Hall of Famer Mathews AO among three honoured at Athletics Australia AGM

Olympic bronze medallist Marlene Mathews AO and esteemed official Patricia ‘Trish’ Kinnane have been elevated to Life Governors, while Queensland senior official Helen Roberts is celebrated as a Life Member,  following the 2023 Athletics Australia Annual General Meeting today.

Mathews and Kinnane become the 50^th and 51st Life Governors of the organisation – an honour bestowed upon individuals who have displayed outstanding service to Athletics Australia and the greater sport.

Often described as one of Australia’s greatest and unluckiest champions, Athletics Australia Hall of Famer Mathews was part of the golden era of Australian women’s sprinting throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Her first appearance at the Olympics was in 1956, where she finished third in both the 100m and 200m, and broke a number of world records across 100 years, 220 yards, 440 yards and 400m.

A former Athletics Australia Board Member, administrator, technical official and with a Platinum Pin for 40 years’of service to the sport in 2010, Kinnane has had a life long involvement with athletics, involved with the sport at all levels from school programs to national teams, and has mentored a new generation of officials with passion.

Queensland official Helen Roberts was also been recognised as a Life Member. The primary school teacher has been officiating since the Commonwealth Games in 1982 and has climbed up the ranks to be one of Australia’s most esteemed and experienced senior officials.

Stories about their contributions to Australian athletics can be read below.

Citations written by Brian Roe for Athletics Australia
Posted: 20/10/2023

Marlene Mathews AO (NSW)
Marlene Mathews the Athlete

Marlene first participated in athletics in the late 1940s and ran for the Western Suburbs Club in Sydney and by the time of the 1950 Australian Women’s Championships in Adelaide she was able to finish fourth in the 80m hurdles and was a member of New South Wales’ gold medal winning relay team.

Marlene was in good form in 1952 but injuries forced her out of competition and consequently a chance of selection in the Helsinki Olympic team.

But two years later, the situation was far rosier. She finished second in the 100 yards and third in the 220 yards at the Australian Women’s Nationals in Perth – enough for selection in the team for the 1954 British Empire Games (Commonwealth Games) in Vancouver, Canada.

But disappointment again followed when Marlene was injured in the second heat of the 100 yards and failed to finish, ending her first Games campaign.

In 1956 Marlene again competed in the Nationals - held in appalling conditions in Lang Park, Brisbane. This time she took silver in the 220 yards in 25.1 and bronze in the 100 yards in 11.0. It was the start of the path to that year’s Melbourne Olympics.

At the NSW trials, Marlene lost narrowly to Betty Cuthbert over 100m, but both clocked a windy 11.2, which was better than the then world record. Eventually she gained selection Olympic selection after trials in Melbourne in October when she finished second behind Cuthbert in both sprints.

In the Games, held on the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Marlene won her opening round 100m heat in 11.5 (11.81) and then her semi-final in 11.6 (11.80). In the final she was slowest out of the blocks but recovered to take bronze in 11.7 (11.94) behind Cuthbert and East German, Christa Stubnick. All the races were into strong headwinds.

In the 200m, Marlene opened in similar fashion, again winning her heat (in 24.16) before finishing second in the semi-final in 24.42. The final again saw her finish third in 23.8 (24.10), once more behind Cuthbert and Stubnick.

But then quite amazingly the national selectors left Marlene out of the sprint relay team which went onto win gold in a new world record. Her omission has never been fully explained by anyone, including the selectors. Understandably, it was one of Marlene’s greatest disappointments.

A week after the Olympics, Marlene was a member of the Australian 4x220yds world record breaking relay team, which defeated Great Britain and the USA in the Commonwealth v USA Meet in Sydney.

In January 1957, Marlene set an inaugural world record of 57.0 for 440yds at the Sydney Cricket Ground. She won the NSW 100yds title in a windy 10.1, much faster than the world record of 10.4.

At the 1958 National Championships in Sydney, Marlene equaled the world record in her heat and then won the final with a clear new world mark of 10.3. It was a stunning meet for Marlene, as she then won the 220yds with another world record of 23.4 beating Betty Cuthbert’s old mark.

The Commonwealth Games were held in Cardiff, Wales in 1958 and with Marlene in great form, it was her best opportunity yet to dominate. And that she did.

She won her heat and semi of the 100yds and in the final won narrowly from England’s Heather Young 10.70 to 10.73. In the 220yds, Marlene was again too good, winning her second gold in 23.65 to Cuthbert’s 23.77.  This time there was no doubt about relay selection and Marlene anchored the Australian team to a silver medal in the 4x110yds event in 46.12, behind England’s new world record of 45.37.

