AN OLD-TIME ATHLETE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 June 1928, Page 13

AN OLD-TIME ATHLETE

ANOTHER GOOD MAN FROM PATEA. V ’ 1 DAN SHEEHAN—CHAMPION WRESTLER. (By “Physical Cultured.’’) Aged 62 years and still going strong. It. was fully thirty years since last we met. The jubilee at Stratford brought together many old opponents of the long ao-o, and standing in the crowd I heard a'voi'coi 1 had not hoard for years. Turnin o- to my companion I remarked, 1 know that man’s voice. Who is he? “That’s old Dan Sheehan. He canyoj over 200 miles from Te Kuiti.” So it was Dan, to be sure, but without Jus “mo”; shaved off, to deceive us in a barefaced manner. The first time I met Dan was ait Waverley, November 9, 1891, when. I formed an impression which was lasting.* In a half-mile I had the doubtful pleasure of starting from scratch. Daniel off 16 yards finished second, running like one possessed The race was won by Jim Whiteman off 18 yards. The latter could travel faster than most. Jim Whiteman and his elder brother Bill won. a lot of half and mile races on. this coast from Tamuaid. to Wellington. A specialty of Jim’s was the sack race. I saw him win a .number of these, an which I have no knowledge of him ever being beaten. South Island athletes, Dome Leslie, Paddy Mullins and Co., were obsessed with the idea that “Neil Austin” was just the “pea in the eomsack,” while no North Island athletes, especially Wanganui boys, could see Jim Whiteman being beaten in his 1 freak race. I don’t think the two ever met in the Sacks, consequently the bone Of contention was never decided. However, to return to the village blacksmith: Dan Sheehan is another ■product of Patea. The eldest of six brothers —Dan, Tom, Con, Jack, Jerry and Paddy— ’tis scarcely necessary to state Con and Tom have both represented Taranaki in the Rugby field. Both Con and Tom were great high jumpers with public records of sft lOin and sft 9in respectively. Tom was also distinctly good over hurdles, while Con could and did run some fine quarter .and half miles. Jack also proved a useful handicap runner over half and mile distances. Jerry won a 220 yards hurdle race in Wanganui. I have a : hazy recollection that Buff JMcPike ivas a factor in that some race, but Jerry ; won. As a combination of all-round ; athletes, the Sheehan family could ‘ hold their own in any company. Dan’s , beet distances ranged from the half to a , ■mile, but he was also useful over 220 : yards hurdles, of which he won a nixin- . bcr. He often competed in the high - jump, hop, step and jump and running 1 long jump, but at ithese he was not 1 ] champion. He was l just good enough to get beaten when the company was , good. However ,if he could not jump, ( he could wrestle. As a light-weight . wrestler he was feared by most. From „ memory I believe it was one Now Year’s Day at Hawera that Sheehan ( won the wrestling—and when I state ; that Kenneth Bayne, the them champion , •distance runner and king pin wrestler ’ finished second to Dan in a, genuine strenuous wrestling bout it will be real- , iscd that he was a force to be reckoned, j with -i a the wrestling arena. Well over ' thirty years ago, Dan was working at j his trade iu Stratford, when Professor Stagpoolc from Australia was travelling 1 through New Zealand, giving cxliibi- . tions of boxing and wrestling. Dan , met. him in a wrestling competition, * three falls out of five, when, to the 5 amazement of all present, the vigorous } Dan won the first three falls', beating j him easily. Sheehan also played foot- j •ball, tennis, cricket, and in later year® £ fi yi© bowls.” Ho was also fond of ( 'boxing. The more willing his opponent the more he enjoyed .the bout; with the . mits he was better than the 'average.. •

Since those early days Sheehan hasmade Ids home in many places, nearly always- working -at his trade. In several places in which he has- resided his services have been -enlisted as lrandieappor and! starter, in which capacity lie acts in the Tie K-uiti district. While residing aft the Upper Thames goldfields in the good, old days-, he did not do a. great deal of running, but lie had several wrestling matches, which he won. He stayed there about five year's, while the boom was- on, and -witnessed many .exciting competitions of, variouskinds amongst the- diggers, who he found, a fine class of men. Dan became well -known to all the miners at Ivarangahalti for he became famous as- am eye specialist. He was- an expert at talcing “fires” out of their eyes. Tothe uninitiated I may -explain, that what were termed sparks would fly from tlie drills and picks when working in rock. When this occurs the pain to the eye is intense. Many a miner, out of gratitude, would lay a pound mote or a sovereign on the anvil for Dan for taking a'“fire” out of his eye, and ‘ ‘ ten bob ’ ’ was quite common. But Sheehan'-mover once accepted payment for that kind of tiling. He used to say he -did it for humanity’s- sake, andcouisiequeiitly he -was regarded by those rough -and ready -mem -with respect andgratitude. And w-oo betide the manwho belittled Dan Sheehan.

To this young man. the further pastures looked the greenest, and when jke had served his time to luis trade he moved about from place to place, going from Patea to Wanganui, then to Strafford, on to Waitara, back to Stratford. Over thirty years ago, when, the boom was- on at the gold fields-, he caught the gold fever and reached the Upper Timmies, where he put in five yeans. He next -worked two years in Auckland; then i.ll turn resided at -Cambridge and Te Airoha. in the Waikato; lie next went to Dargaville, in the north; back to Maiiurewa, Auckland, next to Ngarawahia, Lower Waikato, and from there to To Ivuiti, where his home now is. He has a blacksmi-thing -business at Aria, some 25 miles from Te Kuiti, where he is still hammering away behind the anvil.

