Clarence Alfred Weber (27 March 1882 – 20 November 1930) was an Australian athlete, wrestler and physical culturalist.

Career

Weber opened a health and strength college in

Flinders Street, Melbourne Flinders Street is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Running roughly parallel to the Yarra River, Flinders Street forms the southern edge of the Hoddle Grid. It is exactly 1 mi (1.609 km) in length and one and a half chains ( ...

with partner John Rice. He took up wrestling in 1904, defeating Buttan Singh for the

Australian Heavyweight Championship The Australian Heavyweight Wrestling Championship was the first Heavyweight professional wrestling championship in Australia. Title history See also *Professional wrestling in Australia Professional wrestling in Australia makes up a smal ...

in November 1906. He won the Australian title again in September 1911, and retired in 1913. His return to wrestling in 1923 was less successful. In 1925,

Ike Robin Ihakara Te Tuku Rapana (8 November 1886 – 21 June 1968), commonly known as Ike Robin, was a New Zealand sportsman, businessman, orator and member for the Māori Anglican Church. A champion sheep shearer and professional wrestler, he was the f ...

defeated Clarence Weber in a

Best 2 out of 3 Falls Many types of wrestling matches, sometimes called "concept" or "gimmick matches" in the jargon of the business, are performed in professional wrestling. Some gimmick matches are more common than others and are often used to advance or conclude a ...

match for the NWA Australasian Heavyweight Championship in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. Upon returning to Napier, he was apparently awarded a

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

in recognition of his victory. Robin became so popular in the country that a patented wire-strainer for fencing, the "Ike Grip", was named after him. Weber's final bout took place in 1926.

Personal life

Weber was the seventh surviving child of Robert Gustaf Frederick Weber and Eliza nee Head. Weber married Louisa Peck in 1906, and had four daughters and three sons. Louisa died on 19 May 1918. Weber then married fellow physical culturist Ivy Mitchell (nee Filshie), on 7 March 1919. Ivy had been widowed during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and had one son. Together, Clarence and Ivy had one son and two daughters.

Death

Weber collapsed and died on 20 November 1930 while washing his hands before dinner in Victoria Crescent, Mont Albert at the age of 48, the cause of death was a

coronary occlusion A coronary occlusion is the partial or complete obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition may cause a heart attack. In some patients coronary occlusion causes only mild pain, tightness or vague discomfort which may be ignored ...

. His second wife,

Ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

, became the second woman to be elected to the

Victorian parliament The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and ...

and the first at a general election.

Championships and accomplishments

Professional boxing Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse bid, purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional bouts are supervised by a regula ...

Professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

( 1 time)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weber, Clarence 1882 births 1930 deaths Sportspeople from Melbourne Sportsmen from Victoria (Australia) Australian male professional wrestlers Australian male boxers Boxers from Melbourne People associated with physical culture People from Brighton, Victoria