Eve Rimmer
Encyclopedia
Eve Rimmer BEM
(1937 – 1996) was born in Whakatane
, New Zealand
and was a New Zealand athlete. She was an inspiring and courageous woman whose life and sporting achievements tell her story of true determination against enormous odds.
Growing up in the small rural town of Edgecumbe, Eve was a talented young athlete. As Eve says in her biography “On natural ability alone, I held the school’s long jump record for many years” [Rimmer & Gilmour, 1978, p.3].
This made up for her poor academic credentials. As soon as she was old enough she left school.
In 1952 at age fifteen, Eve was left paralysed from the waist down when the vehicle she was in crashed on a dark wet night.
This life changing experience did not prevent Eve Rimmer from becoming one of the best athletes in the world. She went on to be a multi-medal winner in shot put
, javelin
, pentathlon
, discus
, swimming
and archery
, In 1973 she deservedly received the British Empire Medal. “Eve Rimmer is one of New Zealand's most renowned athletes, a member of the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, holder of fifteen paralympic medals, eight of them Gold.” http://www.sportbop.co.nz/eventdetail.aspx?id=266
The same spirit was there as before. She went on to get married and after being told she would probably never be able to conceive, gave birth to two healthy girls. Eve Rimmer has since been regarded as an inspiration to those with disabilities and able-bodied people. She was actively involved with the paraplegic organisations throughout New Zealand. She gave many paraplegics throughout the world the ability to believe that they could achieve anything they wanted to.
Eve Rimmer was the first ever woman selected to represent New Zealand at the Paralympics. She was the only female named along with fourteen men to go to the 1968 Tel Aviv Games and the only one to bring home medals. She continued to represent New Zealand at the games in Heidelberg (1972), Toronto (1976) and Arnhem (1980), winning a total of 14 Paralympics medals, of which 8 were gold. Eve also was very successful in the Commonwealth Paraplegic Games and at domestic competitions.http://paralympic.org
Sportsperson of the Year in 1992. She was the founder of the Disabilities Resource Centre in Whakatane
and was the organiser of the 1990 Games for Disabled in Whakatane, an event which has grown into the Eve Rimmer Games held Easter weekend every two years. http://www.drct.co.nz/eve_rimmer.htmlhttp://www.sportwaikato.org.nz/main.cfm?id=30&sid=637&id2=1957http://www.sportbop.co.nz/eventdetail.aspx?id=266
In 1990, Eve was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
due to her domination in paraplegic sport over the years. http://www.nzhalloffame.co.nz/page.pasp?searchtext=eve+rimmer&Go=Go Rimmer was also runner up for the New Zealand Sportsman of the year title in 1972.
In 1973, Eve was awarded the British Empire Medal
.
Eve was a very big influence on sports in Whakatane
and the Council honoured her by naming a sports ground after her. The Eve Rimmer Park is used for rugby league, netball and bmx.http://www.whakatane.com/facilities_locations.html
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
(1937 – 1996) was born in Whakatane
Whakatane
Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and was a New Zealand athlete. She was an inspiring and courageous woman whose life and sporting achievements tell her story of true determination against enormous odds.
Growing up in the small rural town of Edgecumbe, Eve was a talented young athlete. As Eve says in her biography “On natural ability alone, I held the school’s long jump record for many years” [Rimmer & Gilmour, 1978, p.3].
This made up for her poor academic credentials. As soon as she was old enough she left school.
In 1952 at age fifteen, Eve was left paralysed from the waist down when the vehicle she was in crashed on a dark wet night.
This life changing experience did not prevent Eve Rimmer from becoming one of the best athletes in the world. She went on to be a multi-medal winner in shot put
Shot put
The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
, javelin
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
, pentathlon
Pentathlon
A pentathlon is a contest featuring five different events. The name is derived from Greek: combining the words pente and -athlon . The first pentathlon was documented in Ancient Greece and was part of the Ancient Olympic Games...
, discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
, swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
and archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, In 1973 she deservedly received the British Empire Medal. “Eve Rimmer is one of New Zealand's most renowned athletes, a member of the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame, holder of fifteen paralympic medals, eight of them Gold.” http://www.sportbop.co.nz/eventdetail.aspx?id=266
The same spirit was there as before. She went on to get married and after being told she would probably never be able to conceive, gave birth to two healthy girls. Eve Rimmer has since been regarded as an inspiration to those with disabilities and able-bodied people. She was actively involved with the paraplegic organisations throughout New Zealand. She gave many paraplegics throughout the world the ability to believe that they could achieve anything they wanted to.
Representations
Achievements
As well as winning many Paralympic and Commonwealth medals Eve Rimmer has been honoured for her many achievements including being named the Bay of PlentyBay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
Sportsperson of the Year in 1992. She was the founder of the Disabilities Resource Centre in Whakatane
Whakatane
Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...
and was the organiser of the 1990 Games for Disabled in Whakatane, an event which has grown into the Eve Rimmer Games held Easter weekend every two years. http://www.drct.co.nz/eve_rimmer.htmlhttp://www.sportwaikato.org.nz/main.cfm?id=30&sid=637&id2=1957http://www.sportbop.co.nz/eventdetail.aspx?id=266
In 1990, Eve was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame
The New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is an organisation commemorating New Zealand's greatest sporting triumphs. It was inaugurated as part of the New Zealand sesquicentenary celebrations in 1990. Some 160 members have been inducted into the Hall of Fame since its inception representing a wide...
due to her domination in paraplegic sport over the years. http://www.nzhalloffame.co.nz/page.pasp?searchtext=eve+rimmer&Go=Go Rimmer was also runner up for the New Zealand Sportsman of the year title in 1972.
In 1973, Eve was awarded the British Empire Medal
British Empire Medal
The Medal of the Order of the British Empire for Meritorious Service, usually known as the British Empire Medal , is a British medal awarded for meritorious civil or military service worthy of recognition by the Crown...
.
Eve was a very big influence on sports in Whakatane
Whakatane
Whakatane is a town in the eastern Bay of Plenty Region, in the North Island of New Zealand, and is the seat of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. Whakatane is 90 km east of Tauranga and 89 km north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatane River.The town has a population of , with...
and the Council honoured her by naming a sports ground after her. The Eve Rimmer Park is used for rugby league, netball and bmx.http://www.whakatane.com/facilities_locations.html