Once Were Walkers

Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it. Racewalking is perhaps the most controversial of all Olympic disciplines and is a sporting event that regularly provokes spirited attacks from media and armchair sportsmen.

This book is not written for those people. Rather, it is written for all those devotees of the sport who have a real understanding of this athletic endeavour and years of sacrifice needed to attain real proficiency.

From William Murray in 1912 to Nathan Deakes in 2005, Victoria continues to be the walking powerhouse in Australia. Over 40 Victorian based walkers have represented Australia in the Olympics, the Commonwealth Games and other major international competitions.

This is the story of these elite sportmen and sportswomen. It is also the story of Australian racewalking which is, at the time of writing, our most successful Track and Field event. Walking provided the only two individual Track and Field medals awarded to Australia in the 2004 Olympic Games. Nearly one quarter of the Australian team to go to the 2005 IAAF World Championships will be walkers.

Like I said, love it or hate it, you can't ignore it! 

Tim Erickson
Saturday 16 July 2005

Highlights include


* 196 pages
* 80 photographs
* 43 biographies
* enough statistics to dazzle even the most devoted statistician
* controversies and little known facts
* a bargain price of only $15 ($20 pp Australia)

The book features profiles of the following Victorian based walkers who each represented his/her chosen country at the highest levels of international competition.

William Murray                           George Knott    Don Keane    Ted Allsopp        Norm Read    Ray Smith    Noel Freeman    Bob Gardiner        Ross Haywood    Willi Sawall        Tim Erickson    David Smith        Lorraine Jachno (Young)    Sue Cook (Orr)        Sally Pierson    John Sheard        Michael Harvey   Bill Dyer        Harry Summers    Andrew Jachno        Anne Miller    Frances Toohey

Roseanne Smith    Simon Baker        Duncan Knox    Paul Van Kopplen (Copeland)        Craig Brill    Gabrielle Blythe        Mark Donahoo    Mark Dosseter Steve Beecroft    Sharon Schnyder    Kevin Lowden    Dion Russell    Duane Cousins    Dominic McGrath    Wendy Muldoon    Mark Thomas    Nathan Deakes    Simone Wolowiec    Jared Tallent   Frank Bertei    Chris Erickson

As an example of the sort of material in the book, here is the chapter on Ray Smith, 1956 Olympian -> RaySmith1956.pdf

Available only from Tim Erickson
1 Avoca Cres, Pascoe Vale, Victoria, 3044
03 9379 2065 (hm)
terick@melbpc.org.au

To order, print off the order form in the following advertising flyer and post to me  -> Once Were Walkers.pdf