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TRACK AND FIELD –THE EARLY YEARS DAVID GOLDWATER
from ONA 106
TRACK AND FIELD THE EARLY YEARS
BY DAVID GOLDWATER (51-62)
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I recently received a letter from my tutor and friend, the iconic W ‘Bill’ G Elliott (52-88). The letter describes his appointment (initially to take charge of Woodwork) by the then Headmaster, OW Mitchell (48-60) to introduce a full range of field events to the sporting curriculum at RGS –replacing the sack race as the main sporting activity!
After his father was appointed Works Manager at Joseph Lucas, Bill and family moved over from Manchester to Newcastle in 1926. At Gosforth Grammar School, disliking the raw vegetables served at school lunch, he opted each day to sprint home to Forest Hall for lunch and back, thus beginning his love affair with the running track. Loughborough came next (44-46) where Bill captained cross country (holding the cross country record for five years) and ran for the Universities’ Athletics Union team.
Lured by the 1948 Olympics and the contact with top athletes, after two years he returned to Loughborough to study for his Diploma of Loughborough College qualification. His appointment at Blyth Grammar School in 1949 brought Bill back to the North East. Here, he was in charge of Woodwork and shared responsibility for PE.
After three years, an appointment in the Woodwork department came up at the RGS and Bill applied.
At that time, school sports were primitive, including the sack race and throwing the cricket ball! Fortunately, he was given every encouragement to utilise his experience and a standards’ system was introduced whereby every pupil was able to contribute towards House points. Many ONs will remember being able to take pride in winning even one point.
After the innovation of a pole vaulting pit and this entirely new sport at the school, JR McManus (45-54) achieved a Cambridge Blue and the indoor British record in the sport.
After the innovation of a pole vaulting pit and this entirely new sport at the school, JR McManus (4554) achieved a Cambridge Blue and the indoor British record in the sport.”
This reflected great credit on the RGS and Bill still glows with pride as he recalls the visit by the combined Oxford and Cambridge Athletics
Team (Achilles) for a day in 1955, coaching in the morning and competing on a handicap basis in the afternoon.
It was a constant battle at school with the cricket ‘high-ups’ (as he still calls them) concerning the overlap of his elliptical running track with that of the circular cricket boundary. The Athletics Team competed regularly with distinction at numerous championships around the UK. The Running Club gave many presentday ONs their life-long interest in the sport. In 1966, Loughborough College became a University and, Bill, together with John Elders (57-82 and 92-96) and Paul Ponton (71-09), were recalled and awarded degrees.
In 1984, Bill was approached by then Headmaster Alister Cox (72-94) who invited Bill to consider launching a Clay Pigeon Shooting Club which proved to be extremely popular, winning several Public Schools Championships and trophies.
Bill retired in 1988 and has remained busy writing and publishing several books on local history on his local area. A remarkable man, a great personality, a loyal ON teacher who continues to take a keen interest in all matters RGS.