Selected for the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Marlene made it through the first-round heats but was the eliminated in the semis finishing sixth in 12.05. She ran in the relay team which was unfortunately disqualified in the heats.

Marlene Mathews in Administration and Officiating

Marlene retired after the Rome Games and quickly moved into sports administration, officiating and coaching. In 1972 she was appointed to the Australian Olympic Team as an assistant manager. She served as a technical official, principally as a starter, and was a most effective executive officer of the Australian Track and Field Coaches Association, and later served as its president.

Together with Clive Lee, Marlene did much work travelling in regional Australia to promote the development of athletics and together they played a pivotal role in establishing a formal athletics presence on Norfolk Island and sourcing equipment for competition.

Marlene was a member of the IAAF Women’s Committee from 1984 to 1989, served as an Australian Delegate to IAAF Congresses.

When the decision was made by Athletics Australia to bid for the 1985 World Cup, Marlene was recruited as a member of the successful Bid Team. She was then appointed to the Local Organising Committee – the sole female.

Marlene also undertook much volunteer work within the Olympic Movement, particularly in ongoing education about Olympism. As a result, in 2003 she was in inaugural recipient from the Queensland Olympic Council of the de Coubertin Service Award.

Marlene Mathews in Coach Education and Coaching

But perhaps most of all Marlene’s contribution to coaching and coach education has been substantial and trailblazing.

She was appointed in 1972 by the National Sports Foundation in conjunction with the then Amateur Athletic Union of Australia (now Athletics Australia) to be the National Athletics Coaching Convenor with the responsibility for coach education and coach development throughout Australia.

Among the early tasks she set herself were formation of a National Coaches Association and a National Coaching Committee from amongst the coaches of Australia.

Marlene also saw as vital the meaningful establishment of a network of National Coaches and the development, publishing and distribution of a National Coaching Manual. Prior to this time there had been a number of different local coaches associations but none had lasted more than a few years before disbanding. Simply, the reason for this was that all coaches were honorary, taking it on in their spare time; any additional time that became available to them was generally put to more coaching, not into administrative duties. Having Marlene employed in a professional capacity overcame many of these problems.

On Marlene's initiative in 1974 a steering committee was set up with representatives from all states and territories to establish what was to become in 1975 the fully constituted Australian Track & Field Coaches Association (ATFCA). There was a National Committee and a Member Branch in each state and territory.

With Marlene's drive and friendly coercion, by year's end a network of (honorary) National Event Coaches was established and a three-tier coaching structure initiated. The Coaching Manual, written by the National Event Coaches, was considered, and after discussion and some amendment at a conference of the nation's senior coaches approved for publication.

That so much was achieved within the space of one year, and with so much cohesion, speaks volumes of Marlene's considerable skills and expertise as a leader of distinction.

The first Level I courses were conducted at different locations around the nation in 1976, and a number of highly credentialed and experienced coaches were awarded Level II or Level III honoris causa, or in reciprocation for comparable awards they had achieved with overseas national federations before their arrival in Australia.

Marlene remained at the professional helm until her retirement in June 1989. During those 18 years the growth of the ATFCA as a coaches’ association, Australia's honorary coaches’ structure, and the Coaching Manual were recognised by the IAAF as world leading.

The following year Marlene was elected to the voluntary role as President of ATFCA - a position she held until 1998.

Marlene was an outstanding coach in her own right, and with the then accreditation of Level II for many years coached an outstanding group of young sprinters. She also used her skills and expertise to coach running competency to participants in a  number of other sports at a variety of levels.

Marlene was very much a legend of coaching and coach education in her own time. Wherever she travelled for athletics in her role as National Coaching Convenor she was unanimously welcomed and greatly revered. Praise for her was universal.

Honours for Marlene Mathews

In 1979, Marlene’s contribution to the Australian nation was acknowledged when she became a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for service to athletics and again in 1999 when, as a result of her extraordinary service to sport particularly in coach education and the community she was elevated to the status of an Officer of the Order (AO), the second highest level in the Australian Honours System. The Australian Sports Medal was bestowed in 2001 for services to the Olympic Movement.

In 1985 Marlene was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame and as a long serving trustee of the Sydney Cricket Ground she is recognised in its Walk of Honour. She also has a pavement plaque at the State Athletic Centre at Sydney Olympic Park acknowledging her four individual and one relay world records.

