South Yorkshire Times, November 21.
Deaf Son of a Paraplegic Gains Medals for Swimming, Athletics.
Father and Sons Wonderful Triumph over Adversity.
Kevin’s father, 48 years old. Mr George Davey has had to fight against crippling paraplegia since a colliery accident in 1953. Kevin has been deaf since a childhood illness when he was four – but both of them have tackled their disability with courage and determination.
And Kevin’s prowess in the pool and on the track was a secret no one in the family share in Chile return home on a weekend holiday from the Yorkshire Residential School for the Deaf at Doncaster.
He walked into the lounge of their home in Chambers Avenue and pop down the medals near his father’s bed and said: “Now then dad how about that.”
I was surprised but highly delighted,” said Mr Davey. He won the gold medal against competition from all over the North – at a special event staged by the British Deaf Amateur Swimming Association.
Modest.
He added: “we knew he was keen on swimming, but we didn’t know how good he was. He has always be very reticent about what he can do – but we think he has done wonderfully well, in view of his disability.”
Kevin won the bronze medal in the mile event in interschool sports.
Despite his handicap Kevin, who will be 15 on December 1, is determined to make a career for himself in architecture or draughtsmanship and he has already received the Arts and Crafts prize at his Doncaster school.
At the moment, however, is concentrating on training for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme and is hoping to qualify for the British Deaf Association sports team which will be going to America next year.
Mr Davey, who has done a lot of work for paraplegic miners and taken part in their wheelchair sports, is justifiably proud of a son who lives in a silent world, but says that the success of both of them is largely due to the sacrifice and understanding of his wife, Kathleen.
“She has been a real brick throughout all our troubles. I don’t know what we should have done without her,” he said.