HIS ATHLETIC CAREER, A,s an athlete, Dan Sheehan made his first -bid at his home town, Paten, on B-oxi-ng Day, 3889. when he ran - -second to Alf Wilson in the mile and second' to George- Broughton m the steeplechase, about 1-J miles-. I am not certain of dates, but believe these to be asstated. I think it was the year following that Sheehan ran -second in thehalf at Waverl-ey and third -in the- 220 yards hurdles. The next year, 1891, he won the half -at' Waverley, closely followed by Whiting, who wais second.- OnBoxing Day at Pataa he won the “double,” half and mile; and, ran a dead-heat with Dug Sergeant in the -J----mi.le hurdles! in the run-off he won easily. Dan to this day tells the story of how he ran half a mi-l-e to -win a quarter. j

RUNS A GREAT HALF-MILE. . At Hawera on New Year’s Day, 1892, he won the half mile and finished second in the mile. The report in the “Hawera Star” stated that this halfmile was the greatest. race, over run da the Hawera Caledonian ground. Sheehan won bv three inches; Weir, from, the South Island, was second, and Walter Bayley, of Taranaki, was third. Sheehan, who had to be carried off the ground, received a great ovation.” Dan’s next appearance was at Waverley, when lie ran second in both the half and mile, won by Tom Hobbs, to whom Sheehan cheerfully gave 25 yards and 50 yards start respectively. I guess more than Dan got a rude shock that day. If memory servos, Hobbs worn the treble, 440 and SBO yards and mile. The latter wals a fine runner. On New Year’s Day at Kohi, near Waverley* Sheehan, giving away long starts, won the mile and ran second to G. Hunter in the half. At Normamby on Boxing Day, 1893, he won the half-mile and • finished: second in «thc mile find 220 yards hurdles. Also won the wrestling. Jack Bennett, of New Plymouth, was second in the half and won the mile. There was not much between these two. The following New Year ait Hawera he won the wrestling ylefeating Kenny Bayne in the final. Of this event the report of the ‘ ‘ Hawera Star,” January 3, stated: Wrestling, Cumberland, under 11 stone. Sheehan; first. Some good wrestling took place in this event. Larnbie, Gassady, G-oon-an, Bayne and Hodge competed. The first round put Goonan, Cassidy and Hodge out of the contest. Lambie and Bayne, wrestled splendidly, the former obtaining the first fall, but Bayne’s science was too superior and he got the next two falls. The final was not a long struggle, Sheehan proving too strong for his wiry opponent. . On the same day, the 11 stone and over wrestling, Cumberland style, was won by Pou; Leary was second. The other competitors, Morero and MaekiO, went down before Pou and Leary respectively. After a good tussle with Leary, Pou won the final.

Excitable Jack Leary was a South Island West Coaster, footballer, .wrestler and field games exponent, fond of putting the shot. For some time this headquarters were at Castlecliff, Wqnagnui, where he captained the first Castlecliff football team. I recollect his wild and woolly struggle in' cartch-as-catch can with Duncan C. Ross alt Wanganui, when the latter toured New Zealand. ' i

Sheehan next competed in the Domain at Stratford, 1895, where he won the wrestling and ran second to W. Goodison in the 440 yards. At Bushford Park, Stratford, he had the hard luck to meef that great rniler W. Huekstep, giving him 25 yards' in the halfmile and 45 yards' in the mile. Huekstep won the mile and Sheehan ran second) in both races. At East Road, Toko, Stratford, 1896, he started unplaced in several events and won the 220 yards hurdles. At Inglewood, he ran second in the steeplechase and won the 'wrestling, in which there were 14 competitors. In 1897, at Waipuku, near Midhirst, he won the half-mile and was sec--in the 440 yards from scratch. At Tariki Road he won the 220 yards hur-, dies and the wrestling. Again visiting Midhirst, running from scratch he won the half-mile, got second in the mile and won the wrestling. About this date Sheehan felt the call of home and' visited his home town —Pal tea. He started in the half-mile, but could not get in to a place, so to prove his quality lie won the wrestling. The following year lie competed in the wrestling, at jNonnanby and again won. Dan by this date was looked upon as a champion light-weight Cumberland wrestler. He had already numbered amongst his victories his win over Professor Stagpoolc at. Stratford. About this time Dam began to got the wanderlust, and made his wav to the goldfields, where he specialI ised mostly in wrestling, being in the light-weights what Sam Thor.nley was in the heavies—a hard nut to crack’. Before going north he took part in the sports at the opening of the Recreation Ground, New Plymouth, where he ran third from scratch in the half-mile, and' tied with L. Bayley for second in the 120 yards hurdles, which was won by Hugh Good. About the time he first competed at athletic sports; Sheehangave promise of great things at swimming, especially over distances, but for lack of opportunity did not take it seriously. Competing at one aquatic sport® ■which took place in the Patea river, lie was second iu the obstacle race, won the duck hunt, the back race,' and the long dive, establishing an under-waiter record for the Patea river. As an all-round athlete, the name of Dan Sheehan must be added to the lengthy list of Taranaki’s sons who have upheld its prestige at home and abroad.