MANLY
HEROES AND LEGE
ENDS
E
NDS
OF OLYMPIC PROPORTIONS
Strolling down the Pathway of Olymp
pians from
Manly Wharf to Oceanworld you can observe first
hand the level of athletic prowess that has
abounded from the local area. From the first Manly
Olympian Stan Rowley in 1900 Manly has had a
local representative at most summer Olympics,
and since 1992 the Steggall family has done the
suburb proud in the Winter Olympics.
Many elite sportspeople call Manly home.
Champions such as Wayne Gardner (motor
cycling), Elka Graham (swimming), Liz Ellis
(netball) Shelly Taylor-Smith ((long distance
ocean swimming) and Layne Beachley (surfing)
can often be seen strolling around the area.
LEGENDS OF THE SURF
With its magnificent beach and excellent surf, it is
not unfathomable that Manly has produced some
champions in both surfing and surf lifesaving. The
First World Surfboard Riders Championship was
held in Manly in 1964 and was won by local Midge
Farrelly. Prior to this Snowy McAllister was
recognised as one of the greats and since that
time Stuart Entwhistle, Barton Lynch, Pam
Burridge and Layne Beachley have carried on
the surfboard riding excellence.
Since Manly’s first professional life saver, Edward
‘Happy’ Eyre patrolled the beach from 1904 –
1907, and the formation of the Manly Surf Club in
1907, Manly has had a rich surf lifesaving tradition.
Notable local champions include Guy Leech and
Craig Riddington. The current president of the
Manly Surf Club Tony Bonner is also a legend –
notably for his role as helicopter pilot Jerry King in
the long running Australian television series
Skippy.
A JOINT INITIATIVE OF MANLY COUNCIL, MANLY
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND TOURISM SYDNEY
AND ON LAND
Manly has a rich Rugby Union tradition with
players including Rob Heming, Phil Cox,
Cox, Brian Cox, Steve Knight and Rex Mossop
all donning the Wallaby jersey during their
careers.
For Rugby League lovers, it is important to note
that the Manly team is one of the founders of the
current competition and still plays at Brookvale,
just up the Pittwater Road and Ken Arthurson, a
legend of the game was born and bred in Manly.
WAR & POLITICS
Manly also has a proud military history, with two
recognised war heroes from the area. There are
not many who would not recognise the name Sir
Roden Cutler, and another famous military hero
was Raymond Thorold-Smith, a RAAF pilot in the
Battle of Britain. In the political arena, Sir Robert
Askin and William Bede Dalley (Attorney General
1870’s) are notable citizens.
ARTISTS AND ARTISANS
It must be something in the sea air or the area’s
natural beauty, because a number of great artists
have also called Manly home. Anthony DattiloRubbo (painter), Rayner Hoff (sculpture), Ray
Leighton (photographer), Salvatore Zofrea
have all made a name for themselves in the arts
worlds. On the literary front, authors Ruth Park,
Dympha Cusack and Kylie Tennant and poet
Bruce Beaver gained great inspiration from their
Manly associations
.
More information on the “Heroes of Manly” can be
found at the Manly Library.
www.manlytourism.com.au
Visitor Information: (02) 9977 1088
For all media enquiries please contact:
Kate Thomas - Splash PR
Tel: (02) 9999 6144
E-mail: [email protected]
more than just a beach
The pathway celebrates more than 100 years of
Manly residents who represented Australia in
Olympic Games. There are now more than 80
plaques on the walk, which is a living history and is
added to after each games. Most notably gold
medallists Tom Richards (rugby union 1908),
Richmond Eve (diving 1924), Anthony Winter
(athletics 1924), Andrew ‘Boy’ Charlton
(swimming 1924, 1928 & 1932), John Devitt
(swimming 1956, 1960), Kevin Berry (swimming
1960, 1964) Zali & Zeke Steggall (winter
Olympians) Kieren Perkins (swimming 1992,
1996), Kerri Pottharst (beach volleyball 1996,
2000) and Debbie Watson (waterpolo 2000) all
hail from the local area