Docco's Diary | Paris Olympics 2024

With the successful Paris Olympics 2024 finished, we decided to look at some of the old scholars from our School who have taken part in this and previous Olympic Games, and others who have represented Australia at the highest level in international sporting competition.         

We are proud that old scholar Angus Dawson (S&A 2018) represented Australia so well in rowing in the Paris Olympics. He also represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, competing in the Australian Men's VIII. He was Captain of Boats at St Peter’s College in 2018.

 

Five old scholars have won medals at Olympic Games. Medals have been won in Athletics, Rowing and Swimming. There are many other old scholars who have taken part in international sporting competition.

Sir Collier Robert Cudmore (old scholar 1897-1903), won a gold medal in rowing as a member of the British IV at the 1908 Olympic Games. He started his rowing career at St Peter’s College, learning rowing from Headmaster Rev. Henry Girdlestone on the River Torrens. In 1902 he was elected Vice-Captain of the Rowing Club here. He rowed at bow position in our 1902 crew and at No 6 seat in our 1903 VIII, rowing against Geelong Grammar School. He was a School Prefect, a House Prefect and Captain of the Boarders. He also played in the First XVIII Football Team in 1902 and 1903, and the Intercollegiate Tennis Team in 1903.

In 1908 and 1909 he rowed in the Oxford VIII which competed against Cambridge in the Boat Race on the River Thames in London. Oxford won in 1909 by three and a half lengths, with Collier rowing at No 3 seat.

At the Henley Royal Regatta 1908, the Magdalen IV, of which he was a member, rowing in bow position, won the Wyfold and the Steward’s Cup, rowing the course in record time. This Magdalen IV went on to win the fours at the Olympic Regatta.

Collier Cudmore was a Governor of the School from 1932 to 1957.

Collier bequeathed his Olympic gold medal and his medals from Magdalen to St Peter’s College. In our Boat Club Collier and his brother Milo each have a rowing boat named after them.
 

Image: 1903 Prefects featuring Collier Cudmore (Old Scholar 1897-1903)

Timothy John Willoughby (HWD 1971) was a five-time Australian national champion rower and a dual Olympian. He won a bronze medal in the Australian Men’s VIII at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. He made his first Australian representation in the Australian Men’s VIII selected to contest the 1980 Moscow Olympics. That crew finished fifth. He was selected to a coxed IV that raced at the 1981 World Rowing Championships in Munich to a sixth placing. He was in a coxed IV that contested the 1982 World Rowing Championships in Lucerne. They missed the A final and placed seventh overall.

In 1983 Willoughby secured the six seat of the Australian VIII selected within a limited squad sent to the 1983 World Rowing Championships in Duisburg Germany. The VIII performed well in lead up regattas at Vichy, Ratzeburg and Nottingham. In the final at the World Championships the Australian crew drew a bad lane and lost the benefit of the tail breeze. However, they raced a strong second 1000m and finished in third place for a bronze medal.

Willoughby was selected in the four seat in the Australian VIII for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. This was his second Olympics. The Australian VIII finished third in the final, winning bronze behind Canada and the USA.

Tim Willoughby rowed at No 4 seat in the First VIII at St Peter’s College in 1971, winning his colours. He was at the School from 1969-1971. He also played in the 1971 First XVIII Football Team.

Tim Willoughby died suddenly on 9 January 2008 while returning to his home in Perth, WA from the United States. With his death, the School Boat Club lost one of the finest oarsman it has produced in nearly 150 years.

Image: 1971 Head of the River Crews featuring Tim Willoughby (HWD 1971)
In the photograph Tim Willoughby is seated next to Athol MacDonald (HWK 1971), who went on to participate in Rowing at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games

Bill (Theodore William) Bruce (W&A 1940) (1923-2002) mainly competed in the men’s long jump. He represented Australia at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, where he won the silver medal with a jump of 24′ 9.5″.

He showed his versatility by also taking part in the 4x100m relay, where the team finished third in its heat with the fifth fastest time overall, but was unable to make the final.

In winning the silver medal in the long jump at London 1948, Bill Bruce became the first Australian to win a medal in that event. Bruce’s medal was the first won at an Olympic Games by a South Australian.

London 1948 was the only international Games in which Bruce competed. From 1947-1950 Bill Bruce was the Australian National Champion for the Long Jump. He was in Wyatt and Allen House as a boarder. He was at St Peter’s College 1932-1940.

