Adam Austin (1911-1970) is a former

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

international referee who represented the

Scottish Rugby Union The Scottish Rugby Union (SRU; gd, Aonadh Rugbaidh na h-Alba) is the governing body of rugby union in Scotland. Styled as Scottish Rugby, it is the second oldest Rugby Union, having been founded in 1873. The SRU oversees the national league s ...

. He was involved in many sports: rugby union, golf, curling and bowling, the most notable.

Rugby union career

Playing career

Amateur career

Austin went to Glasgow High School where he availed himself of many sports. Austin played for

Glasgow HSFP Glasgow HSFP are a former rugby union team that played their home games at Glasgow, Scotland. The team was founded in 1884 by former pupils of the High School of Glasgow. The team no longer exists. In 1982 it merged with the Kelvinside Academi ...

Referee career

Professional career

He refereed the Glasgow University Sevens tournament in 1947. He refereed the first

Scottish Inter-District Championship The Scottish Inter-District Championship is a rugby union competition between regional sides in Scotland. Established in 1953, the tournament went through several formats. The Scottish Rugby Union confirmed in January 2023 that the Scottish In ...

match in

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito i ...

. It was the Edinburgh District v South match on 30 September. He became a selector on the Glasgow and District committee.

International career

He refereed the Ireland v England match in the Five Nations on 14 February 1953.

Curling career

He was President of Bellshill Curling Club from 1967–68.

Cricket career

He played cricket for Greenock Cricket Club.

Golf career

Noted as a golfer of some note, Austin latterly became a golf official.

Outside of sport

Austin moved to Motherwell in 1955. Austin was employed by the Royal Bank of Scotland: in the Hamilton branch, then as an accountant in the Wishaw branch; then as manager of the Motherwell branch. He joined the local Motherwell and Bellshill Rotary Club in 1964, becoming its secretary in 1968. His death was announced to the Rotary Club members on 8 January 1970.

Family

A plane crash on a German motorway made the headlines in 1968. A British Eagle Viscount airliner crashed onto an autobahn killing 48 people. Amongst the dead were Austin's son and daughter in law, Robin and Linda Austin, who were travelling through southern Germany. Another son, Douglas, joined the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh, as an accountant.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Adam Scottish rugby union referees Rugby union officials 1910s births Glasgow HSFP players Scottish Inter-District Championship referees 1970 deaths