Golden Era of Australian Sport: 1950s Quiz

Answer: Betty Cuthbert

As an 18 year old at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics Betty Cuthbert won gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 4 x 100m relay. The 1960 Olympics in Rome turned out to be a disaster for her but in a comeback she captured gold in the 400m at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964. Marjorie Jackson won gold in the 100m and 200m at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics which helped to start a new generation of female athletes in Australia. Dawn Fraser was Australia's " Golden Girl" of the pool from 1956-1964 winning the 100m freestyle at 3 consecutive Olympics. Shirley Strickland (1925-2004) won 7 Olympic medals from 1948 - 1956 including 3 gold. An interesting fact is that Shirley's father, Dave Strickland, won the professional foot race, the Stawell Gift in 1900.

Answer: Russell Mockridge

Russell Mockridge (1928-1958) won both the amateur and professional Paris Sprints in July 1952 but rode both races as a amateur. His humiliation of the professionals, as an amateur, resulted in amateurs being banned from competing against professionals for many years.

At the 1952 Olympics he won gold in the 1000m Time Trial and the Tandem event with Lionel Cox. He won a number of six-day events in Europe and in 1955 started and finished in the Tour de France over 22 days and 4,495 kms. This was an amazing achievement for a man considered to be a sprinter. Sadly he was killed in a cycling accident in 1958 at the age of 30. Sid Patterson (1927-1999) won 4 World titles as an amateur and professional from 1949-1955.

He competed in the 1948 Olympics without success and turned professional in 1951.

His last year of track racing was in 1967 at the ripe old age of 40. Danny Clark competed as a professional from 1974-1997 and won 5 World Championships.

Answer: Peter Thomson

Peter Thomson won the Open Championship in 1954-55-56, 1958 and 1965. From 1947 - 1985 he had 88 professional wins throughout the world including USA, Europe, Asia and Australasia. Kel Nagle (1920-2015) won the Canada Cup with Peter Thomson in 1954 and 1958.

This was at the time, the World championship of team golf. One team from each country competed in this event. Kel had 81 professional wins in his career spanning 1947- 1977. He won the British Open in 1960. Norman von Nida (1914-2007) had a professional career spanning 1933-1965 with 44 wins. Jim Ferrier (1915-1986) was a professional from 1941-1961.

He won the US PGA Championship in 1947.

Answer: John Landy

John Landy was the second man to break the sub 4-minute mile barrier, just 6 weeks after Roger Bannister achieved the feat in May 1954. John won Bronze at the 1956 Olympics and is well remembered during the 1958 Australian 1500m Championships for stopping to assist Ron Clarke who had fallen badly. John then gathered speed, chased the leaders and went on to win the race. Albie Thomas was a middle to long distance runner who set world records for the two and three miles during the 1950s. Ron Clarke set 17 world records during his career from the mid 1950s at the mid 1960s.

Although well known overseas, Ron was once asked that he must be popular in his home town of Melbourne as a World Record holder. Ron replied that his brother Jack was more famous in Melbourne, as he was the captain of the Essendon Football club. Herb Elliott is probably Australia's greatest middle distance runner which spanned 1957-1961 with gold at the 1960 Rome Olympics in the 1500m. During the period 1957-1961 Herb never lost a 1500m or mile race.

Answer: Murray Rose

Murray Rose (1939-2012) won gold at the 1956 Olympics in the 400m, 1500m and 4 x 200m relay. He again won gold in Rome in 1960 in the 400m. During his career he set 15 world records. He spent many years in the USA appearing on TV and in the movies. In fact in the 1968 movie "Ice Station Zebra" starring Rock Hudson, Ernest Borgnine and Patrick McGoohan, his character in the movie aboard the US nuclear submarine USS Tigerfish actually drowns. John Henricks won 2 gold medals at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics (100m freestyle and 4 x 200m relay) and David Theile won gold in Melbourne and Rome in the 100m backstroke.John Marshall (1930-1967) set 19 swimming world records from 400m to 1500m with 15 of them coming in one month.

