“… the first man not bred in England to win the great prize of the championship of the world who had won honour for the people of the whole of these colonies”. Words of praise from the then Premier of New South Wales, the Hon. Sir John Robertson…
In 1876, Australia didn’t exist as a nation; we were an unfederated collection of ‘colonies’, not the cohesive modern nation of today with our own history, traditions, institutions and distinctive culture. Those developments were in their infancy; with the first stirrings of nationhood being stoked by people such as the politician William Charles Wentworth, the novelist Marcus Clarke and the extraordinary feats of Trickett. In 1876, Gallipoli and the ANZAC legend were an unimagined (and unimaginable!) horror – a trial-by-fire yet to come.
Trickett’s convincing win was reported in London with a combination of shock and grudging admiration. As it turned out, his victory was the start of a Golden Age for professional sculling in Australia: the world title was held by seven Australians for 22 of the 31 years between 1876 and 1907. When Trickett returned home to Sydney it was reported that more than 25,000 people turned out at Circular Quay to welcome him home.
Trickett, wasn’t just from the ‘colonies’, he was of the ‘colonies’: a Currency Lad, born in Woolwich on the Lane Cove River in Sydney. His father was a former convict and a bootmaker and his mother was Irish. After a remarkable early rowing career in New South Wales a Sydney publican, James Punch, organised a public subscription enabling Trickett to travel to London to challenge for the World Sculling Championship title.
Trickett’s achievement was arguably an important early contribution to a separate and proud Australian identity – including the good-humoured and keenly-expressed battles against the ‘old enemy’.
To learn more about Australia’s First World Champion in any sport, visit the City of Canada Bay Museum at 1 Bent Street, Concord on Saturday, 6th July, where Lyndon Lockrey, Ned Trickett’s Great Great Grandson, will tell us more about the Life and Times of Edward Trickett. We will also be unveiling the latest acquisition to our collection. Everyone is invited. Entry Free. See Poster under coming events for more details.
William was not yet five when his mother Ada died in August 1898. His father, John Shipham, died four years later. Now orphaned, William and his younger brother, Concord, were given over to the care of relatives. William went to live with his grandfather, Daniel Zoeller, a prominent local businessman and former mayor of Concord….
The opening of Concord West railway station in 1887 led to an increase of population in that area and the Catholic Church saw the need to establish a church so, in 1921, land on the corner of Queen & Stuart Streets was purchased to build St. Ambrose Catholic Church. Adjoining land was subsequently bought, at…
From the Archives Advertisements are often the best indicators of contemporary society for while they are meant to sell goods and services, they are framed with the intention of appealing to a particular clientele. Advertisements reflect the values, concerns and aspirations of their intended audience. They are an appeal for trust, to engage in good…
The iconic Menin Gate lions, past which thousands of Australian and other allied forces marched on their way to the Western Front battlefields, have been returned to Australia from Belgium and are back on display at the Australian War Memorial. From 1822 the stone sculptures bearing the Ypres coat of arms stood at the entrance…
Professor Anderson, the Wizard of the North, was a well-known magician who travelled the world putting on performances. When he was in Sydney in 1859, performing at the Prince of Wales Theatre, he offered two prizes for the best conundrums from a lady and gentleman, to be determined on a fixed night. The Professor, of course, made it a condition that the winner…
We recently received a donation of this set of framed photographs of several boats which carried the inscription: Presented to P. Edwards, Esq., by the boys of the Concord Dinghi Club. We have been unable to find any information of this club or of the gentleman named. Can you help, please?
