JUBILEE HISTORY TEXT, 1911. Chapter XIII - 'Athletic Prowess'.The following text is an excerpt from the
Jubilee History Text published in 1911.
Athletic ProwessIn athletic sports, College boys, both at the College and afterwards, have taken high places. Great attention has always been given to training for the annual sports. This, indeed, has been one of the chief reasons for the poor displays generally made by College cricket elevens. The sports used to be held at the end of the year, and that part of the cricket season was devoted to athletic training. Although the College has produced several sprint runners of note, it has sent out a greater number who excelled over middle and long distances. This has no doubt been due to the method of training adopted for football. After every practice all those taking part in it went for a long run, which varied from a mile up to three miles. This would seem to have developed stamina and endurance rather than speed.
Early records of athletic contests in which College boys took part are more difficult to obtain than any other.boys took part are more difficult to obtain than any other. In 1871 College runners competed at various sports in Melbourne, and scored victories over runners from the Melbourne public schools. The nature of those races has not yet been discovered. There was about this time a cup presented by the proprietors of the Australasian for competition among the senior Victorian schools. Scotch College stood out of the competition, but the others took part in it. There was a controversy at the end of 1871 because the conditions had been so modified as to exclude Geelong College. What the result of the controversy was has not been ascertained, but apparently it ended in favour of the College, for in the report for 1872 the Doctor said: "In the competition for the cup presented by the proprietors of the Australasian open to all the upper schools of the colony, the first, second, and fourth places were taken by pupils of the College.
The first definite record of a race in which College boys competed is in 1889. The Open Schools Cadet Race was run on the Melbourne Cricket Ground over a distance of 440 yards, and Milton Wettenhall secured second place for the College. The following year A. Timms won the race outright. H. Reid and R. Reid ran first and third in their respective heats, but were not placed in the final. Timms was a splendid athlete. He won the College Cup in 1891, and afterwards in Scotland emulated the performances of R. H. Morrison. He became the leading amateur athlete of Scotland, and was an International Rugby player, visiting Australia with the Rugby team - which toured the Commonwealth some years ago.
At the Victorian Athletic Association Championship Meeting of 1893, a Half-mile Schools Race, open to, all Victorian schools, was included in the programme. It was won by the College team — Marcus Wettenhall, Emil Sander, and J. McIntosh filling first, second, and seventh places respectively. The following year A. C. Wettenhall, W. Milnes, and H. McFarland constituted the team, and again the College won, filling first, second, and eighth places. At the same meeting John McRae, who was captain of the cricket team that year, won the Amateur Pole Jumping Championship of Victoria, clearing 9 feet 11 1/2 inches - a record for a schoolboy. In 1895, at the College sports, McRae cleared 10 feet.
The Schools' Championship Sports were inaugurated in 1902 by the Victorian Amateur Athletic Association, and in 1903 the Inter-School Championship of Victoria was won by Geelong College from Wesley College. Geelong College scored 46 points, Wesley 34 points, and Hawthorn College 12 points. They were the three placed schools. In the Individual Championship F. Stodart secured second place and G. Melville third. This win entitled the College to hold the Adamson Cup for that year. In 1904 they were beaten by Wesley College. No performances which appeared worthy of record would seem to have been put up by College athletes for the next few years. It was not until the College became a Public School and took part in the Public Schools Athletic Sports that records were kept. In 1908 College were fifth on the list, gaining only two points. E. K. Russell won the 120 Yards Open Hurdle Race in 17 1/5 secs., but no other final event was won by the College. In 1909 the College were fourth with 46 points. E. K. Russell was the College hero of the meeting. He won the High Jump, clearing 5 feet 10 3/8 inches, breaking the previous combined sports record by nearly 4 inches, and setting up a new Victorian amateur record. He also won the 120 Yards Hurdle Race in 16 1/5 seconds. This, too, was an improvement upon the existing Victorian record. J. I. Birnie won the 100 Yards Under 14 Years.
The Challenge Cup was won by Melbourne Grammar School.
