Robert George Krulock "Ken" Waley (26 November 1889 – 10 September 1939) was an Australian coxswain who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics.[1][2] He was Australia's first selected representative coxswain.

Ken Waley
Personal information
Birth nameRobert George Krulock Waley
NationalityAustralian
Born(1889-11-26)26 November 1889
Burwood, New South Wales, Australia
Died10 September 1939(1939-09-10) (aged 49)
Sydney, Australia
Sport
SportRowing
ClubSydney Rowing Club
Achievements and titles
National finalsInterstate Championship M8 1910,11
Waley (seated front) with the 1912 Aust Olympic VIII, incl reserves & selectors

Rowing career

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Waley was educated at The King's School then The Armidale School[3] (1902-1905) and subsequently at the University of Sydney, where he was introduced to rowing whilst a student at St Paul's College. In 1909, he coxed the Sydney University eight, which won the men's eight event at the Australian University Championships.[4] His senior club rowing was from the Sydney Rowing Club.

In 1910 and 1911 he steered the New South Wales crews to victory in the men's eight at the annual Australian Interstate Regatta.[5][6]

He was coxswain in a 1912 Australian eight which racing as Sydney Rowing Club, won the Grand Challenge Cup at Henley-on-Thames, where they beat the Leander Club.[7] As an Australasian representative crew, they then travelled to Stockholm, Sweden for the 1912 Summer Olympics, where after beating a Swedish crew in the first round,[8] they were then knocked-out in the quarter-final by the same Leander eight they had defeated at Henley a few weeks earlier.[9] This was the first Australian international representative rowing crew and Waley was thus Australia's first representative coxswain.[10]

War service

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Waley enlisted late in WWI as he neared age 30 and gave his occupation as a company manager. He served in the Flying Corps and was promoted from Private to Sergeant during his short service period. He was returned to Australia just before the war's end for duty at the Central Flying School Australia but was almost immediately discharged.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Robert Waley". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Robert Waley". Olympedia. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  3. ^ Anstock, Belinda (1994). The Armidale School Register 1894-1993. The Armidale School (published 1993). ISBN 0646205862.
  4. ^ 1909 Intervarsity Championships
  5. ^ 1910 Interstate Regatta
  6. ^ 1911 Interstate Regatta
  7. ^ "1912 Stockholm Olympics". rowinghistory-aus.info. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Rowing at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's Coxed Eights Round One". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Rowing at the 1912 Stockholm Summer Games: Men's Coxed Eights Quarter-Finals". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  10. ^ Australian historical Senior Team list as at April 2018
  11. ^ Waley Profile at Australian Rowing History
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