; I can finish.”

Elkin grew up around Lake Macquarie, completing school at Belmont. He became an apprentice carpenter, married and had children, but he always harboured a desire to serve his country. Finally, in 2001, he joined the Australian Army Medical Corps.

“It was about having a secure job, and it was something I had always wanted to do,” he said.

During his almost 15 years in service, he was deployed on several operations, including to the Solomon Islands and the Middle East, before he was medically discharged in 2016.

“Mine was mental health-related, so you couldn’t really see it,” he said.

“I did feel like a bit of a leper, and when I went through the discharge process, there was a feeling of, ‘This is it’.

“You want to sink into a shell, and because you don’t have regular contact with your mates, it just compounds it.”

In the end, cycling gave him the willpower to return from the dark place he had found himself in.

Elkin was on an operation in Iraq when he first discovered a love for cycling. Looking for a boredom buster during free time, he decided to try something new.

“A good mate took me to a spin class that the Americans ran,” he said.

“I really picked it up, and as soon as I got back to Australia I bought a road bike.

“Riding has become my outlet for any sort of problems before I was diagnosed and also after.”

Choosing to apply to compete in the Invictus Games was an easy decision for Elkin because it gave him something new to aim for.

“It is having that link to other countries that you served with and other veterans from all over Australia,” he said.

“It’s surprising how similar we are to each other, even though we are all at different stages of our recovery.”

Corporal Steven Avery – Wheelchair basketball

For Corporal Steven Avery, the Invictus Games have given him the mental and physical motivation to overcome the challenges of the year ahead.

“I am getting medically discharged in January,” he said.

“I am losing what I’ve known for 12½ years of my life. I was finding myself losing that motivation and only concentrating on the negatives.

“It has given me something different to focus on.”

Corporal Avery, who was born in Maitland and went to school in Singleton, first joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 2006.

He has been deployed on border protection and an operation supporting ADF contingency planning and regional relationships in the Middle East.

The 34-year-old is an instructor at the Air Intelligence Training Unit, but, after being diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the right knee sustained during an Army course activity, he will be medically discharged in 2019.

Corporal Avery has spent the past 12 months preparing to play as part of the Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team. 

“The first time I was in the chair I took my daughter with me,” he said.

“It was also the first time she had seen me do something really physical and she was running along with me saying, ‘Go daddy, go.’

“That is when I knew I had to do this.”

Corporal Avery had been a representative player for the Singleton Supersonics in the 1990s, so he knew his way around a court.

“With wheelchair basketball you have to think about the chair, the position you need to be in as well as the ball,” he said.

“It is mentally stimulating as well as physically challenging. When I got my knee injury I thought I couldn’t do anything.

“I still have bad days, but this game has completely changed my mindset.”

Warrant Officer Graham Bell - Archery

Graham Bell is well known in the Maitland region as an active member of the Maitland RSL sub-branch and a serving member of the Australian Army Reserve. But, behind the scenes, the warrant officer has been battling depression after a series of injuries which changed his life.

“My physical injuries can be pretty limiting,” he said.

“I just have to concentrate on what I can do and not what I can’t do.”

Officer Bell joined the Australian Army Reserve in 1977 in a rifleman role before becoming an armoured vehicle crewman in 1984.

He participated in operations in the Solomon Islands and on border protection, as well as in two domestic security operations.

Things changed when he sustained leg and arm injuries after being hit by a car. He also suffers from spinal disc protrusion due to operational service. 

Officer Bell’s arm injury limited his ability to shoot in archery, a sport he had been interested in since he was a teenager.

Having competed overseas, he knew archery and the Invictus Games could be the thing to help him overcome his injury.

“The Invictus trainers really worked hard with me to get back to where I needed to be and get better,” he said.

“I didn’t know this type of adaptive sport really existed, but it means I can get out and do stuff.

“I have no idea if I am competitive and it will depend on the day, but that’s not the important part. It is about using those sports to get back to your life.”

Hunter representatives

Matthew Blunt, originally from East Maitland, will compete in the archery and wheelchair rugby. The former member of the artillery corps of the Australian Army Reserve was medically discharged in 2016 after injuring his back in a vehicle rollover accident on a training exercise.

Stewart Sherman, from East Maitland, will represent Australia in both archery and wheelchair tennis. He joined the army in 2000 as a combat medic and was medically discharged in 2013 after a PTSD diagnosis. 

“I think winning for me is improving on my best. I don't have to medal to be at my best,” he told Fairfax Media.

While you’re with us, did you know The Herald is now offering breaking news alerts, daily email newsletters and more? Keep up-to-date with all the local news - sign up here.