A man who has been living with quadriplegia since a rugby union accident when he was 19 hopes to inspire rehabilitation patients at Orange hospital with two sculptures he made from reclaimed steel.
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Peter Worsley is an Orange-based sculptor, Paralympic shooter and international gold medalist who started creating metal sculptures after his injury and two of those art works were recently installed in the hospital's rehabilitation garden.
"I'm so pleased I went down this path, everyone needs a good hobby," Mr Worsley said.
"I would love to think that seeing this sort of work some other people might consider something they didn't think was possible and get as much joy out of it as I do."
Mr Worsley said he wished he started welding and making sculptures sooner.
"I've always liked metal work and growing up on the farm whenever there were wet days [I was] in the shed fixing things, making gates," Mr Worsley said.
"Quite a long time after the accident a friend was going away and asked if he could leave his tools and bits and pieces at our place and one of things was a welder. I thought I wouldn't mind having a go and seeing if I could weld."
I would love to think that seeing this sort of work some other people might consider something they didn't think was possible and get as much joy out of it as I do.
- Peter Worsley
He initially used a splint he was given in rehab to hold a table tennis paddle and he used that splint to hold the welding hand piece.
"From then on I started working out ways to do everything I can," he said.
Mr Worsley said he no longer uses the splint, because it took a long time to put on and had a tendency to catch fire so he now uses a piece of storm water pipe and duct tape.
"I've got no use of my fingers at all so I just weld these steel hooks onto everything so I can put my fingers in those hooks and loops, that's how I pick everything up.
"I use my armpit and two hands to hold things so everything is quite long," he said.
Mr Worsley was asked to display his sculptures after rehabilitation medical director Dr Sumitha Gounden saw his works in an exhibition.
"Peter is a high-level quadriplegic, meaning he has no movement in his legs and has minimal movement in his arms and no hand function," she said.
" Peter is the only quadriplegic welder in the world and this must be celebrated.
"It's so nice for our patients to be able to come into the gardens to not only enjoy looking at the beautiful sculptures but to feel inspired.
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