Q&A with Craig Purdam – Reflections on 35 Years at the AIS

Synopsis

It was Sir William Deane who said, ‘The past is never fully gone. It is absorbed into the present and the future. It stays to shape what we are and what we do’. Craig Purdam began his career at the AIS in 1982. In the 35 years that have passed since Craig’s beginnings, he has seen the enormous changes that have occurred in the Australian high performance system.

Craig has also been a giant in contributing to many of the things that the high performance system now takes for granted. His own area of Physical Therapies has grown out of developing treatments for polio and returning movement function to injured soldiers coming home from The Great War. The use of physiotherapy in elite sport is a relatively new endeavour, and Craig’s influence in this area has been immense.

Since his beginnings in 1982, there have been nine Olympic / Paralympic campaigns, with Craig playing a role in many of them. In this unique Smart Talk presentation, Emeritus AIS Historian, Greg Blood will explore with Craig the significant events and changes he has witnessed during his incredible journey.