Vale Noel Ruddock AM

No-one has made a greater contribution to athletics in Tasmania, and only a handful have given more at national level, than Noel Ruddock who passed away on 17 July 2021 aged 94.

That, as a result, he was a Life Governor of Athletics Australia and a Life Member of Athletics Tasmania tells only a fraction of the story - because there were no higher recognitions that either body could have made to reflect a truly phenomenal service.

For certain Noel’s service will never be replicated. He became secretary of what was then known as the Tasmanian Amateur Athletic Association in 1946. He was not yet 20 years of age. His last formal involvement as treasurer concluded in 1997 of, what three name changes later was by then, Athletics Tasmania.

Noel Ruddock’s is the most distinguished career in administration the 119 year old association has, and for sure will ever have, witnessed.

But that was certainly not his last involvement in athletics by a long shot. Noel was never of the belief that he was irreplaceable but he did make the point of noting that the handover of his last officiating role – as track wind gauge operator – was to a computer cable!

Noel was the only athletics technical official appointed to both the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne and the 2000 edition in Sydney. It’s not known about other sports but he may well have been the only one across the Games.

And there was nothing token about his role as a call room judge in Sydney. It was a new area of officiating at the time and one which he, and Athletics Australia, was certain that could benefit from Noel’s then 50+ years’ experience in competition management.

With the exception of one season (1955/56), Noel was secretary or executive officer of Athletics Tasmania (in its various nomenclatures) from 1946 until 1993. Similarly he was treasurer or finance director from 1950 until 1997.

Clearly the role grew with Noel. His first annual report was seven pages. The last few he prepared were just short of 100. And he did it all without computers, the internet and mobile phones – which for the most part of Noel’s career in administration were not yet available.

The new offices of Athletics Tasmania when opened in 2013 were named in his honour – the Noel Ruddock Administration Centre. Until then its administration had always been delivered from Noel’s home or in the competition management room of the administration building at the Domain. No-one was happier than Noel that the sport now had a “real” office.

The State Government joined with the sport to honour Noel’s then 67 years contribution to sport in Tasmania – commissioning The Mercury’s cartoonist, John Farmer, to produce a commemorative caricature.

Athletics Tasmania noted on the occasion – “The environment Noel Ruddock and Graeme Briggs created means we have three fully operational and equipped athletics stadia around the state, a rich history in high performance, association administration, competition delivery, an extraordinary talented officials team which has always included teenagers through to those in the most experienced ranks and largely thanks to Noel, always money in the bank. We have always made our more than fair contribution to the administration of the sport nationally.”

That contribution to Athletics Australia was for 50 plus years built around Noel. At a time when the formulation of policy and all decision making was made at AA annual conferences, Noel was not merely a delegate from Tasmania but a most active participant in both discussion and determination of what was best for the sport. His constructive and thoughtful contributions were framed with national goals in mind but at the same time always protecting the interests of Tasmania and its athletes.

He attended 38 of them – not quite matching the record of 41of his great sparring partner and friend, fellow AA Life Governor Clive Lee who passed away earlier this year. They were in regular contact “in retirement” after Clive moved to Tasmania and athletics was always on the agenda.

He served on AA’s Scoring Tables and Standards Committee and was a long term member of its Association Secretaries Conference which in the era before paid staff at the national office dealt with the daily administrative tasks.

Noel  was appointed as a national team manager – in 1975 to the NZ Games and then in 1981 to the Pacific Conference Games, also in New Zealand, where he had the tough ask of having been the first Australian team leader to deal with a doping case whilst on tour. The athletes under his care on both occasions speak fondly and in appreciation of his management skills.

These were ideal roles for Noel as there was no doubt that he was in athletics for the athletes –something so clearly acknowledged in the many tributes penned since his passing. He organised Tasmanian team tours and competition entries throughout his years in administration and led some himself.

Noel’s most substantive contribution to athletics was in administration but officiating and competition management was not far behind. When Graeme Briggs conceived his plan as competition director for the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games to deliver the first major international competition designed for television broadcast he was not prepared to leave too much to chance.

His first step was to ensure that Noel was appointed as meeting manager – the key on-field technical officials’ position. That was of course off the back of years of partnership in similar roles delivering interclub competition every Saturday in Hobart and Tasmanian State Championships.

