Bobby Welch stands on her skateboard, supported by a custom-built frame and a volunteer beside her. Wearing a helmet and an adaptive harness, this moment is more than just a ride for the 43-year-old from the Gold Coast.
Bobby lives with cardiofaciocutaneous (CFC) syndrome, a rare genetic condition that has progressively affected her mobility. She relies on a wheelchair in her daily life, but her mother Marie Welch said she was always ready to “have a go at anything.”
“We’ve tried all sorts of things, sailing, gymnastics, swimming,” she said.
“She even wanted to learn how to dive.”
Social connection matters
As Bobby’s condition worsened, those opportunities became increasingly limited, until adaptive skateboarding changed her life. Using a specially designed skate frame, the program allows participants to stand safely on a skateboard while trained instructors guide and stabilise them. It has opened access to a sport traditionally out of reach for many people with disabilities.
Marie said without it her daughter would be very housebound.
“It gives her a lovely social life,” she said.
At the skate park, and afterwards, Bobby is all smiles.
“She can’t stop smiling when she gets here, and she talks about it when she gets home,” Marie said.
“Just to be able to get out and be in the community is so important.”
Gold Coast coach driving inclusion
Professional skateboarder and coach Jesse Noonan brought adaptive skateboarding to the Gold Coast. He said the idea began with a moment of curiosity.
“I was coaching some young boys and their sister showed up to the park in a wheelchair and I wanted to include her,” he said.
“I rigged up a skateboard under her walking frame and got her skating straight away.”
That moment sparked what would become Skate Advantage.
“It opens the world of possibilities for them,” Mr Noonan said.
“Getting out there, getting on the frame, getting on the skateboard. It changes people’s lives.
“It gives them positivity and this sense of adrenaline they’ve never experienced.”
Building confidence, independence and joy
The skate program is supported by Gold Coast Recreation and Sport, a community-based organisation that provides sport and recreational opportunities for people with disability.
Project manager Acacia Porter said the program was about more than physical activity.
“It’s important for everybody to have opportunities to participate,” she said.
“This program is breaking down barriers, not just to participation but to community perceptions.”
She said bringing people of all abilities together was reshaping attitudes.
“It shows they can do it,” Ms Porter said.
“It’s a best practice example of what inclusion looks like.”
A bridge between worlds
For families watching from the sidelines, the change is unmistakable.
“It just makes my day,” Marie said.
“It’s changed Bobby’s life, just being able to do something active again.”
Back on the concrete, Bobby glides to a gentle stop, a grin spreading across her face. Around her, others took their turn, stepping into frames, adjusting helmets, and pushing off. For these skaters, it is a bridge between worlds where, for a moment, anything feels possible.