In 1940 he won the Long Jump for St Peter’s College in the Intercollegiate Sports, winning his Colours for Athletics. The August 1940 magazine describes him as “An athlete of great natural ability, who will develop into championship class in any company…” He also did well in the “Putting the Weight” event.

Image: 1940 SPSC Athletics team featuring Bill Bruce (W&A 1940)

Leon Gregory OAM (DAC 1949) won the 220 yards, the 440 yards (in a record time of 51.3 seconds, breaking the old record by two seconds) and the 880 yards (in a record time of 2 min 8.2 seconds) in his last year at St Peter’s. He was a House Prefect and he played at centre half back in the First XVIII Football Team.

He was in the team that won the silver medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay at the Melbourne Olympic Games 1956. This was the first Olympic medal won by an Australian men’s athletics relay team.The Melbourne Olympic Games was the only time Gregory competed internationally. He had been the national champion in the 440 yards in 1951 and 1955 and finished third, behind Kevin Gosper and John Goodman in 1956.

Later he captained SPOC Football Club. He was granted life membership by SPOC Athletics and Football Clubs and Brighton Tennis Club. His son, Dean Gregory, was at St Peter’s College, leaving in 1976.

Image: 1949 Intercollegiate Athletics team featuring Leon Gregory OAM (DAC 1949)

Hayden Stoeckel (SCH 2000), a boarder from the Riverland, won the silver medal in the 4 x 100m Medley Relay and the bronze medal in the 100m backstroke at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He also won the bronze medal in the 4 x 100m Medley Relay at the 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2000 he was Under 16 Champion at the St Peter’s College Swimming Championships.

There are other old scholars who have taken part in a range of events at Olympic Games.

For example, in Equestrian Events, Scott Keach (W&A 1982) competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in the three-day event. In 2016, he again competed at the Olympics, in Rio, this time in the show jumping. The 28-year gap between Olympics was a record for Australia. 

When at St Peter’s College he played in the 1982 First XV Rugby Team.

Image: First XV Rugby 1982

Jordan Kerr (FLL 1997) has won nine ATP doubles titles. Jordan Kerr competed with Paul Hanley in doubles at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The pair lost in the opening round to the eventual silver medallists from Sweden. 

Rod Owen-Jones (FLL 1988) participated in the Water Polo event at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. When at St Peter’s College he was Open Swimming Champion, winning the Wells Cup, in 1988.

Athol Macdonald (HWK 1971) participated in Rowing Men’s VIII Event at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. When at St Peter’s College he rowed in the First VIII in 1971 with Tim Willoughby.


Image: First VIII 1950, J G Hardy, Front- Left.

Sir James Hardy (HWK 1950) participated in Yachting at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games and the 1968 Mexico Olympic Games. In the King’s Birthday Honours in June 2024 he was posthumously awarded an AO for distinguished service to yachting, to the business sector, to charitable organisations, and to the community. He died at the age of 90 on 14 June 2023.

In Rowing Oscar McGuinness (WDK 2017) was selected in the Australian senior training team in March 2022 to prepare for the 2022 international season and the 2022 World Rowing Championships. He competed as a lightweight men's single sculler at both World Rowing Cups in June and July 2022. His World Championship debut was at the 2022 World Rowing Championships at Racice, Czech Republic, where he rowed Australia's representative lightweight double scull with Redmond Matthews. They made the C final in which they finished fifth, for an overall seventeenth place at the regatta. In March 2023 McGuinness was again selected as a sculler in the Australian men's lightweight squad for the 2023 international season. At the Rowing World Cup II in Varese, Italy, McGuinness raced as Australia's MLW2X entrant with Sean Murphy. They made the B final and finished in overall seventh place. At 2023's RWC III in Lucerne, McGuinness and Murphy again raced the MLW2X. They were beaten out of 2nd place in the repechage by 9/100th of a second, made the C final which they won for an overall 13th place at the regatta. Murphy and McGuinness were selected to race Australia's double scull at 2023 World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia. They placed fourth in their heat, progressing to the quarter-finals. They finished fourth in the C final for an overall 16th place at the regatta.

Image: First VIII 2017

In Athletics, several old scholars have competed at the Olympics and in International competitions. Some of these are:

Ian Bruce (WDK 1950). Decathlon. 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

Image: Athletics Team 1950, I B Bruce, Front centre

Bruce Frayne (WDK 1976). 4th in the 4 by 400m relay Olympic Games. 1981 Christchurch Pacific Conference Games. 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games. 1983 Helsinki World Championships. 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. 1985 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games.

