Outstanding

Achievers

watch the unveiling presentation for shepparton club’s oustanding achievers board!

…Or read on below to learn more about our local stars!

Our commitment to staff:

MAX CARLOS

Was a household name in the Goulburn Valley as Shepparton’s first Olympian, boxing in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics
Boxed as an amateur at the Shepparton Boys Club gymnasium
Won the Golden Gloves in 1955 and as national champion, represented Australia and won a gold medal in the South East Asian games in the light welterweight division
Turned professional after the Olympics and trained under the well-known Ambrose Palmer
Fought twelve round contests against the best boxers in Australia on turning professional
In two years as a professional he had nineteen bouts for 11 wins, 6 losses and 2 draws
His career culminated by winning the Australian lightweight championship, over 15 rounds against the indigenous boxer and titleholder George Bracken before a packed house at Melbourne’s Festival Hall
Retired from boxing after suffering a fractured ear drum
Used his fame to become a businessman, opening a popular men’s wear store in
Shepparton
Joined the Apex organisation and was one of their principal organisers of the annual Sports Star of the Year award
Became a boxing referee officiating at bouts on HSV7s TV Ringside
Enjoyed playing snooker and became Shepparton Club snooker champion

Don Fairless

16-06-1927

Outstanding sportsman, citizen, sports administrator, businessman and community supporter
Grew up on an orchard at Shepparton East and played football with the Shepparton East team including premierships in 1945 and 1948. Lifelong supporter of Shepparton East and honoured with life membership of the club
A key member of the Central Park Development Committee since 1948. Worked tirelessly to support the development of the area from a paddock into a top sporting complex
Top line cyclist and professional runner. Defeated world champion cyclist Sid Patterson in an amateur wheel race at Benalla, prior to taking up professional running
Invited to run in the Australian 880 yards championship event at Kardinia Park in Geelong
Winner of several 880 yard races including the New Year’s Day carnival at Deakin Reserve, Shepparton
Life member of the Shepparton Cycling Club, promoter and organiser of the development of a first class cycling velodrome in Shepparton
Great supporter of junior cycling, providing bikes for new members of the club
Board member of the Shepparton Preserving Company
Proudly supported the cycling career of his son Stephen as an Olympic cyclist and a world veterans cycling champion

Steve Fairless

21-05-1962

World class cyclist who commenced as a junior with the Shepparton Cycle Club
Won the Australian schoolboys road cycling championship in 1978
Represented Australia in the World Junior Cycling championships in Mexico in 1980
Won the Team Time Trial and was second in the road race at the Australian Road Championship in 1985
First in the Boags five day Tour of Tasmania in 1986
Represented Australia at the World Cycling Championships in Austria in 1987
Rode for Australia at the Seoul Olympics in 1988, finishing 9th in the 100 km Time Trial
1991 won the Grafton to Inverell road race, second in the Melbourne to Warrnambool road race
Retired from competitive racing in 1992, but returned in1997 and won the 228 kilometre Melbourne to Shepparton race
Won the Australian Masters road racing championship in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013
Second in the Masters World Championship in Slovenia in 2014
Won the Masters World championship in the 50 – 54 age group in Denmark in 2015
Cycling Australia Masters Road Cyclist of the Year in 2013, 2014 and 2015

Brett Lancaster

15-11-1979

Shepparton’s most successful athlete, commenced cycling with the Shepparton Cycle Club at the age of fourteen, excelling at both track and road racing
Represented Australia at 3 Olympic Games (Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) winning the Team Pursuit gold medal in record time in Athens.
Gold Medallist in the team pursuit at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Won the Team Pursuit at the 1998 World Titles
Competed six times in the Tour de France, winning the Team Time Trial in 2013, with team mate Simon Gerrans wearing the yellow leader’s jersey
Competed nine times in the “Giro d’ Italia” winning the team time trial in 2014 and 2015. Wore the pink Jersey (maglia rosa) as tour leader after winning the prologue in 2005
Won the world championship in the Team Pursuit at the 2002 (world record time), and 2003 world track championships
Won stage 2 of the Tour of California in 2010
Presented with an Order of Australia Medal in 2005
Selected as a key member of the inaugural Australian ORICA GreenEDGE
professional cycling team

