A heartwarming moment was captured yesterday between Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott and his predecessor Grace Tame during Alcott’s final match at the Australian Open.
In front of a home crowd at Rod Laver Arena the 31-year-old, paused his service game to salute Tame as she flashed up on the big screen, saying, “I love you Tame-y” before winning the point.
Tame grinned at him before cheekily sticking out her tongue much to the delight of the crowd.
The two have already formed a close bond with Alcott telling ABC News Breakfast ahead of his appointment that she had left “big shoes” for him to fill.
“Tame is a weapon. Like, she’s fierce and I love that, and the change that she’s had for her cause has been so impressive,” he said.
“She set the bar high and they’re big shoes to fill. So I hope I can do it justice, that’s for sure.”
Acknowledging her in his acceptance speech as well, Alcott promised to uphold an agreement the pair made once he completes the Australian Open.
“Tame, you are fierce and I love it,” he said.
“You have done so much for your cause and, if I could be one-eighth of the Australian of the Year that you were, I think I’ve done my job.
“When I won the US Open, I skolled a beer out of my trophy and you said, ‘If I got to pass the mantle over to this guy, I’d be so honoured. But we have to skoll a beer together’. Give me a couple of days and then we can do it. Not just yet.”
Alcott lost his final at the Australian Open but declared his new role as Australian of the Year was what was now driving him, pledging to use his platform to continue his work in disability advocacy and changing mainstream perceptions.
“Of the 4.5 million people [living with disability in Australia], only 54 per cent of them are employed. That number hasn’t moved in 30 years,” he said.
“Everyone goes, ‘Well, what do we say to get them ready to get out and start living their life?’ They don’t need our advice, they know what to do. The people that need our advice is you, non-disabled people, right?
“It’s you who need to start changing your unconscious biases and leave the negative stigmas in the past.
“We need access and healthcare. We need to fund the NDIS so we can be the people that we want to be.”