Geelong’s Sporting Legacy

In the early 1890s, amid the rise of amateur sport across colonial Victoria, Geelong made a spirited, if short-lived, attempt to establish itself as a centre for organised athletics. Harry Roberts’ meticulously researched article, Geelong Athletics – A False Start, traces the brief but ambitious life of the Geelong Harriers Club, founded in 1892 under the auspices of the newly formed Victorian Amateur Athletic Association. Through vivid accounts of moonlit …

Max Kroger Geelong’s High Flying Athletic Champion Gliding with apparent ease over the high bar, Geelong Guild Harriers athlete, Max Kroger, annexed another Australian Record. In clearing 11 feet 7 1/2 inches he broke the 13 year old pole vault record by 1 inch. The year was 1927 and Max broke the previous record held by R Templeton of the USA when he competed in Sydney. An allround athlete, Max …

This article is a reprise of a story that the author, Harry Roberts, wrote and had published in 1976. It introduces the story of Mack Connor that unfolds in four short videos. Jaded and weary Geelong’s first marathon runner Adrian Ambrose Connor stood accepting the applause of the 1000 strong crowd. He just completed the final Sprint for 2nd place against G Bamford of NSW. The event was the first …