William John Dixon (9 November 1912 – 10 June 1969) was an Australian

rower Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is di ...

. He was a four-time national champion who competed in the men's double sculls event at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

Club and state rowing

Dixon was educated at

St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill , motto_translation = Strive Strive for better things , established = , type = Independent single-sex secondary day and boarding school , educational_authority = New South Wales Department of Educati ...

with 1929 as his senior year. His senior rowing was from the

Sydney Rowing Club Sydney Rowing Club is the oldest rowing club in New South Wales, Australia formed in 1870. It has occupied its current site on Port Jackson's Parramatta River at Abbotsford Point since 1874. The club has a focus on its high performance and elite ...

and in the 1931–32 season he stroked a Sydney maiden four. He won a New South Wales state championship in the coxed four the following year. In 1933 Dixon made state selection in the New South Wales men's eight which contested and won the

King's Cup __NOTOC__ King's Cup (incl. translations), may refer to: Sports Football * Copa del Rey, Spanish for "King's Cup," the main national knockout tournament in men's football * King Cup (sometimes named King's Cup), Saudi Arabian men's football nati ...

at the Interstate Regatta. He rowed in four successive King's Cup winning New South Wales eights between 1933 and 1936 and then contested the event on three further occasions from 1937 to 1939. In 1939 Dixon rowed in a

which contested the

Grand Challenge Cup The Grand Challenge Cup is a rowing competition for men's eights. It is the oldest and best-known event at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. It is open to male crews from all eligible rowing cl ...

at the

Henley Royal Regatta Henley Royal Regatta (or Henley Regatta, its original name pre-dating Royal patronage) is a rowing event held annually on the River Thames by the town of Henley-on-Thames, England. It was established on 26 March 1839. It differs from the thre ...

. They won their first round and were knocked out in the second.

International representative rowing

In 1936

Australian Olympic Federation Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

funding was scarce. The NSW Police Rowing Club eight which dominated the Sydney club season and the New South Wales state championship was selected in toto as Australia's men's eight to compete at the

1936 Berlin Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad (German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi-sp ...

with their attendance wholly funded by the NSW Police Federation.

Cecil Pearce Cecil Arthur Pearce (5 May 1913 – 27 March 2002) was an Australian representative rower. He was a four-time Australian national champion who won the double sculls event at the 1938 British Empire Games and competed in the single sculls at the 1 ...

was the selected single sculler and

Herb Turner William Herbert Turner (6 July 1921 – 24 February 2002) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Nicknamed "Stumpy", Turner was a dual premiership player at Carlton. He could play in the midfield or up forwa ...

picked for the double. The selectors picked Dixon as the reserve sweep-oarsman and asked him to row the double-scull with Turner. Though Dixon had not sculled before selection, he and Turner were the best performers of the three Australian boats in Berlin. They made the Olympic final and placed sixth. In 1938 Dixon was one of five New South Welshman selected in the men's eight for the 1938 Commonwealth Games. That eight took the silver medal behind the British crew.

War service

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Dixon served in the Australian Army. He enlisted early in the war in 1940 and had the rank of sergeant with the 2/5th Field regiment when was discharged at the war's end in 1945.Dixon at WWII Nominal Roll
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Bill 1912 births 1969 deaths Australian male rowers Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia Olympic rowers for Australia People educated at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill Rowers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1938 British Empire Games Rowers from Sydney Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian Army soldiers 20th-century Australian people Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games Sportsmen from New South Wales