1938-08-10 — Page 20

Fage'20

AK AKIBO 407

THE CHINA MAIL, AUGUST 10, 1988.

MAN WHO REVOLUTIONISED ROWING

STEVE FAIRBAIRN'S COLOURFUL CAREER

(By "RHYTHM") '

THE death of Mr. Steve Fair-

THE

bairn, at the age of 75, has

deprived the world of its greatest rowing personality. His ideas com- pletely revolutionised modern rowing.

me, and

Hutchingson met another Jesus un-¡ Eyre, turned up to defend dergraduate who had been in for the in the course of the defence he said Army examination.

'to me:

"There was a large and noisy crowd walking around the 'Cri.,' the form of amusement in those days for lively youngsters late in the evening. While we were talking I felt a blow on the back, and at the same moment 'Hutch. said:

"Who are you hitting?" ""Not you,' was the reply, as I got another blow.

"I turned half-round and hit the offender, who went down.

IT'S AN INSPECTOR "Run like hell,' yelled the quiet Hutch. 'It's an inspector.'

"The tone of voice frightened I did not know what an inspector was. In fact, it all happened so

me.

quickly that I never really saw the

man.

"But it sounded to me as

if

I

an

ran

in

"It looks jolly bad for you. Can't you say something."

"So I put on my well-known alr that gained for me the name of In- nocent Steve' at school, and briefly told the magistrate that I was hit twice in the back, and I hit back, and, to my horror, I saw it was policeman that I had hit.

In my fright I ran away, but came to my This senses, and gave myself up. saved me six months, and I was fined a fiver.

crew.

D

"We managed to get the name into the papers as Fairchild and, two hours after the case, I was conching the Cambridge Varsity

This the papers, and it went to show that the London Stephen Fairchild, of

item of news also appeared in

of

Cup

quotes the case of a settler who A huge man physically, Fair-loaded his wool on a wagon tol bairn had amazing courage, Typi- carry it to the ship. When cal of the man is the case when, few miles from port the wheels as a boy, he fired a gun through sank in the mud, and the wagon his hand by accident, and then stuck. The owner could not get began to discuss with his broth-it out, and was forced to buy the inspector was very nearly as import Police Courts, could not be Fairbairn, er how many fingers would have land round the wagon to protect ant as the King of England, so I

the Cambridge oarsman.”

educated Steve was

at Geelong the crowd. to be cut off, "as my father had it. He gave £1 for the block. It bolted through

He was a most just had a hand amputated, and now adjoins the Melbourne Post showed him I was not written down outstanding athlete, representing

straight into another policeman and Grammar School.

in I didn't want him to have it all Office.

as Victoria's, best football player for rowing on three occasions, two his own way."

them being successful. Steve Fairbairn was a real charac-nothing.

Athlete He won the school ORN in Victoria, Fairbairn ter. This is one he tells against him- "I was making for an hotel

self:-"Among my was a member of a family first rowing dinner I attended furnish- the second from Piccadilly Circus. I for Geelong District first teams dur- escapades, the Jermyn Street and my turning was twice, and plaved cricket and football who have made history in almost ed a memorable incident. It was the was charging down Piccadilly, where ing his last three years at school. every sphere of life.

annual dinner of the Thames Row-a horse bus was standing against ing Club, and I had not been long the pavement, and I was working Went to Jesus College, Cambridge, in England. After dinner Criterion, in London, we went

the towards the pavement. Just as I sidé, and there I and my

out-stepped on to the pavement, close to in 1881, where he took his B.A. de gree, and also qualified as a barris- pal the bus, I saw а posse of about ter. His sporting activities at Cam- twenty police which had been bridge were confined principally to concealed by the bus. I swung back rowing, and during his term there he on to the road, but, alas, I was too had a remarkable, career. He rowed near the bus. and I ran right into it four times in the Oxford and Cam-. and struck the far end, and was col- bridge boat race, winning twice. Five lared,

times in the Cambridge: trial eights, "Five policemen led me on to Vine won the Grand Challenge (Henley) Street, two hanging on to each arm, in 1885, and the Stewards in 1886. and one behind, kicking me in back. When I got there I gave my name. but would only give "Nakaka- boubili," Queensland. as my address, They put me in a cell, an awful place, with sawdust on the floor.

Steve, in his autobiography, describing the ups and downs in the early days on the land,

THE MASSACRE OF SCHMELING

in

SLOW MOTION

PICTURES

1700 Thrilling Feet of Film Revealing Every Detail Of The Fastest Heavyweight Championship Fight in History

"LOUIS vs. SCHMELING"

SEE

HEAR

at

old

The knockdowns and the pictorial answer to Schmeling's claim of a foul;

Referee Arthur Dohovan's version of the whirlwind battle.

TO-MORROW at the

QUEEN'S

the

QUEER MIXTURE "My neighbours were mostly ladies. and they were a queer mixture. Half of them sounded as if they belonged to the opera and were rehearsing, and half sounded as if they were bad sailors in a small boat in the Bay of Biscay during a storm.

AT CAMBRIDGE

Returning to Australia he repre- sented in the Victorian crew, winners of the interstate eights. His brother stroked Victoria's first interestate crew.

It was, however, as a rowing coach that Steve Fairbairn became famous, principally due to the in- troduction of his revolutionary change of style.

08

His idea was to concentrate en- tirely on learning to work the oar to move the boat and allow the bodies to work unconsciously. I was told that I should have to against the old teaching of holding appear in the dock on Monday morn- the slide, keeping the back straight, ing, and I was advised to wear my and getting the shoulders over.. best clothes. I thought the dock was All these positions he contended the stocks, and I pictured myself in were stiff, tiresome, and incorrect. a new top hat with my hands and Even if the stiff positions taught had feet sticking through the posts and been correct for oarsmen who were the crowd pelting me with rotten normally made, they would have been eggs. I was pleased when I found impossible for oarsmen who warled

I was mistaken.

"The famous rowing man,

from the normal with stiff joints, or Piggy other freak physical defects,

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