Silver medal Paralympian, and doctor, Marty Mayberry, passed away at his home in Brisbane on December 18, 2024.
He was aged 38.
Marty was a man who had met many challenges in his life, and his father Paul said he is ‘very proud of how he handled adversity’.
Born in Byron Bay, Marty attended both Byron Primary School and Byron High School.
However, at 16 years old, Marty contracted meningococcal disease and beat the one-in-ten survival odds.
Back on the slopes
Having skied since he was five years old, having both his legs amputated below the knee did not keep him down, and he was back on the slopes within a year.
Within two years of becoming a double below-the-knee amputee, he was competing in skiing and he went on to compete in two Paralympics.
During the six years he was a competitive skier, Marty completed a health science degree at Griffith University.
2020 silver medal
In 2010, Marty won the silver medal at the Vancouver Winter Paralympics in downhill and was ranked second in the world in the downhill standing class.
Following this success, Marty retired from the sport and started his medical degree at Sydney University.
In 2023, Marty was one of the first inductees into the Griffith University Sports Hall of Fame.
A great skier and even better doctor
‘Marty was a great alpine skier and an even better doctor,’ said Paul.
Marty was continuing his speciality training in rehabilitation when he died and will be greatly missed by the medical community.
‘Wherever he went from Ballina Hospital, to John Flynn Hospital, to the Queensland Rehabilitation Services while he was doing his training they all asked him to come back when he was qualified,’ Paul explained.
Marty will be greatly missed by his family and his two sons Hugo, ten and Finn, eight who were the centre of his life.
There will be a memorial service for Marty in Brisbane in early February.
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