Ngaire Pakai
Yaama, SBS acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and pays respects to elders past and present and ongoing in stewardship in knowledges since time immemorial. Welcome to Speak My Language Disability. Listen as we share stories of First Nations people who are engaging
in their passions while living with a disability. Throughout this series you'll hear inspiring stories from leaders and advocates within the community who have successfully pursued their dreams in their chosen fields. I'm Ngaire Pakai and in this episode I chat with Lismore's Malachi Canning. He
holds five Australian records in long jump, discus and shot put under his T20 Para Athletic classification. He represented Australia in the 2022 Virtuous Oceania Asian Games in Brisbane and in the 2023 Virtuous Global Games in France. Malachi is a member of Lismore Athletics and competed throughout
his junior years for Lismore's Little Athletics. He joins us today to share his story.
Malachi Canning
Hi, I'm Malachi I'm from Lismore. Oh, yeah,
Annette Sky
Hi, I'm Annette Sky and I'm Malachi's carer and I'm from Kyogale originally.
Malachi Canning
Oh, we talking about originally. Yeah, I'm from Ipswich. Yeah.
Ngaire Pakai
Malachi can you share what your story is? How did you get involved in para athletics?
Malachi Canning
I, was getting in trouble, so I needed to do something to get, you know, to like, I was always in trouble. And I needed something to do, you know, like a goal in life. And I was always good at throwing stuff and running and stuff and jumping. And then, yeah, I got into athletics like that, something
like that. I don't remember.
Annette Sky
Well, he was doing athletics at school right from kindergarten and then, at a trip to the paediatrician when he was about 7, she said that, he could be a, compete as a para athlete. And I went, oh, really? He's got all his arms and legs. And she said, oh, no, it's so much more than that. And she got
the paperwork, filled out her section and gave it to us and yeah, we just went from there.
Ngaire Pakai
And when did that start?
Annette Sky
When he was eight. Was his first para athletics in Sydney.
Ngaire Pakai
You've competed all over Australia and you've like, won medals and broken records. What's your ultimate goal, getting into athletics?
Malachi Canning
Going to the Paralympics. I want to get to the Paralympics and show people that, you know, anything's possible. I want to go to the Olympics, Paralympics.
Ngaire Pakai
How do you think you'll get there?
Malachi Canning
Well, training, a lot more training That I have to do with my strength coach. Bulking up a bit more. Yeah, should be right then.
Ngaire Pakai
What do you do to do that? What is your training? What sports are you training for?
Malachi Canning
Athletics like javelin, shot and discus. So I train Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then I go to the gym Monday, Wednesday and Friday too and Tuesday in the afternoon and then strength Thursday morning. So I do a lot of like targeting my weakness spots. So yeah, ah, a lot more training like that.
Ngaire Pakai
You've competed in discus and shotboard and javelin. So many different parts of the athletics. But what is your favourite? What do you like to do out of the lot of them?
Malachi Canning
Javelin, cuz like it's culture to me. It's like my ancestors are watching me throw my spear and I get really excited when I throw it because I pretend there's kangaroos out there and I'm hunting them. Like it's really culture, you know. I feel like it runs through my veins. Yeah, I love it.
Ngaire Pakai
You've travelled all over to do your athletics. What's it like going overseas, going to places like France,
Malachi Canning
Bro, it was hectic. A lot of cramps in my legs, not gonna lie.
Annette Sky
The plane ride wasn't fun.
Malachi Canning
Yeah, but like when I got over it was just different. Like, jet lag and that, like just seeing what it was like to be over not in Australia. It was really, I was really nervous to be honest. Like, really scared to see what it was like. But yeah, it's different. That's all I can say. I don't know how
to explain it aye, mum? It's different, it's like different time and that. But yeah.
Ngaire Pakai
Can you tell us what kind of support you have when you go and do your training or you go overseas when you're competing? Like, what do you do to get ready for everything thing?
Malachi Canning
Oh, stretching. Yeah, yeah, a lot of training and stretching. Like I used to, ask mum, I never used to stretch but now I have to stretch because, you know, it hurts my muscles when I don't. But like, a lot of like stretching, like hamstrings, I do a lot of hamstring stuff and that.
Annette Sky
A lot of focus training before competition.
Malachi Canning
Yeah, like a lot of like listening to music, getting in the zone.
Annette Sky
Yeah, • yoga and meditation
Malachi Canning
Meditation and that,
Annette Sky
Eating healthy.
Ngaire Pakai
You've gone all over the place and you've been competing for so long. Is there any memories that really stick out for you of your time?
Malachi Canning
When I, when I first competed for Australia, like, when I found out I was on the team. Like, I cried for, like, days. Like, I was, like, really emotional, like, because I grew up and people didn't think I'd make it. Like, you know, I come from a bad background, you know, family in that way. You
know, I, I didn't believe in myself, you know, like, getting adopted and all that. Living under a bridge before.
Annette Sky
Yeah, off the streets
Malachi Canning
Off the streets, know, like, didn't think a little young Aboriginal would, like, make it that far, you know, so it really got to me. That's a big memory. And when I made France team, because I, I was an underdog in that I making...
