Vale Jean Gell OAM

The Australian Athletics Family acknowledges a lifetime devotion to the sport with the passing of Athletics Australia Life Member – Jean Gell OAM.

In 1939, just 10 years after the founding of the Victorian Women’s Amateur Athletic Association and Eastern Suburbs Women’s Amateur Athletic Club, Jean Alway joined ESWAAC - competing in sprints, high jump, shot put and javelin. Jean felt such a deep sense of commitment to her team and club that she overlooked her family’s reluctance for her to compete in the “unlady-like” high jump – only to be rewarded with a parental two month prohibition from competition when the results of the meet were published in Victorian metropolitan newspaper, The Age.

She trained with ESWAAC at Camberwell Football Ground twice per week whilst women’s competition was held at Melbourne’s Royal Park where along with many others Jean received coaching support from Charlie Booth who is generally recognised as the original designer of starting blocks. 
  
In about 1944 Jean was thrilled to be a member of the Victorian team as a shot putter, competing in a match against New South Wales.  Wonderful friendships were developed on the field - whilst athletics as a sport was a winner through Jean’s subsequent significant contribution over many decades. 

In her administrative career Jean was appointed manager of Victorian women’s teams most notably in Brisbane in 1969 and Sydney in 1971.  At this time Victorian teams travelled by train as flying was too expensive.  In Brisbane they were confronted with a cockroach infested hotel, so a move to another hotel was necessary - although disruptive.  In Sydney the team was accommodated at a Kings Cross motel, which kept Jean on her toes!

Demonstrating her adaptability, in 1984, 1986 and 1991, Jean accompanied around 30 promising male athletes, between 13-17 years of age, for athletic meetings around England and Scotland, with stopovers at Bali and Hawaii - assisting tour director and fellow Athletics Australia life member Neville Sillitoe OAM.  

For 25 years Jean held the office of president of ESWAAC.  With the expansion of women’s athletic participation, other clubs such as Box Hill, Kew and Nunawading were formed and by 1979/1980 ESWAAC disbanded.

In 1975 Jean is believed to have been the first woman elected as an executive member of the Victorian Olympic Council - holding the office for the next ten years. She was a member of the VOC fundraising committee from 1968 to 1984 as well as being the VWAAA’s VOC delegate from 1974 to 1981.  From 1986 to 1991 Jean was also delegate to the Commonwealth Games Association (Victoria) which gave her the opportunity to learn about other sports from their representatives.  

In addition Jean was involved in raising funds every two years for either Commonwealth Games or Olympic Games.  This involved mail-outs and arranging events - using an office in the T&G building in the city where Jean worked five days a week.  On one occasion, when organising the sale of tickets for “Disney on Ice”, things became hectic, so her husband came to help out.  However, when they wanted to leave, the building was closed, necessitating the police to be telephoned and arrange for them to be let out.     

Jean held several positions with the VWAAA and after the amalgamation with the men’s association in 1982 - with Athletics Victoria. She was VWAAA treasurer and convenor of the finance committee) from 1965 until the merger. The decision to merge was not without some intense discourse at the time - in particular because the VWAAA, at the time of amalgamation, was financially healthy and with a strong membership, both built up over a long period.   

From 1987 to 1991 Jean was a board member of the amalgamated body now known as AV. From 1982 she was a trustee of the Maisie McQuiston Foundation which generously provided grants to women and girls to pursue their careers in athletics.

From 1939 onwards, as well as competing, Jean acted as an official at interclub, state and national championships. International appointments as a technical official came via the Pacific Games in 1977 (as a track judge) and the 1995 World Cup (as a track umpire) - as well as Deaflympics in Melbourne in 2005.  Jean eventually retired after season 2011/2012 as an announcer at the Doncaster venue – capping 70+ years involvement as an athletics official.

Jean is remembered as hardworking and fair but a sometimes tough administrator and interclub secretary at Royal Park and as a very vocal representative for Eastern Suburbs at VWAAC council meetings

Jean felt very privileged to be chosen as a baton carrier for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 and particularly honoured to be awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia on 26 January 2007 for service to athletics in Victoria as a competitor, manager and official, and as a contributor to the development of women's athletics.

These were just two of the many appropriate public recognitions made of Jean’s devoted and skilful lifetime of service to her sport.

At national level Jean had been a life member of Athletics Australia since 1974 and following its inauguration was a recipient of the AA Platinum Service Award for 40 years’ service in 2004,

Jean also received life membership of Eastern Suburbs AAC and a 45 year service pin from AV of which she was both a merit award holder and from 1976 a life member. 

More broadly she was acknowledged in 2008 with the Services to Sport Award in Leader Newspaper’s Eastern Division Sports Star Awards  Jean devoted an extraordinary amount of her time to athletics but, together with her returned serviceman husband Clive, raised a family of three children. Later in life Jean was a member of Camberwell/Hawthorn Legacy Widows Group.

The funeral service to celebrate the life of Jean Irene Gell will be held at St Paul’s Anglican Church, 2 Margaret St, Canterbury on Monday 24th May at 2pm.

Prepared by Carole Haberle and Brian Roe
Posted: 20/5/2021