News Archive

Like most teenagers, a long-legged teenager from Northam High School enjoyed the O-Week activities in 1943.But in those days, instead of dancing to loud music, the freshers took part in a sports carnival. The 17-year-old science student made her debut for the UWA Athletic Club that week, equalling and setting new records in the 75 and 100 yard sprints.

Shirley Strickland (later Shirley de la Hunty) went on to become one of Australia’s most famous and best-loved Olympic champions.

And she, along with thousands of champions, hopefuls and amateur runners, hurdlers, jumpers and throwers are the heroes of a new book, The Fat Man’s Odyssey, A History of the University of Western Australia Athletic Club .

It is 90 years since sport was first organised and played on campus. It is 84 years since the UWA club became a founding member of the managing body of athletics in WA – and it is the only one of the founding clubs that still exists.

Jim Wieland, a competitor in the 1960s, has put together a big fat book, branded by a little fat man, where famous names leap off the pages. It turns reading into a team sport, as you continuously stop to call out to anybody within earshot interesting facts such as: “Hey did you realise that John Steffenson was a long jumper first?”

The fat man of the title is a character from Greek mythology, Boreas, one of the few images of Greeks running. “It had to be Greek because of Marathon (because) that’s what athletics is all about,” explained Lyn Barry, widow of Kevin (always known as Sam) Barry, who was responsible for the original design in the 1960s.

Boreas, the God of the North Wind, was depicted on club T-shirts and stationery gripping a trident and running over the Aegean Sea on two wine skins, poking fun at the Greeks’ love of wine.

The Fat Man emblem became synonymous with UWA athletics, with a version of the Greek word trekor added at the bottom, loosely meaning, ‘I run’.

Olympic, World and Commonwealth champions had their first outings and honed their skills at UWA, including Kylie Wheeler, Alison Inverarity, Renae Poetschka and Vicki Parnov.

John Steffenson, the 400m sensation first leapt to prominence as a long jumper. Len Vlahov, who took out state and national discus titles, is a life member. Griff Richards, the club’s first president, and the first editor of Pelican , also has that honour.

And 17 Rhodes Scholars have competed for UWA, wearing the University’s bottle green and deep blue, with a slash of gold.

The book maps the development of sports facilities from Irwin Street to the Crawley campus and the Sports Park at McGillivray.

The Fat Man’s Odyssey blends history, statistics and a lot of fun (the cover boasts ‘a story full of a lot of hot air’) as did Jim’s earlier book on the history of the University Football Club.

It is published by the Friends of the UWA Athletic Club and is available for $60 from Eric Isaachsen or 63 Holland Street, Wembley or by phone, 9387 4357.

Published in UWA News , 12 November 2012