Graham Kearns awarded Athletics NSW Life Membership

10 February 2024

Graham Kearns awarded Athletics NSW Life Membership

A key role in any athletics competition is photo-finish, for athletes it is all about places and PBs and the timing and placing of track events deliver that.

Athletics NSW were fortunate in 2008 when Graham Kearns, a member of Illawong Revesby Workers Athletics Club, joined the photo-finish team. He was recognised the following year, 2009, when awarded the Athletics NSW new official of the year. Such was his valued service to Athletics NSW, in 2011 he was named Official of the Year. It all led to his highest appointment, in 2018, as a technical official at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

Graham recalled how his involvement commenced.

“I started my official involvement with Athletics NSW a bit by accident,” he said in 2011. “I had thought about becoming an official but thought I would leave it for a few years. That all changed in 2008. I was sitting next to Andrew Matthews at a club premiership meet at The Ridge Athletics Track running Illawong’s photo finish system. I casually asked Andrew if he thought it was possible for me to get some experience working with Janet Nixon and with other systems. I received an email a couple of days later asking if I could go to ES Marks the following Saturday, which I did. Before I knew it, I was handed an Athletics NSW shirt and I’ve been coming back ever since.”

Graham brought enormous expertise to the role and a lot of knowledge of athletics from decades of club service.

“I trained for a career in electrical engineering and after graduation worked for a small company that built special purpose equipment, mainly in the areas of food processing and packaging. After seven years there I became a teacher at TAFE teaching electronics.”

In later years Graham also worked as a freelance electronic design and construction consultant.

During his 14 years of exemplary service to Athletics NSW, Graham volunteered at school, club, State, National and International level competitions. He was a key member of the photo-finish team, including Janet Nixon, Tony Smyth, Rob Jones and others that were innovative and regarded as the best in the business. It is not exaggerating to claim they are world’s best. Their speed and the added value they gave including things like splits for endurance events, was unique and world class.

Competition managers in NSW and ACT would frequently call upon them to setup full photo-finish equipment on the back straight to take advantage of tailwinds for sprinters and hurdlers. This task took hours to setup temporary infrastructure, to assist athletes achieve better performances. It was much appreciated by the athletes. The photo-finish guys, including Graham who led this task, were nicknamed ‘The Backstraight Boys’.

Graham was also involved extensively with winter competitions, and the ongoing effort to get consistent data from chips for timing. His club hosted the Athletics NSW Cross Country Relays at Miranda, and after that event and many other winter championships, Graham would spend a day or more post event matching missing results and chip times to provide accurate splits for every competing athlete.

In a quest to provide a better service for athletes and clubs, Graham developed new software for both track, road and cross country. Lap time reports for distance and endurance events pioneered through Athletics NSW and Athletics Australia championships are a direct result of Graham’s dedication and expertise. We all continue to benefit from his efforts.

INTEREST IN PHOTO-FINISH

Graham explained how he became interested in photo-finish.

“When I was very young I can remember looking at the photo finish images of horse races in the Sunday papers and wondering how they were taken and why the horses’ shapes were sometimes distorted. Many years later whilst doing my electrical engineering degree I did some industrial experience at a company called Automatic Totalisators Ltd. Besides building totalisators, they also operated the photo finish cameras at some horse racing events. In those days they were still using photographic film. One of their employees showed me one of their cameras and described how it worked. The questions of my childhood were finally answered.”

When Graham was a chief judge at local zone Little Athletics carnivals he was considering how to improve judging and timing.

“I bought a solid-state line sensor that I was going to mount in an old camera body and I started designing the electronics to go with in, however, between work, family, athletics and other commitments I didn’t make much real progress.

“My real experience began in 2007 when Illawong Athletics bought their photo finish system. My dreams had come true, and I now had a real system to use. I jumped at the chance to use it wherever we could. Besides making life easier for judging and processing results the athletes love it as well, which is what it’s all about.”

CLUB SERVICE

Prior to his 14 years with Athletics NSW, Graham gave over three decades service to his local clubs. He recalled his early years in athletics.

“I became involved in Little Athletics when my first child started competing in about 1989. After a couple of years I joined the committee and over the years held positions of officer for championships, President and Vice President. I was also the zone treasurer for several years. During my time with Little Athletics I was also appointed to the Board of Illawong Athletics Inc as chairman.” Graham held this key role for seven years from 2011 to 2018. With Illawong Revesby Workers Athletics committee Graham was Treasurer for 15 years.

But outside of these official positions, Graham’s volunteer involvement was extraordinary, including coaching, track marking at The Ridge Athletics Track, managing the Illawong’s winter season and marking the course, assisting the club to host the Athletics NSW XC relays from 1997, help organise the Menai Community Fun Run, liaise with Sutherland Shire Council through the planning and development of The Ridge Athletics Track and introduction of photo finish to local Zone and Region Little Athletics Championships

In 2009 he was named "Sporting Club Person of the Year" at the Menai District Sports Awards.

For his club service Graham was recognised with Life Membership of Illawong Little Athletics and Illawong Revesby Workers Athletics.

HIGHLIGHTS

Graham recalled some of his personal highlights.

“As an official, working at meets such as the Sydney Track Classic and State and National championships is always a special thrill. But on a more general note, working with Athletics NSW staff and officials has almost been one continuous highlight. New technology is great but with it comes new challenges and I love taking on challenges. I enjoy the satisfaction of seeing something that you’ve been working on come to fruition.

“As a club administrator, watching athletes progress from club events and, if they have the talent and determination, through to the sport’s highest level is always a highlight. But just as important is the kid who is thrilled because they have achieved a personal best.”

THANK YOU

In recent years Graham has reduced his involvement in athletics due to health reasons. Athletics NSW and the athletes in our State have benefited enormously from Graham’s volunteer service. Thank you Graham for your positive impact on the sport.

Today at Illawong, Athletics NSW awarded its highest volunteer recognition to Graham Kearns, Life Membership.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW

Image: Graham awarded Life Membership on February 10.