St George Club celebrates 100 years

9 May 2022

St George Club celebrates 100 years

This Saturday, the St George District AAC celebrates 100 years at one of the few iconic venues of athletics in NSW, Scarborough Park host of the State Novice Cross Country since 1940.

The celebration, of the club formed in 1921, was scheduled for last year but delay one year due to the pandemic.

After the men were formed in 1921, the women’s followed in 1928. They are recognised as the first women’s athletics club in Australia. Both clubs have had significant members of the Australian athletics community, including Edie Robinson, Australia’s first female Olympian in athletics and 3-time Olympian Albie Thomas. Another feature of the club has been the supply of some of the greatest administrators of athletics in NSW and Australia.

Men - The Early Years

The club’s foundation meeting, organised by Mr C Bray, was held on 7 March 1921 at Colvin’s Hall in Hurstville. The meeting was attended by a number of dignities of Athletics NSW and neighbouring clubs. A local pharmacist T Gilson was elected the first President and Claude Bray the first secretary. The club’s first event, on April 2, was a 2.5 mile road race on Forest Road, won in 15 minutes by Alleyn Gainsford, a person who would become one of the most prominent club members, serving as President for 55 years. His winning prize was a V.P. Kodak Camera. At the end of the first year 67 members had joined the club.

Some other interesting early facts about the club:

• In their first State Championship, the novice Cross Country teams event, they surprised placing second to East Sydney club.
• In 1922 the club promoted an attempt on the world triple jump record by Nick Winter at a track carnival held at Moorefield Racecourse.
• In 1923 the club was successful in getting lighting for their training venue – Hurstville oval.
• Ernie Austen would become the club’s first Olympian, competing in the 10km walk at the 1924 Olympics.
• During the 1934/35, 15 club athletes had the unique opportunity of flying in the Southern Cross with Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith to Maitland and return. It was the first time in NSW a team of athletes ever travelled by plane.
• In 1938 member of the club were selected for the Empire Games in Sydney. Six athletes were selected including Jack Mumford (silver 100 yards) and Basil Dickinson (bronze triple and long jumps). Four officials were selected including Alleyn Gainsford.

Women – The Early Years

The St George District Ladies’ Amateur Athletics Club was formed in 1928 under the guidance of the men’s club. The men’s club captain Alleyn Gainsford was largely responsible for the formation.

Their first club secretary was Gladys Phillips, a famous early pioneering women’s athlete in Australia.

Membership in year one was 14, with the most prominent Edie Robinson who was Australia’s first women’s track and field Olympian at the 1928 Amsterdam Games. Nell Gould was an administrator for the nearly the entire 50 years of the club, before they joined the men’s She was Secretary and then President. As an athlete Nell competed in the 1938 Empire games.

Their first major competition was the 1929 State Championships at Manly Oval. This was along journey for many, requiring a small ferry ride across the harbour. On occasions a rough crossing effected performances.

Interclub competition commenced in 1928/29 held at Sydney University Oval. Four clubs competed Botany, Kensington, Western Suburbs and St George.

Some other interesting early facts about the club and the era:

• The sport was largely for adult women and it would be nearly 30 years before club competitions were provided for young girls.

• Competitions were held twice a week. Training was considered important, but limited to once a week at Earl Park, Arncliffe, now an Industrial area.
• Coaches and trainers were rare with athletes working together to learn.
• State Championships and other major competitions were held at the Sydney Sports Ground. Members needed to walk from Central Station to the ground, but in the late ‘20s and early ‘30s the journey was through the notorious crime area where the ‘razor gangs’ operated at night.
• The NSW and Australian Women’s Association were formed in 1932.
• After a few years the word ‘Women’ replaced ‘Ladies’ in the title of the club.
• The first Australian Championships were held in 1933.
• In 1929 at an interclub match Edie Robinson caused a sensation by wearing the first track suit seen in Australia. Popular in the Northern Hemisphere, athletes in Australia didn’t wear warm clothing on the track even in cold conditions. The media labelled it a ‘pyjama suit’.

Scarborough Park, Ramsgate

The iconic cross-country venue, Scarborough Park, has been the home of the NSW Novice Championships since 1940. Only once, in 2020, was the race not held due to COVID. No other track, field or cross country venue in Sydney has been in use for this long.

St George Greats

There have been so many St George Greats, here are a few with and also some interesting stories:

Claude Smeal: 1952 Olympic marathoner – After running a marathon trial in the battlefield during the Korea War, where he was serving in the Australian Army, he was selected to compete in the Olympic marathon in Helsinki.

Alleyn Gainsford: Athlete/administrator - A foundation member of St George who was first to arrive at the inaugural meeting of the club, he was considered the Father of Athletics in the St George district. A 10-time NSW XC/road champion, Alleyn was St George President for 55 consecutive years. An Athletics NSW Life Member and VP, he was a 1956 Olympic Games official and selector. Awarded an Order of Australia.

Flo Wrighter (nee Gould): Administrator/official – A club athlete in her younger years Flo Wrighter was a significant administrator for NSW and Australia. An Athletics Women’s AAU Vice President for eight years, she is a Life Governor of AA. From 1969 to 1982, she was Secretary of the NSW Women’s Association, then a VP of Athletics NSW. Sister of Nell Gould.

Nell Gould: Athlete/administrator - A great pioneer of St George women’s club. A co-founder, she was Secretary 1932-1944 and President from 1947 for over 30 years. Nell was for 38 years the Treasurer of the Australian Women’s AAU and is a Life Governor of AA. As an athlete Nell competed in the long jump and 80m hurdles at the 1938 Empire Games and for the 1954 Empire Games and 1956 Olympics was a coach.

Jim Bailey: 1956 Olympics 800m - In the leadup to the Melbourne Olympics, 1500m favourite John Landy was on a tour of the US to build interest in the Olympics. Bailey was recruited to help pace Landy in a race in May in Los Angeles, but Bailey ran all the way defeating Landy. In the race Bailey achieved the first sub-4 minute mile on US soil.

Albie Thomas: 1956/1960/1964 Olympics 1500m & 5000m – During an enduring career, he set two world records and competed at three Olympics and won two medals at two Empire Games. A regular training venue for Albie was Scarborough Park – he lived a stone’s throw away. He took the only photo of John Landy spiking a fallen Ron Clarke in the famous 1956 Australian mile championship. He sold the image to a Melbourne paper.

Fleur Mellor: 1956 Olympics 4x100m relay – St George’s only Olympic gold medallist, Fleur Mellor ran on the 4x100m relay in Melbourne. Her sprinting ability was noticed at St. George Girls High School. She was coached by Jim Monaghan, who also coached Marjorie Jackson and was driven by her parents from Sydney to Lithgow each weekend to train with Jim.

Basil Dickinson: 1936 Olympics triple jump – The Olympian’s career ended when he served in the Australian Army in WWII. He was a technical official (field judge) at the 1956 Olympics and when he died in 2013 was the oldest living Australian Olympian.

Dennis Wilson: athlete/official - A 4:04.5 miler in the ‘50s, he was a member of the Australian team that broke the world 4 x mile record in 1959. A member of the IAAF Technical Committee from 1985-2003 and an International Technical Official at a number of World Championships, Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. On the organising committee for 1977 Pacific Conference Games, 1985 World Cup, 1996 World Junior Championships and 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Sydney.

David Tarbotton for Athletics NSW
Image: Left to right – Image 1 Left Edie Robinson and Nell Gould; Image 2 – Albie Thomas; Image 3 – Alleyn Gainsford.