Cronulla Water Polo | Gary Chapman

Gary Chapman

Full name: Gary Arthur Chapman
Gender: Male
Born: September 17, 1937 in Brighton-Le-Sands, New South Wales, Australia
Died: September 23, 1978 in Little Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Affiliations: New South Wales
Country:

Australia

Sport: Swimming Medals: 1 Bronze (1 Total) CHAPMAN, GARY ARTHUR (1938-1978), swimmer and fisherman, was born on 12 March 1938 at Brighton-Le-Sands, Sydney, eldest son of Australian-born parents Arthur James Kennard Chapman, sports store proprietor, and his wife Gladys Alma, née Deller. As a youngster Gary was mischievous, even wilful, and loved outdoor life, especially tree-climbing. Told that he must learn to swim before he could boat and fish on his own, at the age of 7 he reluctantly mastered the art at Ramsgate baths and was soon coached by Steve Duff.

While still at Kogarah Boys' Intermediate High School, where he excelled at most sports, in February 1953 Chapman won the Australian 440 yards freestyle title in the record time of 4 minutes 42.6 seconds. Leaving school and coached by Frank Guthrie at the Enfield pool, in the Australian championships in early 1954 he broke the records for 440 and 880 yards freestyle. At 16 the brown-eyed, husky youngster—nicknamed 'the big horse' or 'Gazzar'—was 6 ft

In the British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Vancouver, Canada, in August 1954 Chapman won gold medals for the 440 and 4 x 220 yards freestyle events. Resting in 1955, he kept fit by playing tennis. At North Sydney on 18 February 1956 he set a world record of 2 minutes 5.8 seconds for the 220 yards freestyle; in November he won the bronze medal at the Olympic Games in Melbourne, finishing behind his team-mates Jon Henricks and John Devitt in the 100 metres freestyle. After a lean year in 1957, in Brisbane on 3 May 1958 Chapman (with Devitt, John Konrads and Geoffrey Shipton) set a world record of 3 minutes 46.3 seconds for the 4 x 100 metres freestyle; in July at the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales, he won a gold medal in the 4 x 220 yards and a silver in the 110 yards freestyle. A fine sportsman, with an unaffected and happy nature, Chapman retired from competitive swimming in August 1959, despite prospects for the 1960 Olympics. 'A person who wants to be a top-line swimmer has to make too many sacrifices', he said, 'I've spent the last nine years of my life doing nothing else but eating, sleeping and swimming'. He resumed his education at St George Technical College, worked in his father's Rockdale sports store and concentrated on his great love—fishing. A member of the St George and Sutherland Shire Anglers' Club and of the Port Hacking Game Fishing Club, Chapman held many records and was New South Wales rock-fishing champion in 1964. At St Paul's Anglican Church, Kogarah, on 10 February 1962 he had married Dutch-born Audrey Bosma; they were to have three children. On 23 September 1978 he and a friend Ronald Nelson set out in Chapman's powerboat to fish off Maroubra beach. The upturned boat was found next day, but their bodies were never recovered: the coroner returned a finding of accidental drowning.