WATCH THE UNVEILING PRESENTATION FOR SHEPPARTON CLUB’S OUSTANDING ACHIEVERS BOARD!
…Or read on below to learn more about our local stars!
MAX CARLOS
13-12-1935 to 12-05-1996
- 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