The annual College sports meeting of 1908 was notable from the fact that the Governor-General (Lord Dudley) visited the College that day. It was the first year of the College as a public school, and Lord Dudley was greatly interested in it. He acted as starter during the afternoon, and sent off several fields in fine style. That was the last year that the school wore the old navy blue and white. In 1909 they were changed to navy blue, green and white.
A special train conveyed the supporters of the two Geelong Public Schools to Melbourne for the combined Sports of 1910. Geelong Public Schools to Melbourne for the Combined
Sports of 1910. The College boys who attended numbered 130. E. K. Russell's high jump record was beaten by L. H. Kelly of Wesley College, who cleared 6 feet, but Russell in Hobart at a championship meeting cleared 6 feet, and is joint holder With Kelly of the Australian amateur record. Geelong College scored 35 points, and had to be satisfied with fifth place, beating Geelong Grammar School by 6 1/2 points. Wesley College won the cup with 114 points.
Geelong College Cup.Winners of the Geelong College Cup have their names recorded upon the honour boards of the school. The following is the list of them:—
1868 .. .. J. Cumming
1869 .. .. H. O'Hara
1870 .. .. J. Carmichael
1871 .. .. T. Fender
1872 .. .. C. J. Murray
1873 .. .. J. Dougharty
1874 .. .. J. W. Dowling
1875 .. .. J. Osborne
1876 .. .. A. J. McDonald
1877 .. .. M. M. Mogg
1878 .. .. G. E. Morrison
1879 .. .. C. H. Howell
1880 .. .. W. A. McPherson
1881 .. .. R. H. Morrison
1882 .. .. R. McPherson
1883 .. .. H. McLean
1884 .. .. W. McQueen
1885 .. .. J. Finarty
1886 .. .. M. J. Kearney
1887 .. .. A. Guthrie
1888 .. .. F. Holloway
1889 .. .. F. Brockwell
1891 .. .. A. B. Timms
1892 .. .. A. B. Timms
1893 .. .. R. P. McFarland
1894 .. .. C. J. W. Robertson
1895 .. .. H. D. McFarland
1896 .. .. F. A. McFarland
1897 .. .. E. G. Greeves
1898 .. .. W. M. Robertson
1899 .. .. L. Strickland
1900 .. .. J. Gatehouse
1901 .. .. G. H. Quinton
1902 .. .. F. L. Stodart
1903 .. .. G. A. Melville
1904 .. .. E. A. McFarland
1905 .. .. A. H. Millar
1906 .. .. F. B. Crawford
1907 .. .. F. R. Knight
1908 .. .. E. K. Russell
1909 .. .. P. G. Pullar
1910 .. .. G. C. D. Reid
University 'Blues' Many Old Collegians have won 'Blues' at various Universities. The only records available are those of Melbourne University, and the following is the list of Old Collegians who have won 'Blues' in Inter-Varsity contests:
Year and Competition.
E. M. Baird .. .. .. 1904, '06, '07, '08, Cricket; 1906, '07, '09, Tennis.
J. Bell .. .. .. .. .1888, '92, Boats; 1892, '94, '96, Cricket.
K. M. Doig
T. C. Hope ..
J. Johnstone ..
E. McArthur ..
A. N. McArthur
H. McLean ..
D. McLean ..
G. A. Melville
C. N. Morrison
A. R. Morrison
D. C. Morrison
W. B. Neale ..
J. E. Piper ..
G. McL. Redmond
A. V. Wettenhall
A. L. Wettenhall
R. R. Wettenhall
1910, Football.
1870, Boats.
1871, Boats.
1888, Football.
1888, Football; 1892, Cricket.
1889, '91, Cricket.
1889, '91, Cricket.
1906, Cricket.
1888, Football.
1891, '92, '93, Boats.
1892, '93, '94, '95, '96, Boats.
1890, '92, '93, Boats.
1908, Football.
1900, Athletic Sports.
1889, Boats.
1899, Lacrosse.
1905, Athletic Sports; 1905, '06,
Lacrosse.
Sources: Sources: Geelong College. History, Register, .. And Records by G, McLeod Redmond. Melb; Sands & McDougall, 1911. pp 130-135.