International Men's Day: Full circle for swimming legend
Above: Brenden Hall celebrates winning bronze at the 2025 World Para Championships in Singapore. Picture Delly Carr Swimming Australia
On International Men’s Day, we are celebrating the men in our community making a difference - men like Paralympic legend Brenden Hall, who now has a major new role on the world stage.
Raised, schooled and trained in Pine Rivers, Brenden has been an international swimmer for 18 years ... more than half his life.
In that time, he has done it all - World, Paralympic and Commonwealth gold medals, world records, Australia’s team captain, flag bearer and received an OAM.
The 32-year-old is now also on the World Para Swimming Athlete Committee and will help shape the sport's future at the highest levels.
Mel Tantrum, National Head Coach Paralympic Program, says being elected team captain was “a reflection of his professionalism, dedication and commitment to the sport”.
“Brenden cares not just about athletes but the future of para sport,” Mel says.
“He is an inclusive leader, an exceptional role model and this is why he was also elected to the World Para Swimming’s Athlete Committee.
“Brenden will now play an important role in representing athlete perspectives globally - helping shape the future of Para Swimming and ensuring athlete voices are heard at the highest level of World Para Swimming (WPS) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
“We’re proud to see an Australian athlete contributing to this important work.”
His journey has involved years of hard work with coaches, mentors, relatives and friends who have shaped his past – and future.
It’s a fact the former Redcliffe and Grace swimmer recognises, paying tribute to everyone from his father to current coach.
“Number one is your dad,” said Brenden, now married to Brittany with young sons Bodhi and Hugo, “he’s the first to play that role.
“Many others have been mentors and had a big impact on me .... I try to offer a similar guiding hand to guys I see.
“It’s what I think are the appropriate behaviours of one of the senior male leaders of the (Paralympic) team, but not a set of instructions I follow.
“It happens naturally here and there, in the moment. I just do my best to offer support when it is needed. Sometimes, it’s not words. It’s just being there when needed.”
Now on the Sunshine Coast with Harley Connolly’s Paralympic Hub, Brenden cuts an imposing figure – well over six feet tall and powerfully built.
It’s a stark contrast to the day he lost a leg (and part of his hearing) at the age of six when complications around chicken pox caused deep vein thrombosis and threatened his life.
However, he returned to the pool at Pine Rivers Community Aquatics Club where coach Andrew Fidge got him “back into the competitive side of swimming and club nights”.
Brenden soon established himself at the top level with Queensland and Australia coach Chris Phillips, while training in Lawnton, Redcliffe and Grace.
“I was lucky enough to have Chris with me at London 2012,” Brenden said, of the Paralympics where he won two gold and a bronze medal.
That year also saw Brendan Keogh (now Director of Club Sport at Genesis Christian College in Bray Park) step down as head coach of Australia’s Paralympic team after eight years.
On Keogh’s watch, Brenden made his international debut in 2007 aged 14 at the Arafura Games and went to the first two - Beijing 2008 and London 2012 – of five Paralympics.
“Brendan and Matt Cowdrey (the multiple Paralympic and World Championships gold medallist) have had a big impact on me,” he said.
“Matt I still keep in touch with. I call him for his opinion. He was one of the ones I spoke to leading into Paris (Paralympics) last year.”
For 13 years and counting, Brenden has trained with Harley Connolly at Lawnton, Burpengary and now USC Spartans in Sippy Downs.
“Harley as taught me so many things including how important life outside of swimming is,” he said.
“All these people and more have helped shape me, influenced the way I carry myself, how would like to be seen respected and known by peers.”
Brenden has been easing himself back into training following the 2025 World Championships but has no goals or targets.
“We’ll see how things go, how the body is going, just taking it one year at a time,” he said. “I’m enjoying it as much as I can, while I can.”
International Men’s Day celebrates the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities.
It highlights positive role models and raises awareness of men’s wellbeing.
The theme for 2025 is ‘Celebrating Men and Boys’. Find out more at internationalmensday.com