Glenn James

06-06-1946

Outstanding football umpire and sportsman
One of 14 children born to Indigenous Australians Carey and Mary James of Shepparton
Played football with brothers Carey and Lance in premiership teams with Wunghnu F.C.
In 1968 was drafted into the Army and proudly served his country in Vietnam.
Umpired football with the Goulburn Valley Football Umpires Association.
Undertook teacher training in Melbourne and joined the VFL Football Umpires Association
Umpired 166 senior VFL games including the 1982 and 1984 Grand Finals.
Became the first Indigenous Australian to umpire a VFL Grand Final
Received a Bachelor of Education and lectured at Swinburne University
Honoured with life membership of the Victorian Football Umpires Association
In 1984 received an Order of Australia Medal and was named Victorian Aborigine of the Year
Chosen as umpire in the Victorian Indigenous team of the century
Elected president of the VFL Umpires Association
Appointed as umpires careers advisor with the VCFL

Bruce Quick

04-10-1959

Champion pistol shooter with Shepparton Pistol Club
Competed at two Olympic Games (Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008) in the Rapid Fire event
Competed at six Commonwealth Games (Auckland 1990, Kuala Lumpur 1998,
Manchester 2002, Melbourne 2006, Delhi 2010 and Glasgow 2014)
Won a total of 14 Commonwealth Games Medals. (1 Gold, 10 Silver and 3 Bronze)
Won six Gold, two Silver and nine Bronze Medals in the Oceanian shooting championships
Competed in Rapid Fire, Centre Fire and Standard Fire pistol events
Won a Commonwealth Games Bronze Medal with partner David Chapman in the pair’s event
One of only six athletes to have represented Australia six times at Commonwealth Games.

Louise Dobson

01-09-1972

Best performed player from the Shepparton Hockey Association
Played hockey for the Windangs Hockey Club
Represented Shepparton Hockey Association
Selected to represent Victoria at interstate carnivals, which led to Australian selection
Played 230 international games for Australia
Won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
Gold Medallist at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Bronze Medallist at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games
Competed at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games
Represented Australia at the 2004 Hockey World Cup
Scored 58 goals for Australia
Presented with an Order of Australia Medal in 1996

Christine Dobson

21-11-1966

First Shepparton Hockey Association player to represent Australia at the
Olympic Games
Played for the Windangs Hockey Club in Shepparton Hockey Association
Represented the Shepparton Hockey Association
Selected to represent Victoria and played State Hockey from 1983 – 1993
Selected to represent Australia in the National Hockey team
Played 55 games of international hockey for the Australian team
Scored 6 goals for Australian hockey team
Won a silver medal in 1990 Hockey World Cup
Represented Australia in the hockey team for the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games

Shaun O’brien

31-05-1969

Commenced with the Shepparton Cycling Club in 1978 at 8 years of age
Won the Victorian Schoolboys under 12 track cycling championship in 1981
Won the under 16 Australian Team Pursuit championship in 1984 and 1985 along
with the Australian Road Team Time Trial in 1985
First in the Australian Junior 3000m pursuit in 1987 and represented Australia in the World Titles in Italy
Won 2 major events during the 1988 road season in Europe and became a
scholarship holder at the AIS track cycling unit in Adelaide
Victoria’s 1988 Cyclist of the Year winning four Victorian titles
Represented Australia in the 1989 World Elite Track Cycling Championships in
Lyon, France
Won silver medals in the Team Pursuit and 10km scratch race at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games
Won the 50 km Madison at the 1990 World Track League Cup in Montreal, Canada.
Bronze medallist in the 1991 World Championships in the Team Pursuit in Stuttgart
Germany
Won a silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games

Sir John Mcdonald

06-12-1898 to 23-04-1977

Shepparton’s most notable citizen who greatly supported the irrigation industry and the development of the Goulburn Valley area
President of Northern Victorian Fruitgrowers Association
Vice President Australian Canning Fruitgrowers
Chairman – Shepparton Preserving Company
Councillor of the Shepparton Shire Council
M.L.A. for the seat of Goulburn Valley 1936 -1945
M.L.A. for the seat of Shepparton 1945 – 1955
Minister for Water Supply
Minister for Lands and Soldier Settlement
Premier of Victoria – 1950 – 1952
Director of Goulburn Murray Television
Life Member of the Shepparton Club

John Thorsen

11-09-1957

1972, 75 & 76 Goulburn Valley Sports Star of the Year
1974 Victorian Country, Victorian, Australian, Dutch & English Junior Road &
Track Champion
1975 Australian Junior Champion representing Australia at the World Track &
Road Championships in Switzerland
1976 at age 18 represented Australia at the Montreal Olympics
Retired in 1977, returned in 1978 to win the Devenport Wheelrace & Bendigo
Madison with Malcolm Hill
In 1980 was badly injured when hit by a car on a training ride, which ended his
brilliant cycling career