Image: Bruce Frayne 1984

Simon Arkell (WDK 1983). 2 Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games Australian record holder in pole vault. 1989 Barcelona World Cup. 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games (Gold). 1991 Tokyo World Championships. 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. 1992 Havana World Cup. 1993 Stuttgart World Championships. 1993 Toronto World Indoor Championships. 1995 Gothenburg World Championships. 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

Scotchy (Alastair) Gordon OAM (SCH 1946). 4 x 100m. 1950 Auckland Empire Games (Gold).

Nicholas Birks (W&A 1957). Silver, Bronze and 4th in Javelin. 1958 Cardiff Commonwealth Games. 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games. 1966 Jamaica Commonwealth Games.

Don McLennan (DAC 1968). Long Jump. 1977 Australia vs New Zealand Match.

Henry Frayne (WDK 2007). Triple Jump and Long Jump. 2008 Bydgoszcz, Poland World Junior Championships. 2009 Belgrade Universiade. 2011 Daegu, South Korea, World Championships. 2012 Istanbul World Indoor Championships (Silver). 2012 London Olympic Games. 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. 2018 Gold Coast, Australia Commonwealth Games (Silver Medal in the Long Jump). 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. 2023 Budapest, Hungary World Championships.

Image: Athletics December 1972 Magazine

Jamie Botten (W&A 1973). 800m (World University Games Bulgaria). 1977 Australia vs New Zealand Match. World University Games.

There have been five old scholars who have played cricket for Australia and one who has played cricket for Ireland.

CE ‘Nip’ Pellew played 10 matches for Australia in 1920 and 1921. He scored two centuries in 1921 against England: 116 in Melbourne and 104 in Adelaide. CE Pellew was one of four brothers (LR, LV, CE and EL) to represent Saints in cricket. He had a fine double of 83 and 82 in the 1911 Intercollegiate match and then took 6-48 with his spinners to help win the 1912 game. He made 484 runs in 10 matches for Australia, averaging 37.23. He is remembered as an exceptional fielder. His brother Lance Pellew also played for South Australia.

Gavin Stevens (WDK 1948) played in the 1948 Intercollegiate match. In 1959, after an outstanding 1958-59 season for South Australia with three centuries, 259 not out against New South Wales and an average of 59.43, he played two Tests for Australia against India and two against Pakistan.

Claude Jennings was the first St Peter’s old scholar to play cricket for Australia. He played three Tests against England and three against South Africa in the 1912 Triangular Tournament held in England.

He was at St Peter’s College 1897-1901 and played in the First XI Cricket Team in 1899, 1900 and 1901. In 1901 he made 115 for the First XI against Grange and 165 retired against Glenelg. He played for South Australia from 1902 to 1907 and for Queensland from 1910 to 1912.

Image: 1923 Intercollegiate Cricket XI

HC (Jack) Nitschke, who left in 1924, played in two matches for Australia against South Africa in 1931. One of these was in the Second Test in Sydney December 18-21, 1931.

In the same game Philip (Perker) Lee, who left in 1922 and was in Wait’s House that later became Short House represented Australia. Jack Nitschke batted at no 6. Perker Lee batted at no 7. Australia had a big win as Sir Donald Bradman, batting at no 4, made 112. It is interesting that Tim Wall, who was not an old scholar but went on to teach at St Peter’s for over 35 years and coach the First XI 1937-1945, batted at no 10.  Perker Lee also had one Test against England in 1932.  Jack Nitschke, who left in 1924, played in the Intercollegiate cricket team 1922-1924.

Perker Lee was Captain of St Peter’s in 1922 and played in four Intercols 1919-1922.

It is interesting that Perker Lee and Jack Nitschke played in the Intercol for St Peter’s together in 1922 and then for Australia together in 1931.

Dr John Flood, a medical practitioner, played cricket for Ireland in 1909 in a first-class match against Scotland. Born in 1883, he played cricket for our First XI and football for our First XVIII in 1900 and 1901. In the 1901 Cricket Intercol, he was in our First XI with Claude Jennings who went on to play for Australia.

It is interesting that in both 1901 and 1922 we had two boys in our First XI Cricket Team that went on to play international cricket!

Researched and written by David Docwra
David Docwra retired from St Peter’s College in December 2015 after 37 years’ service and is fondly remembered by many as a dedicated teacher, a committed coach of squash, cricket and soccer, and most especially as a passionate Head of Hawkes House for 21 years. David remains connected to St Peter’s College and regularly provides historical articles for the St Peter’s Old Collegians’ newsletters. In 2023 David was made an Honorary Member of the St Peter’s Old Collegians’ Association.