Annette Sky
Well, you were the - Malachi was the youngest male on the team, because it's an adult competition. He went to France when he was 16 and got to carry the Indigenous flag at Opening Ceremony.
Malachi Canning
Yeah, that was pretty fun.
Ngaire Pakai
Aye, that must have felt real good.
Malachi Canning
Yeah, it did aye
Ngaire Pakai
Thinking of other people who want to get into sports or don't even know - like you didn't know - that they could go to Paralympics. What kind of advice would you give young mob who want to compete?
Malachi Canning
Don't be, don't be shy to, like, you know, do it, like, don't be scared.
Annette Sky
Believe in yourself.
Malachi Canning
Believe in yourself, chase your dreams. Simple as that. Because if you ain't got dreams, you ain't living your life right. But, yeah, like, chase your dreams. Be persistent. You can't give up. Ask my mum. I've told her a thousand times, stop this, I want to give up. I pulled through it, you know.
Annette Sky
It does get hard, doesn't it? It does get hard.
Malachi Canning
That's the thing. Athletics is mentally exhausting, but it's like, you get rewards out of it. You meet new friends. I've got mates that I've met when I was like, five, six from athletics, and they're still my mates to this day. It's good. And for your mental health, too. I had bad mental health and,
it really helped me stay focused and locked in. So, yeah, chase your dreams.
Annette Sky
They wouldn't know where you're going in a couple of days, next week.
Malachi Canning
Oh, yeah. So, yeah, I got my Australia shirt on because I'm competing for Australia at Worlds in two weeks, so, yeah.
Ngaire Pakai
Aye, congratulations.
Malachi Canning
I appreciate that. God bless. That's real. Well, yeah, I'm really excited for it. Third time competing for Australia.
Ngaire Pakai
What are you going to compete in?
Malachi Canning
Javelin, shot put and discus.
Ngaire Pakai
Are you starting soon, training to go into that?
Malachi Canning
Oh, yeah, yeah. I train. I train all season.
Annette Sky
He's just winding down his training because the, the week leading into championships you don't, you're not as full on as you have been. • So, we leave on the 7th to go to World Champs. Yeah, so we're only just like a little over a week out. So he's training a wind down now.
Malachi Canning
Oh yeah. Shout out to my mum, shout out to dad. Shout out to God, of course, cuz I'm really Christian. Without God nothing happens. Yeah, shout out to you, mum. Shout out to all the fans that I have. Shout out to my coach at the centre and Don, and my strength coach Kat and Sam. Shout out to all my
family. My little sister, my little brother and my other little brothers that keep pushing me.
Annette Sky
And North Coast Academy of Sport
Malachi Canning
Oh yeah, shout out to my academy too - North Coast Academy of Sport
Malachi Canning
Yeah, shout out to Jamie too.
Ngaire Pakai
How do you go from going to Lismore to these big cities?
Malachi Canning
It's easy. I just, I just, walk in like it's my house, I can't let it get to me. That's the thing. Like, see like, • I used to get homesick. I don't get homesick really anymore, you gotta -
Annette Sky
Well, you do if we're gone too long.
Malachi Canning
Yeah, if we're gone too long. But like, you gotta adapt to like, changes. You're, you're doing a a comp that you know that you're going away so, therefore you know what you're getting yourself into. That's just the way I think of it. You can hear my baby in the back.
Ngaire Pakai
Yeah, I can hear, family in the back there.
Ngaire Pakai
How do you stay connected to culture whilst you're doing your athletics?
Malachi Canning
Javelin. Yeah, I don't know like, because there's a lot, a lot of different mobs that do it, you know, like cousins and all that. They all do it.
Annette Sky
Yeah, so he tends to hang with the -
Malachi Canning
All the Aboriginal people
Annette Sky
Indigenous people so when we go away in an Australian competition, there's a Northern Territory Aboriginal group, and he usually hangs with them and their coach.
Malachi Canning
Yeah. What's his name?
Ngaire Pakai
Yeah, you connect up with mob through sport?
Annette Sky
Yeah, yeah, they're not his mob but they all, they all embrace each other. And Telaya Blacksmith, who went to the Olympics, Paralympics last, or earlier this year. Was it this year? Last year? Last yeah. Yeah. Him and her are very good friends.
Ngaire Pakai
For anyone who wants to follow on your journey or get involved in supporting you going to Paralympics, where can they follow ya?
Malachi Canning
Yeah, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, BlueghostMally
Annette Sky
We should start up a, told you, we should start up a -
Malachi Canning
Yeah, I need to start need to start off another page, but, yeah. BlueghostMally.
Ngaire Pakai
When it comes to Paralympics and competing, what do you hope to see in the future for yourself?
Malachi Canning
Medals, records, world records, everything. I know that sounds greedy, but, like,
Annette Sky
Dreams, dreams.
Malachi Canning
I got dreams. Big dreams.
Ngaire Pakai
Speak My Language, Disability is an initiative funded by the Commonwealth Department of Social Services. It is led by the Ethnic Communities Council of New South Wales and proudly delivered in partnership with with SBS.
