They Called Him Boy

Andrew 'Boy' Charlton is one of our all-time greatest swimming champions. With a Foreword by Grant Hackett. Andrew 'Boy' Charlton set his first world record as a school boy. He became an Olympic and World Champion in the 1500m swim, and like Grant Hackett, in a number of shorter distances. He medalled in the 1500m in 1924, 1928 and 1932. In between each Olympics he retired and stopped competing to either complete his studies (he was only 16 at his first Olympics), or work as a jackeroo. Only taking up training, if at all, in the months prior to a competition. He loved the ocean more than the pool and was an Australian Surf Champion in 1931/2 and 1934/5. He was, and remains, admired by swimmers and lovers of sport past and present. The son of a bank manager Boy had expected to inherit a farm from his beloved Grandfather. When this dream faded Boy smoothly moved on from the expectation of an inheritance to a life of working for others until he could purchase his own farm near Goulburn. He lived a simple and humble life - interrupted by visits to Paris, London, Amsterdam and Hollywood where he was feted and had a grand old time! There is much to learn from the story of this young man who prepared for his second Olympics - after two and a half years break - by swimming against the current in the Namoi River in northern New South Wales. When Grant Hackett won the fifteen hundred metres freestyle at Athens in 2004 his was the eighth Australian victory in this distance in the past nineteen Olympics. This remarkable tradition began with Andrew 'Boy' Charlton.

Peter Fenton is a punter, poet, raconteur, aging coach and writer who is a regular speaker at sporting and corporate functions. He also writes for Inside Sport Magazine and writes the Super 12 and Test Match programs for the ARU. In his previous career he was chief sound mixer on 150 Australian feature films including Newsfront, Caddie, Sunday Too Far Away, Picnic At Hanging Rock, My Brilliant Career, The Devil's Playground, Gallipoli , Phar Lap, The Russia House, Paradise Road. He wrote/ and co-produced two documentary films on The Wallabies and a one hour documentary on boxer Les Darcy for the ABC. Peter has written 6 books on Australian sport including biographies on boxer Les Darcy and jockey Wayne Harris and the story of the 1927/28 Waratahs rugby tour of the British Isles. His most recent book was a biography on WW2 Nurse entitled Olive Weston. He has been a Rugby coach for 20 years and has a couple of premierships under his belt. He was awarded Australian Sports Medal 2000 for service to Rugby.