Marlene was recognised with life membership of Athletics Australia in 1988 and was elected to its Hall of Fame in 2010. She was awarded the IAAF Veteran Pin in 1993.

On 3 January 2018, Lord Coe unveiled statues of Marlene and the then recently passed Betty Cuthbert at the Sydney Cricket Ground. He remarked that the two women had left an incredible legacy across the entire sport of athletics.

 “I don’t think anybody here is going to argue with me, without our history, sport is pretty meaningless.

“We need to be able to benchmark; we need a framework of reference and the two athletes that we’re celebrating here today… are in any generation, the best of the best. And they did something else that was crucial.

"Their head-to-heads brought crowds to the stadiums and that is what we need to do today. We need to excite a young generation of athletics enthusiasts to understand that what they’re watching out there is extraordinary.

“These two athletes brought the crowds back. They were the dominant feature in athletics in the 50s and the 60s and I’ve often said that the history of athletics in Australia is our history. It’s the history that has shaped and formed so many young athletes.

In 2023 – 75 years after her first involvement in the sport, Marlene remains an exceptional ambassador for athletics and sport more broadly – a popular inclusion on speaker and interview lists at myriad functions, awards nights and other special occasions. In recognition of a lifetime of commitment and service, Marlene Mathews was presented as a most worthy recipient of Life Governorship of Athletics Australia.

Patricia (Trish) Kinnane (QLD)

An accomplished educator with an impressive record in breaking through new frontiers, Trish Kinnane has been as committed and effective in her, always voluntary, contribution to her sport – athletics. And this has not abated in the 16 years since she was accorded with Life Membership of Athletics Australia in 2007.

What is different, however, is the nature of that contribution – moving from a multi-talented hands-on deliverer in myriad roles to a mentor and advisor, whilst always willing to roll up her sleeves as required.

Trish was meticulous and fearless in her profession – taking on senior leadership roles in education including as principal of a boys only secondary school. It was not therefore surprising that her first major role at national level in athletics was in team management.

Trish’s role at the helm of Australian junior international teams from 1995 consolidated on the work of her predecessors but took delivery of and consequently expectations from national team management to new levels. She delegated responsibility to increasingly more extensive better equipped team structures whilst using her professional skills to maximise the opportunity team selection and international competition provide to team members.

After leading a select team to Japan in 1995 in preparation for the busy five years that lay ahead, Trish was Team Manager for the home World Juniors in Sydney in 1996, retaining the role through the 1998 edition in Annecy, France to Santiago, Chile in October 2000, immediately after the Sydney Olympics and Paralympics.

Australia was one of the most eager participants when the World Under 18 Championships were inaugurated in 1999 in Poland – and to ensure that its team was the best prepared and managed, Trish was again asked to take the helm – experience was crucial as these were then the youngest athletes ever to represent Australia at that level.

To better prepare athletes and engage new team officials, Trish led additional tours to New Zealand during her time in charge. 

Trish then moved on to senior level to become team manager for Oceania at the World Cup in Madrid, Spain in 2002.

Throughout those years, Trish’s interest and involvement in Athletics Australia’s junior development programs extend well beyond national teams – providing input into schools programs and resources. She was elected to the AA Board in 1998 and became one of those to take the then quite revolutionary decision as a sport board member to resign their roles in favour of a transition to a more corporate board-style structure.

Trish received the Athletics Australia Platinum Pin for 40 years’ service to the sport in 2010 – indicating the length of service she has now given to the sport.

Throughout that time, Trish has been a dedicated technical official at all levels from club and school competitions, to state, national, Oceania Area and international competition.

Trish was a call room judge for the Sydney Olympics in 2000 as part of the innovative team that took that area to a new level of importance in the delivery of athletics competitions around the globe. Come the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, she had taken on the role of Call Room Chief Judge.

Her early passion was in meet administration, well before the involvement of computerised meet management systems and even the ready availability of photo copiers. Trish was often administration manager and competition secretary for state and national competitions – capped by appointment to that role for the Goodwill Games in Brisbane in 2001.

Trish more recently turned her hand to the education and mentoring of others in the technical officials ranks – deciding for the 2018 Commonwealth Games close to home on the Gold Coast not to seek appointment to a role for herself but to ready others for the task. This was critical because 12 years had passed since the last major international competition in Australia and a new influx of officiating talent was needed to supplement those with past experience. Trish drove this with a passion.

In an extended story, in late 2020, on great family contributions to Queensland life, the Courier Mail observed – “whether it was at an Olympics or local track and field meeting, Trish applied her decades of experience to remain calm and professional.”

