Decorated former soldier Curtis McGrath OAM will light the cauldron during Sunday night’s special Anzac Day Eve pre-game ceremony.

On August 23, 2012, while on patrol in Afghanistan, McGrath’s life changed forever when he stepped on an improvised explosive device (IED) which detonated beneath him.

The explosion resulted in McGrath losing his left leg below the knee and right leg at the knee. He also suffered shattered bones in his wrist, a burnt left arm, perforated ear drums and large wound at the back of his thigh.

McGrath will be joined in the lighting of the cauldron at the MCG on Sunday night by another Australian Army former sapper, Ryan Werts.

Werts served alongside McGrath in Afghanistan and helped save his life by applying tourniquets and bandages in the moments following the explosion.

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Incredibly, it was in that moment while being carried on a stretcher to the medivac chopper with his shocking, life-threatening injuries, that McGrath declared: “You will see me at the Paralympics”.

A former keen white-water canoeist, swimmer and rugby player, McGrath took up canoeing and swimming as part of his rehabilitation.

Less than two years after that fateful day in Afghanistan, McGrath was crowned world champion at the world sprint canoe championships in Moscow, Russia. This was the start of his pathway to the Paralympics.

True to his word, in 2016, four years on from the horrific accident, McGrath not only made it to the Paralympics, but he created history by becoming the first Australian to win a Paralympic gold medal in the men’s KL2 paracanoe event at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

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At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, held from late August-early September 2021, after being originally postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, McGrath went into his events as the favourite, but did not allow the pressure to get to him.

He defended his Rio gold medal from the men’s KL2 and added another gold to his tally in the men’s VL3 event.

McGrath now has three Paralympic gold medals to his name, as well as 10 world championship titles, and received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2017 for his services to sport.

The story of the soldier turned sporting superstar, as he’s been dubbed, is a truly inspirational one of triumph over tragedy.

McGrath will light the cauldron as a guest of the Richmond Football Club and a representative of the Bravery Trust.

“It will be my honour to light the cauldron at the MCG, and I do so on behalf of all those who served and their families," McGrath said.

"To be doing it alongside my friend Ryan Werts, who helped save my life in Afghanistan, will only make the moment more special.”

Anzac Day Eve Pre-Game Ceremony

Join us for our special Anzac Day Eve pre-game ceremony to pay tribute to our past and current serving members of the Australian Defence Force.

As the lights at the MCG are dimmed in honour of the ANZAC’s, we will take a moment of silence for private reflection, a flame from the Shrine of Remembrance will be delivered and the lighting of the cauldron will be done on stage.

This will be followed by a moving observance of the Last Post, and New Zealand and Australian National Anthems.

We strongly encourage fans to arrive early on Sunday, with proceedings commencing from 6:30pm