Dennis Allan Green (26 May 1931 – 5 September 2018) was an Australian

sprint canoeist Canoe sprint is a water sport in which athletes race canoes or kayaks on calm water. Overview Race categories vary by the number of athletes in the boat, the length of the course, and whether the boat is a canoe or kayak. Canoe sprints are som ...

surf lifesaver Surf lifesaving is a multifaceted social movement that comprises key aspects of voluntary lifeguard services and competitive surf sport. Originating in early 20th century Australia, the movement has expanded globally to other countries, ...

, coach and sporting administrator who competed from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. He was the first Australian to compete in five

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, and he won a bronze medal in the K-2 10000 m event at

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 ...

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

. He also won 57 Gold Medals at the

World Masters Games The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind. Governed by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the World Mast ...

and a further 75 at national level.

Personal

Green was born in

Epping, New South Wales Epping is a suburb of Sydney, in the Australian state of New South Wales, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. Epping is located in the Northern Sydney region, w ...

on 26 May 1931. He was married to Shirley and they had two daughters – Christine and Karen. From 2012 until his death, he and Shirley lived in

Little Bay, New South Wales Little Bay is a suburb in south-eastern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Little Bay is located 14 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district and is part of the local government area of the City of Randwick ...

. Green died of cancer, aged 87, on 5 September 2018.

Canoeing

Green's Olympic Games record: *1956 – Men's K-2 1000m – 7th final ; Men's K- 2 10000m – Bronze Medal with

Wally Brown Wallace Edgar Brown (October 8, 1904 – November 13, 1961) was an American actor and comedian. In the 1940s, he performed as the comic partner of Alan Carney. Early years Wallace Edgar Brown was born in Malden, Massachusetts, the son of Her ...

*1960 – Men's K-2 1000 – 6th semi-final ; Men's K Relay – 3rd semi-final *1964 – Men's K-4 1000m – 9th final *1968 – Men's K-4 1000m – 4th semi-final *1972 – Men's K-4 1000m – 5th semi-final Between 1955 and 1974, Green whilst representing St George Club won 64 Australian championships (singles, pairs and fours), including 18 pairs events with

Barry Stuart Barry Stuart (4 April 1934 – 27 August 2020) was an Australian sprint canoeist who competed from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. Competing in four Summer Olympics, he earned his best finish of ninth twice (1956: K-1 1000 m, 1964 ...

between 1955 and 1974. He won 79 New South Wales state titles. In 1976, he was appointed coach of the national kayak team. At the age of 60, Green accepted the position of QLD Regional Director of Coaching for Canoeing at the

Queensland Academy of Sport The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1991 by the Queensland Government to support athletes in the state of Queensland. Its headquarters are currently located at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in ...

and he remained coaching in Queensland until 2012.

Surf Life Saving

At the age of 15, Green joined

Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club The Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club is one of Australia's oldest Surf Life Saving Clubs, founded in 1906. The club was established in 1906 the Club is situated at the northern end of Maroubra Beach in Sydney. See also *Surf lifesaving *Surf Life ...

. Between 1954 and 1967, he won eight Australian open double ski championships. He won the Australian open single ski championships in 1964/65, and the international single ski title at the Olympic carnival held in association with the 1956 Olympic Games. In 1981, at the age of 50, Green reached the final of the surf ski at the World Surf Titles in Bali, and he continued to compete in the surf in open events until 1984.

Recognition

*1972 – Flag bearer Australian Team at the

1972 Munich Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

*1977 – Order of the British Empire – Medal (Civil) / British Empire Medal (Civil) (Imperial) *1978 – inaugural Australian Olympic Committee Order of Merit *1979 –

New South Wales Hall of Champions The New South Wales Hall of Champions is a museum at Australia Avenue, Sydney Olympic Park, New South Wales, Australia. The property is owned by State Sports Centre Trust (State Government). The museum's collection was added to the New South Wa ...

inductee *1986 –

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

inductee *2000 – Australian Sports Medal *2005 –

Surf Life Saving Australia Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is an Australian not-for-profit community organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services. SLSA strives to create a safe environment on Australia's beaches and coastline through patro ...

Life Membership. *2007 – Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) *2014 – Surf Lifesaving's Walk of Fame at

Maroubra Beach Maroubra is a beachside suburb in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is 10 kilometres south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Randwick. Marou ...

*2017 – Paddle Australia Hall of Fame

References

External links

Sports-reference.com profileAustralian Olympic Committee notice of Green's death
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Dennis 1931 births 2018 deaths Australian male canoeists Australian surf lifesavers Canoeists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1968 Summer Olympics Canoeists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic canoeists for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in canoeing Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian recipients of the British Empire Medal Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Sportsmen from New South Wales Deaths from cancer in New South Wales 20th-century Australian people