Perseverance, resilience and joy.
Sue-Ellen was born in 1959 and grew up on a 21,000 acre property outside Mudgee in NSW.
Like other farm kids, she grew up in the great outdoors, and preferred life on the farm to time in the classroom.
At 12, she was diagnosed with the hereditary condition retinitis pigmentosa. She is now completely blind, and has used a guide dog since 1981.
In 1989 she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, and underwent multiple operations on the road to recovery.
Despite all this, she always had dreams of representing her country. She believed that anything was possible, and began to work toward representing Australia at the Paralympics, taking up dressage in 1994.
In 1996, she travelled to the Atlanta Summer Paralympics and finished 13th in the Mixed Dressage Grade IV and 11th in the Mixed Kur Canter Grade IV.
In 1999, Sue-Ellen competed at the World Dressage Championships in Denmark in the bronze medal winning Australian team, and ranked fourth in the world as an individual.
In 2000, she not only married teacher Matthew Manny, she also competed in the 2000 Sydney Summer Paralympics. She finished eighth Mixed Dressage - Championship Grade IV, fifth in the Mixed Dressage - Freestyle Grade IV and as a member of the Australian team fifth in the Mixed Dressage Team Open.
Sue-Ellen has also completed ten long distance rides, over 16,000 kms, raising over 3.2 million dollars for various charities.
In September 2019, Sue-Ellen started a Facebook page on behalf of her great friend, warm blood gelding Johno. Johno started sharing his experiences with his rider, ‘the blind chick’, recapping each day with stories and photos. Johno has a group of loyal followers who find his words uplifting and inspiring.
Each story is a testament to the power of resilience and friendship. In May 2020, Sue-Ellen published her first book, Johno and the Blind Chick exploring the horse / rider experience from Johno’s perspective.
Sue-Ellen’s many achievements include:
1991: Nominated as “Australian of the Year” for her outstanding achievements in fundraising and community work
1996: Representing Australia at the Atlanta Paralympics
1999: Represented Australia in Denmark World Dressage championships for riders with a disability. Ranked 3rd and 4th in the world and a member of the Australian Bronze medal team
1996-2000: Director, Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee
2000: Awarded Life membership of Equestrian Australia
2000: Ministerial Sports Award for outstanding achievement in Paralympic Equestrian Sports
2000: Australian Sports Medal awarded by the Queen
2000: Represented Australia at the Sydney Paralympics, placing 5th in Freestyle to Music and 6th in the Championship event
2009 - 2018: Qualified Sydney CDI at FEI Level, Australia’s highest level competition
Has also been a Level 1 Specialist Dressage Coach, coaching two Junior riders to National Level and one adult to FEI Level