Ronald William Clarke AO MBE (1937 - 2015)

Born 21 Feb 1937 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Ancestors

Died 17 Jun 2015 at age 78 in Southport, Queensland, Australia

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Biography

Ron Clarke AO MBE is Notable.

Ron Clarke AO MBE represented Australia at the Tokyo and Mexico Olympic Games

Ron Clarke was an Australian distance runner, who lit the Olympic flame at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Between 1963 and 1968, he set 17 world records over distances ranging from 2 miles to the 1 hour run, but never won an Olympic gold medal—prompting Czech athlete, Emil Zátopek in 1968, to give him one of his own gold medals.

Ronald William 'Ron' Clarke was born on 21st February 1937 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was the second son of Thomas Clarke and Annie Miller. He attended Essendon Primary School, Essendon High School and Melbourne High School. He graduated from the University of Melbourne as an accountant. Whilst his father and older brother played Australian rules football in the Victorian Football League with Essendon, Ron joined the Glenhuntly Athletic Club and became a notable competitor from a young age. When still a promising 19-year-old, Ron was chosen to light the Olympic Flame in the Melbourne Cricket Ground during the opening ceremonies of the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. ^[1]

In 1959 in Victoria, Ron married Helen Grace Louise Woolley. ^[2]

Ron won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres race at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Four years later in Mexico City, despite training in the Alps to get acclimatised to high altitudes, he was unable to match the pace of his opponents from Africa, finishing sixth in the 10,000m. In the 1962 British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games), he won silver in the 3 mile (4.8 km) event, and in the 1966 Games he won silver medals in the 3 miles and 6 miles (9.7 km) events. He never managed to win a gold medal at either the Olympic or Commonwealth Games. Ron is most famous for having set 17 world records during his career. During the 1960s, he won nine Australian championships and twelve Victorian track championships ranging from 1,500m to 6 miles.

In the Queen's Birthday Honours 1966, Ron was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). ^[3]

On 14th July 2000 he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in recognition of his 'significant contribution as a competitor (Athletics)'. ^[4] He was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for 'distinguished service to the eco-tourism industry'. ^[5]

Ron was elected Mayor of the City of the Gold Coast, serving in that capacity from 2004 to 2012.

Between 1966 and 2004 Ron wrote or co-authored twelve books.

He was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2013 for 'distinguished service to the community through a range of leadership roles with local government and philanthropic organisations, and to the promotion of athletics'. ^[6]

Ron passed away of kidney failure, aged 78 years, on 17th June 2015 in Allamanda Hospital, Southport, Queensland. ^[7]. He is survived by his wife Helen and sons Marcus and Nicolas. His daughter Monique died of breast cancer in 2009.

Honours and awards

• 1965 Prix Du President by the French Sports Academy
• 1965 Helms Award for Australasia
• 1965 ABC's Sportsman of the Year
• 1965 Track & Field News Male Athlete of the Year
• 1965 BBC Sportsman of the Year – Overseas Personality
• 1965 World Sportsman of the Year by the International Association of Sports Writers
• 1966 Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
• 1982 Victorian Father of the Year
• 1985 inaugural inductee into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
• 2000 inaugural inductee into the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame
• 2000 Australian Sports Medal
• 2001 Centenary Medal
• 2013 Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)

Sources

1. ↑ 'THE OFFICIAL REPORT OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE FOR THE GAMES OF THE XVI OLYMPIAD MELBOURNE 1956'; accessed 3 Aug 2021
2. ↑ Victoria Marriage Index #7446/1959
3. ↑ Australian Honours: MBE; accessed 3 Aug 2021
4. ↑ Australian Honours: Australian Sports Medal; accessed 3 Aug 2021
5. ↑ Australian Honours: Centenary Medal; accessed 3 Aug 2021
6. ↑ Australian Honours: AO; accessed 3 Aug 2021
7. ↑ Weston, Paul. 'Former Gold Coast mayor and Olympic medallist Ron Clarke dies, aged 78'. Gold Coast Bulletin, 17 Jun 2015; accessed 3 Aug 2021

See also

• Wikipedia: Ron Clarke