The Australian Polio Epidemic
Oct 23, 2019 7:30 AM
Bill Bradley
The Australian Polio Epidemic
Hornsby resident Bill Bradley is a well-known face around our Shire and has contributed so much to the area in the 50 years he has lived here.
The 84-year-old community leader has been a quadriplegic since he contracted polio at fourteen and has been involved in volunteering for sixty-five years.
He is a proud founder of the Hornsby Connect drop-in centre, which opens every Wednesday and provides low-cost dry groceries as well as free fruit, vegetables and bread to more than one hundred people a week. It also has a café at which people can socialise and enjoy free treats. “I oversee the free fruit and veg section and meet and greet all the people coming through,” says Bill. “We make a point of talking to everyone because a lot of people don’t have anyone to talk to."
We are like a family. We know a lot of the people by name.” Bill is grateful that the community supported the centre and voted him a Westfield Local Hero. “But the title hero doesn’t sit well with me because I consider myself just a spokesperson for a team of dedicated volunteers. I get a kick out of being a volunteer. This gives me a great feeling that there is nothing wrong with me and puts me on a level field with everybody else.”