Cheryl Koenig - Paper Cranes: A Mothers Story of Hope, Courage and Determination

I do not know Jonathan Koenig, nor do I know the other hero of this story, Jonathans mother Cheryl. I only know Jonathans grandfather, Steve Koenig, a fellow migrant football tragic who hails from the same part of the world as me, one of the teeming throng of soccer-bent newcomers who worked tirelessly to plant the seeds of their beloved sport in Australia.

The roots of Jonathans journey of extraordinary courage might be in the genes. Steves own story has its rich elements of strength and valour: a refugee from a poor and ravaged part of the world who made good his life in a new world. This, as I can bear witness, is no easy thing.

The world of sport in which I mix has its long list of tales of courage, where the human spirit becomes indomitable and rises to defeat crude and mean adversity. My favourite is the of Hungarian pistol shooter Karoly Takacs who, while serving in the army in 1938, lost his right arm after a grenade exploded in his pistol hand. Secretly he taught himself to shoot with his left and went on to win Olympic gold medals in London in 1948 and again in Helsinki in 1952.

He, like Jonathan, didnt give up hope and decided to fight. Takacs won in two Olympics but missed out on his third try in Melbourne in 1956. Yet for him that did not spell failure. Failure would have been giving up and not having the will to try. This is the essence of the Jonathan Koenig story. This is the essence of this book, an account of audacious bravery and strength of soul, of the meaning of hope, and the sweet rewards those things can bring.

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I think theyve missed my name, I anxiously thought to myself. Missed me! What do I do now? Do I put my hand up and say, Excuse me, but you have forgotten to call my nameor do I just sit here? Before I had time to ponder my next move any further, a voice interrupted my thoughts.

Nominated for her commitment to raising awareness of brain injury, Mrs Koenig has written a book, Paper CranesA Mothers Story of Hope, Courage and Determination. Proceeds and books have been donated to almost every brain injury unit in New South Wales, said the Honourable Verity Firth, NSW Minister for Women and Education.

I stood up and proceeded to make my way to the steps that led up to the stage where Premier Nathan Rees and the nine other finalists waited in anticipation. The finalists, whose elite group I had been advised I was amongst a week earlier, had been selected from 87 nominees from all over the state. Each nominee had been chosen by their Member of Parliament in recognition of their outstanding contribution to their individual causes and communities. Just to be nominated was an honour; to be one of ten finalists in the company of Layne Beachley and Wendy McCarthy AO, was amazing!

And I take great pleasure in announcing the winner of the 2009 NSW Woman of the Year award is Cheryl Koenig!

Waves of applause swept over and around me making my head spin as I placed one cautious foot in front of the other in as elegant a fashion as I could muster in my stunned state. As I proceeded across the stage, I somehow managed to maintain both my balance (in the short but slender black heels I was wearing) and composure as I warmly shook the Premiers hand. If the several hundred people present at the cocktail reception could have seen through my faade, they would have seen a 48-year-old woman who was somewhat embarrassed and completely overwhelmed by what had just unfolded.

No way, this cannot be possible! I silently repeated over and over as I approached the microphone. Suddenly I felt as if the trembling that shook me to the very core of my being could be seen by all. Deep breaths, deep breaths. I looked up into the multitude of excited faces, searching for the familiarity and security of my husband Roberts encouraging smile. Just as he had been during the events of the previous decade, he was there when I needed him most, smiling broadly and nodding in encouragement. Fortunately I had prepared a just-in-case-thank-you-speechthe reason for all ten finalists being notified a week in advance. I began my speech quite tentatively; I was used to public speaking now that the book had been out for a yearI had done lots of media interviews and guest speaking eventsbut I had never had an audience of such eminent people, nor one quite so large!