Colin French enters Water Polo Hall of Fame

THE son of late Torquay sporting champion Colin French is proud his father’s many achievements have been recognised by Water Polo Australia’s Hall of Fame.

Colin French was a stalwart of the game in Victoria and made his mark on the sport of water polo as a player, coach and manager, at all levels of the game.

He made history as a member of the Australian men’s water polo team, which made its Olympic debut at the 1948 London Olympics and he remained with the team as its manager and coach for many years afterwards, including at the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

French started out with the Melbourne Swimming Club and the Brighton Beach Water Polo Club.

 

As a player, he represented Victoria between 1946-1951, was elected captain of the team in 1949, became the Victorian team coach between 1952-53, and was vice-captain of the 10-man team that represented Australia at the 1948 Olympics.

The team was defeated by eventual gold medallists Italy, as well as Yugoslavia in the group stages. A group round victory was awarded after Palestine withdrew from the competition.

French joined the Australian team again and travelled to Auckland for the 1950 Empire Games. In a two-nation competition, the Aussies defeated New Zealand to take the gold medal in what was an exhibition event.

Colin French, who died in 1984 at the age of 68, was posthumously inducted into Water Polo Australia’s Hall of Fame in 2021.

 

However, as the ceremony was not held in 2021 because of COVID, the Hall of Fame award was not officially presented until late April of this year, when Paul French and his wife Meg received it at this year’s Water Polo Australia Annual Awards.

Mr French said he was six years old when his grandfather took him to see the water polo at the Melbourne Olympics.

“To me at that age, water polo was a group of blokes in the water throwing the ball around, it had no significance – it wasn’t until later, when I became older, that I appreciated what my dad had achieved.”

He said the 1948 Australian water polo team had to travel to the Games in England on a cargo ship, which took between three to four weeks to make the journey.

“They were away for great periods of time, so Mum was left home with the kids, my brother and I.

“When they got home, Mum said they would all get their wives and girlfriends and go out and party hard, and when we were up at the presentations, it seems like the partying side of the water polo people for Australia has kept going, for Olympics after Olympics!”

Water Polo Australia limits its Hall of Fame inductees to only three people every two years to recognise individuals who have made an exceptional contribution over an extended period of time to water polo as a player, administrator, coach, referee or in another capacity.