Kyle Vander-Kuyp (b. 1971) is a Worimi and Yuin man and Australia's greatest ever 110m hurdler. Adopted when he was five weeks old, he reconnected with his biological mother and siblings in 2004. That year he suffered depression and reached out to Beyond Blue, for which he is now an ambassador. After joining Little Athletics as a child, Vander-Kuyp turned to hurdles at age ten. In 1995 he set a new Australian record for the 110m hurdles, 13.29 seconds, a record that still stands, going on to win twelve national titles in the event. He represented Australia at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and in Sydney in 2000, as well as four world championships and four Commonwealth Games. Following his retirement, Vander-Kuyp worked as a program manager for Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience, an Indigenous mentor for AFL SportsReady and he is on the board of Grow Hope. In 2017 he joined the Schiavello Group as Indigenous Engagement Manager, where he helps to increase Indigenous employment and participation in the construction sector.
Penny Tweedie spent a year travelling around Australia in 2000 photographing and interviewing successful young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, which resulted in her 2001 book Indigenous Australia: Standing Strong. This image was one of two photographs of Vander-Kuyp included in the book.
Gift of the artist 2004
© Estate of Penny Tweedie
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