Noel’s on-field management of events was always calm and considered. He was a great problem solver.  He was characteristically armed with a stopwatch, clipboard and radio – although the purpose of the latter was often questioned by Briggsy who was regularly frustrated that Noel would not turn it on. More often than not it was more the case that Noel had turned it off so as to avoid the constant messaging from “up in the box”.

It’s doubtful that occurred in Brisbane which was a huge success and became the blueprint for most international events held around the globe from then on.

Briggs and Ruddock were an exceptional team but as Noel often quipped – “he might have come up with the ideas – but I had to execute them!”

Apart from the two Olympic Games and Brisbane 1982, Noel also officiated at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth (as a track umpire), the 1985 World Cup in Canberra (as meeting manager) and 1996 World Juniors in Sydney (as assistant call room manager) as well as countless national championships around Australia. Whenever held in Tasmania, Noel was a key figure in the organising team.

Noel’s encouragement of others to take on administrative roles and officiating is one of his most lasting of his many legacies. His willingness to pass on skills and then to mentor those taking advantage was quite special – and so widely appreciated both in Tasmania and around the country.

Meanwhile he got on with the job of keeping athletics in Tasmania and Australia in safe hands on a weekly basis. At a local level he was the driving force of Hobart’s regional association – now Athletics South working in particular with Bill Barwick and Clive “Froggy” Wise and then Briggsy and Robin Hood to keep competition strong and the administration and finances sound.

Noel was crucial to the evolution of the City to Casino Fun Run and the Athletics South Canteen which building on Noel’s sound model has funded much of Hobart’s always state-of-the-art competition equipment for decades. His service as the Canteen’s finance manager extended to 2016, some 54 years after the then Southern Branch had already deemed his service to it worthy of life membership.

By then Noel had been easing himself out of key officiating roles – but always trying to attend the main schools’ meets of each year and when he it suited Saturday interclub. He moved to helping out as a starter’s assistant and finally to wind gauge operator. The exit plan used all the smarts he had applied in his ascendency.

Earlier there was Noel Ruddock the athlete. Not letting his duties as TAAA secretary get in the way, Noel was eight times Tasmanian champion on the track – on four occasions over 880 yards and twice each at 440 yards and the mile. There were also five minor medals. He twice represented Tasmania at the Nationals - in Melbourne in 1948 and, as team captain, at home in Hobart in 1951.

His prowess as a footballer prevented Noel from achieving at similar levels in cross country or on the road whilst he had not had the opportunity at junior level as competition was curtailed during the years of WW2. He was however named as one of Sandy Bay Football Club’s “Best Ever 25” in 2001.

Noel was active professionally in education and later in accountancy. He was a doyen of both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games movements in Tasmania – becoming a life member of both CGA Tas and the TOC having served both bodies in numerous administrative and fundraising capacities, including as president and treasurer. He was very active with the IOC’s Pierre de Coubertin Awards program held in schools throughout Tasmania

It is a task to list all of the honours and recognitions accorded to Noel beyond those already mentioned but importantly they include the public acknowledgements as a Member of the Order of Australia in 1989 and of the Australian Sports Medal (2000) and the Centenary Medal (2001).

And there was much broader service to the community in general including more recently as treasurer of the Order of Australia Association in Tasmania.

Noel’s life membership of Athletics Tasmania was bestowed in 1962 and his life governorship of Athletics Australia in 1989 having earlier received its Merit Award (now known as life membership) in 1975.

When the Athletics Australia Platinum Pin for 40 years’ service to the sport was inaugurated in 2003, Noel and his life partner, Margaret were in the first group of recipients. Had the award existed earlier, Noel would have, of course, qualified in 1986!

The Australian and Tasmanian Athletics Families extend their condolences to Marg, their son Simon and daughter Kelly as well as expressing appreciation for service close to beyond comparison.

There will be a service to acknowledge Noel’s extraordinary life in Hobart on Friday, 23 July at Millington’s Eastern Shore (25 McIntyre Street, Mornington) commencing at 1pm.

By Brian Roe for Athletics Australia
Posted: 20/7/2021