Bunbury, Western Australia
Bunbury is a coastal city in the Australian state of Western Australia, approximately south of the state capital, Perth. It is the state's third most populous city after Perth and Mandurah, with a population of approximately 75,000.
Located at ...
) is a
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...
striker and midfielder from Australia, who was a member of the Men's National Team that won the golden medal at the
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...
in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. Four years earlier, when Sydney hosted the
Olympic Games
The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...
, Elder finished in third spot with The Kookaburras, as the national team is called.
Elder originated from
Bundaberg, Queensland
Bundaberg is a city in the Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia, and is the List of places in Queensland by population, tenth largest city in the state. Bundaberg's Bundaberg Regional Council, regional area has a population of 70,921, and is ...
, where he played for the All Blacks Hockey Club. Nicknamed ''Woody'', Elder shot into limelight as a player with the National Junior Squad, that won the
Hockey Junior World Cup
The Men's FIH Hockey Junior World Cup, formerly known as the Hockey Junior World Cup, is an international field hockey competition organized by the International Hockey Federation (FIH). The tournament was started in 1979. Since 1985 it has been ...
at
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was over . The River Great Ouse forms its northern boundary; a tributary ...
Queensland Blades
The Queensland Blades are a men's Australian field hockey team, representing Queensland in the Australian Hockey League.
The Blades have been the most successful team to play in recent years. Their home ground is the State Hockey Centre at Col ...
Lahore
Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...
, where Australia won the bronze. He was part of the winning team in the 1999 Champions Trophy at
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
.
Just like his countrymen
Jay Stacy
Jay Jason Stacy (born 9 August 1968 in Melbourne, Victoria) is a former field hockey midfielder from Australia, who participated in four Summer Olympics for his native country, starting in 1988
File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left ...
and Michael Brennan, Elder moved to the Netherlands, where he played club hockey for
Eindhoven
Eindhoven () is a city and municipality in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of North Brabant of which it is its largest. With a population of 238,326 on 1 January 2022,Oranje Zwart
Mixed Hockeyclub Oranje Zwart was a Dutch professional field hockey club located in Eindhoven, North Brabant, which was founded on 1 September 1933. With around 1,700 members – as of 3 May 2006 – it is one of the biggest clubs in the ...
, with whom he won the Dutch title in the spring of 2005. The price was high, because during the Dutch play-offs he neglected the call from Australia's Head Coach
Barry Dancer
Barry John Dancer (born 27 August 1952 in Brisbane, Queensland) is a former Australian field hockey player and coach of Australian men's national field hockey team.
As a player he competed in 48 international matches for Australia between 197 ...
to come over for a training session with the men's National Team. He therefore had to miss the 2005 Champions Trophy in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
and the
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...
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 ...
.
Having retired from international hockey, Elder played club hockey fo United Hockey in Brisbane for some time whilst still representing the Queensland Blades. A
plumber
A plumber is a tradesperson who specializes in installing and maintaining systems used for potable (drinking) water, and for sewage and drainage in plumbing systems.