Meet Charlotte Bailey: ten pin bowler, advocate and proud Canberran
There are some people you meet who leave an impression on you. Charlotte is one of those people.
Quiet, unassuming and a passionate advocate for people with intellectual disability, when Charlotte talks, people listen.
2026 is a big year for Charlotte. She has been selected to represent Team ACT at the Special Olympics Australia National Games in Melbourne, where she will compete in Ten Pin Bowling.
It is a sport she takes seriously, and one she has loved for many years.
“I have been doing Special Olympics for many years. I was swimming and also ten pin bowling. I then started playing netball so dropped swimming but continued with ten pin bowling because I love it so much,” Charlotte said.
For Charlotte, it is about much more than knocking down pins.
“I love the people I bowl with. I love concentrating on my own game. I love working hard on my bowling to try and get strikes and even have had one turkey.”
For those that don’t know, a turkey in ten pin bowling is scoring three strikes in a row in a single game.
Putting in the work
Charlotte has been working hard to earn her place at the National Games.
To qualify, she competed at several competitions, travelling across Sydney as well as competing closer to home in Canberra. Every Friday afternoon she trains with her teammates and coach, Peter, and sometimes fits in extra sessions during the week with her support worker.
It is all part of getting better and putting her coach’s advice into practice.
Now, with the National Games just around the corner, Charlotte is looking forward to competing on a much bigger stage.
“I am excited about all of it,” she said.
Finding her voice
Sport is just one part of Charlotte’s life.
Earlier this year, she travelled to the United States to attend the United Nations Conference of States Parties, where she spoke about her experiences of living with an intellectual disability and accessing the NDIS.
She spoke in the General Assembly and at side conferences for Inclusion International and Down Syndrome International, sharing what support looks like in her own life.
For Charlotte, it was important to explain that the right support can make a real difference.
“My family support me every single day and the NDIS has been created to ensure that when my family can’t support me, I can access supports that can help me in the community and at my workplace,” she explained.
While in America, Charlotte also visited Café Joyeux, a café that provides employment opportunities for people with intellectual disability.
Charlotte knows first-hand how important it is to have a supportive workplace. She works at Eastlakes Football Club in Gungahlin, where she makes coffees, serves meals and works the tills. She also works with the ACT Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability, undertaking administrative duties, writing reports, helping with social media and contributing to an advocacy group that works with government and peak bodies on behalf of people with intellectual disability in Canberra.
It is these experiences that have helped shape Charlotte into the advocate she is today. And there is one message she wants people to hear.
“I have always wanted people to know that I can do many things that other people can do. I just need more time to learn and supports to make that happen.”
Proud to represent ACT
For Charlotte, representing Team ACT at the National Games is something she is incredibly proud of. She loves the opportunity to compete at a national level in a sport she loves, just like other elite athletes.
“I take my bowling seriously, because I love it,” she said.
“I want to make my coach proud of me, because he works hard every week to help everyone be the best they can be at bowling.”
Then there is her team.
“I want to share that with my team members, who are all proud to represent our team and Canberra.”
In October, Charlotte will take to the lanes in Melbourne alongside her Team ACT teammates. Who knows, if all goes to plan, there might be another turkey along the way.