Unfortunately, he was burnt out by the time the 1952 Olympics were held in Helsinki.

Answer: Lew Hoad

Lew Hoad (1934-1994) had a winning record in Grand Slam events with 4 singles 8 doubles and 1 mixed doubles all of them between 1953-1956. In 1956 Lew had won the other 3 Grand Slam singles titles (Australian, French and Wimbledon) and unfortunately in the final Grand Slam of that year was beaten at Forest Hills by his good friend Ken Rosewall. Rosewall in this same period won a total of 11 Grand Slam titles but finished with 18 spanning the years 1954 - 1972. Frank Sedgman won a total of 22 Grand Slam events from 1948 - 1952. Rod Laver won 20 Grand Slam titles from 1959 - 1973.

He is the first tennis player to have won the 4 major singles titles in the same year on two occasions (1962 and 1969). Australia won the Davis Cup 8 times in the 10 year period 1950-1959.

Answer: Jimmy Carruthers

Jimmy Carruthers (1929 - 1990) won the Australian bantam weight title in only his 9th professional fight in 1951. In his 15th professional fight he won the World bantam weight title in Johannesburg knocking out Vic Toweel in only 2minutes and 19 seconds of the first round.

He retired after his 3rd defence of the title in Bangkok against Chamrern Songkitrit. Dave Sands, Vic Patrick and Tommy Burns were all Australian boxing champions at different weights during the 40s and 50s.

Answer: Jack Young

Jack Young (1925-1987) was a motorcycle speedway rider and besides the Speedway World Championship wins of 1951 and 1952, he also won the London Riders' Championship in 1953 and 1954. He raced professionally in the UK from 1949-1961. Keith Campbell (1931-1958) won the Road Racing World Championship (350cc) in 1957. Sadly he was killed in a 500oc race at the Grand Prix de Cadours (France) in 1958. Lex Davison (1923-1965) was a racing driver who won the Australian Grand Prix 4 times from 1954-1961. Jack Brabham(1926-2014) was our first racing driver to win the Formula 1 World Championship in 1959.

He also achieved the feat in 1960 and 1966. In 1966 he became the first Formula 1 Driving World Champion driving one of his own designed cars. To date this achievement has never been repeated.

Answer: Stuart MacKenzie

Stuart MacKenzie won a silver medal at the 1956 Olympics and gold at the 1958 Empire/Commonwealth Games (both in the single sculls). At the 1956 Olympics he stopped temporarily 100m from the finish misjudging the finish line which cost him gold. Besides the six consecutive single scull titles at Henley he also won the Silver Goblets (coxless pairs) and the double sculls.

He quite often trained in a top hat. At the 1st rowing World Championships in 1962 he won silver. Mervyn Wood was a 4 time Olympian and won gold in the single sculls in London 1948. Evans Paddon won the World Professional Sculling Championships in 1948, 1950 and 1952. Evans Fischer won the same professional events from 1953-1957.

Answer: Scobie Breasley

Arthur Edward "Scobie" Breasley (1914-2006) rode over 1,000 winners (including five Caulfield Cup winners) in Australia before moving to the UK. He rode over 100 winners each season from 1955-1964. He won the Champion Jockey in 1957 and from 1961-1963. He won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and the Epsom Derby on two occasions.
Edgar Britt (b. 1913 and celebrated his 101st birthday in October 2014) rode winners in Australia before spending a decade in India and after WWII went to the UK. He won over 1,000 races in 14 years in the UK and rode in the colours of King George VI. He won all the English classics bar the Derby.
Bill Williamson (1922-1979) won the Melbourne and Caulfield Cups and is remembered as the rider of Pandie Sun in the famous triple dead-heat of the Hotham Handicap at Flemington in 1956. He went onto Ireland ( winning 8 Classic races)and England ( winning 2 Classic races) and was successful at the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on 2 occasions.
George Moore (1923-2008) won many major races in Australia and went to the USA and won the San Diego Handicap in 1950. He won many British Classic races including the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 1959.