150 Years of Athletics

HISTORY AND HERITAGE

The King’s School Athletics Club was founded in 1873 and was one of the very earliest athletics clubs in Australia. The Foundation Committee consisted of Rev G F Macarthur, W R Burkitt and William Dalmas.

KO Dearlove, 1999 The club’s survival depended on direct donations from interested Old Boys and friends of the School as the club was not supported by School funds, and competitor entry fees were insufficient to make ends meet. All prizes were donated and the early carnivals were more like social occasions with afternoon tea, the band playing and bike riding accompanying the 15 events that took place from the early afternoon.

Until 1911, boys chose their own colours in which to compete. E A Roberts, the first recipient of the St John Gray Cup (1888), raced in ‘war paint’ while in the following year, PM Lane could be seen in ‘smashed beetle and white’.

Unlike present times, there was little or no instruction in technique, style or training, so the boys interested in participating in Athletics relied on natural ability and strength. Even J S White, who won the Australian and GPS record for the hurdles in 1930, did so without the help of a coach and often wondered what he might have achieved with the instruction the boys have access to today. The boys rarely trained in the company of their peers, as Athletics was squeezed in between the end of Rugby and the beginning of Cricket. The School carnival was mostly held on the last Saturday of Term 2, in late August or early September.

The first official AAGPS Carnival was held in 1895 and was won by The King’s School. Since then, The King’s School has been victorious each time a new AAGPS trophy has been introduced, including 1912 for the Junior Trophy and 2012 for the Intermediate.

JS White, 1930. Breaking the AAGPS hurdles record.

By the late 1940s, students acknowledged the attitude towards athletics changed and students such as J C Kennett (1950) and B E Primrose (1956) enhanced their natural ability with incredible application to the hard work of conditioning. Berry Primrose recalls he and fellow student Robert Philpott joined a local athletics club and were labelled fanatics when they turned up to training in a tracksuit. Their lead was followed the next year when the School introduced a sky-blue tracksuit for the team. The 1970s saw significant changes in the Athletics program, which included the introduction of coaching clinics. In 1976, the Standards Program encouraged individuals to set and reach specific goals. Another highlight was the donation of an electronic timing system by Nathaniel Barton (1913), which improved the timing of records.

Over the years, the program of events has changed and techniques have improved. ‘Putting the shot’ was first introduced in 1913 and the high jumpers campaigned successfully for the introduction of a pit in 1956. Some events such as pole vaulting, javelin and triple jump are no longer part of the competition. Another tradition began in 1916 at the Annual Athletics Carnival when, for the first time, Mrs A G Friend, the mother of School Captain Walter Friend, presented the trophies at the end of the carnival. More recently, that responsibility has gone to the mother of the Captain of Athletics.

The School supported the introduction of an All Schools competition in 1877, when it was decided each grammar school would conduct one All Schools race during its annual carnival. A draw was held each year to decide which school held which event. The first official AAGPS Carnival was held in 1895 and was won by The King’s School. Since then, The King’s School has been victorious each time a new AAGPS trophy has been introduced, including 1912 for the Junior Trophy and 2012 for the Intermediate. The format of the day has not always been the same, but all agree it is a great day both for competitors and spectators. In 1909, the AAGPS carnival was held over two days. Each school could enter as many competitors as they liked for the heats on Friday and the finals were run the following day. Competitors from the 1930s remember the gasps from the crowd when someone cleared the high jump, or the cheering for the 100 yards as only one event was held at a time.

Since the turn of the century, the Athletics program has gone from strength to strength and has experienced its most successful period in the School’s history. The last 22 years has seen thirteen Senior Premiership victories and countless Junior National and State Champions. Athletes such as Greg Jeloudev, Michael Todd, Nick Hough, Josh Clarke, Jack Stapleton, Harrison Andrews, Chamath Herath, Nic Bills, Elliott Lang, Nick Andrews, Jackson Kang, Jack Irving, Nick Dang, John Gikas, Jordan Idaire, Will Freyer, Tom Gammie, Tom Goode, Jordan Williams, Jye Perrott, Connor Bond and Charlie Jeffreson have all excelled at various representative championships and have elevated the reputation of the King’s Athletics program in the wider community. Nick Hough, the 2011 Captain of Athletics, became the School’s first ever track and field Olympian in 2021, reaching the semi finals of the 110 metre hurdles.

In 2006, Mr Ben Gavan took over as the Master in Charge (MIC) of Athletics and in 2009, King’s won the Junior and Senior premierships for the first time since 1931. At the time, Ben took the Captain of Athletics Brent Taylor to see Clive Hall who was the Captain in 1931. This special moment solidifies the wonderful connection of the King’s Athletics community, both old and new. In fact, many of the current coaches are Old Boys who have returned to impart their knowledge and experience to the future generation. The program has been wonderfully served by some exceptional coaches, led by Nancy Atterton

and her late husband John, who had such a positive impact on so many generations of athletes. The School also remembers Rocky Wijesinghe fondly who, before his passing in 2015, mentored many GPS shot put champions.

According to Ben, special moments are watching underdogs battle to make the team and then go on to have wonderful experiences at the AAGPS Championships. He can recount with such affection and accuracy the feats of so many boys who, while not necessarily exceptional athletes, have been so committed to the Athletics team, thoroughly immersing themselves in the exeperince. He is resolute in his belief the most important element of the program is developing strong connections with the boys and creating a sense of community with the athletes and their families. With this attitude, the Senior School has earned the title of AAGPS Athletics Premiers in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020 and in 2022, on the 150th anniversary of The King’s School Athletics. While the program is currently run under Ben’s wisdom and positivity, he says in his mind, the success of Athletics at King’s will always be as a result of the the boys’ hard work, dedication and passion for their School. All credit and adulation should always belong to the young men who wear the sky blue and white with so much pride.

While Athletics has come a long way from the days when keen students ran or jumped unaided by the training techniques of today, all past athletes paid tribute to the interested staff and friends of the School who have made the program a highlight of their King’s experience.