Stepping down in 2023, Trish has been a steady hand on the Board of Queensland Athletics, playing a significant role in bringing the diverse regions of the state together. She had been accorded QA life membership 20 years earlier in 2003. She holds the same award with Ipswich and District AC.

She did not restrict herself to her own country and became a fine ambassador for Australian officiating throughout the Oceania region – officiating herself in myriad Oceania competitions from 2004 to 2021 and taking on a lead mentoring role for Oceania Island Member Federations from 2005.

Trish was according honoured with appointment to the Pacific Games and Mini Games on nine occasions from 2005 to 2022, mostly before Australia as a nation was invited to compete and with the Oceania Athletics Merit Award in 2018.

When Trish was bestowed with the Australian Sports Medal in November 2000, the citation read – “for outstanding service as an administrator, competition and team official, especially with junior teams”.

That typified phase one of her service to athletics – the second continuing to this day can be categorised as one of mentorship and “senior statepersonship”.

Such preparedness to transition roles and develop new ways so effectively to contribute so positively to athletics provided a very strong case for Trish Kinnane to become a Life Governor of Athletics Australia on 20 October 2023.

Helen Roberts (QLD)

 Helen Briscoe was an active, if not especially talented, athlete in her early years. Her mother, Joyce, was a long time official with Queensland Athletics, so it was eventually no surprise Helen when Helen followed suit – even if the process was not immediate.

As a young volunteer Helen was a basket carrier for athletics at the Commonwealth Games Brisbane 1982 but it was not until the mid-1990s that the officiating bug finally latched on. And when it did – it was in a big way.

Initially there were slightly different roles. As a primary school teacher, Helen was appointed as a team coach within the Queensland School Sport system from 1995 to 2008. She also served as an active member of Queensland Primary Track and Field committee for the majority of this time.

This involved her being responsible for coaching children in countless team exchanges at Australian School Sport annual competitions. She helped coach many of our future national champions in throwing events during their early careers.

Helen was also a keen team official and coach at the then very popular Pacific School Games for the 1996, 2000, 2005 and 2008 editions. The 1996 Perth PSG provided one of the two major catalysts for Helen’s future career as a technical official. Midway through the competition there were problems with officiating numbers and the only way to proceed was to stop the events and ask for volunteers to help out. Helen was one of the first to jump the fence.

Helen was appointed as a team coach for the Australian School Sport team at the International Schools Federation World Schools Games in Greece 2006, having four years earlier been awarded the School Sport Australia Track and Field Service Award.

The other major factor in Helen pursuing officiating at a high level was a tap on the shoulder from the late Reg Brandis who was busily recruiting and training a new generation of technical officials for the 2000 Olympics and Paralympics in Sydney. Reg was an engaging and effective mentor who correctly saw in Helen the commitment and talent that Australian athletics was then looking forward to providing for 2000 and the years beyond.

Helen was a keen learner and built a very strong understanding of the rules and more particularly for their application. But perhaps most significantly from her engagement with Reg, Helen developed a passion for mentoring others – something that has been a feature of her contribution to the sport ever since.

Whilst strongly committed to working with mainstream officials, Helen has looked further afield and reached out to two key cohorts to provide pathways for them to join the rankings of technical officials – fellow teachers and young people.

Helen would regard those as her main contributions, but her own achievements have been of the highest level. After working her way through Athletics Australia’s domestic officials education levels, she successfully passed the evaluation for the IAAF Level II Diploma of Officiating (now World Athletics Silver Referee) in 2009.

She was elevated to the Level III Panel in 2014 and has since been appointed to myriad international competitions including World Championships and Olympic Games as an International Technical Official and more recent as a World Athletics Referee – including on field roles and as video and start referee.

Helen has also been an active and enthusiastic member of various Athletics Australia committees – currently serving on the Officials Operations Committee. She has held countless positions, like her colleagues always in a voluntary role, at local, state, national and Oceania Area competitions.

At major international events in Australia, Helen has progressed from roles as a throws judge at the 2000 Olympics and the 2001 IAAF GP Final, to chief judge positions at the 2000 Paralympics, the 2001 Goodwill Games and the 2006 Commonwealth Games to ITO at the 2018 edition of the latter.

Helen has also taken on roles in national team management – as section manager for athletics for the 2004 Commonwealth Youth Games in Bendigo and as team manager to the 2016 Melanesian Regional Championships in Suva, Fiji.

Helen Roberts’ diverse contribution to Australian athletics from grassroots to international levels made her a fine candidate for election as a Life Member of Athletics Australia on 20 October 2023.