HIGH LIFE ON THE OCEAN

NZ Truth, Issue 1200, 29 November 1928, Page 5

HIGH LIFE ON THE OCEAN

Amazing Diary of What Happened to Athletes In Aussie Olympic Team on Tour to The Games

MANAGER LES. DUFF ALLEGATIONS OF SCANDALOUS INEFFICIENCY

ROT HORTON, who accompanied the Australian team to Amsterdam as tx*ainer, kept a very full diary of what happened at sea and ashore. He massaged the male and female members of the team, ate with them and sojourned with them. He jotted down every night all that happened during the day, and then made his .diary public m order that Australia might safeguard herself against unsavory happenings on the occasion of future Olympiads. One very important message delivered through Horton's diary is the fact that the arrangements made for training were wretchedly inadequate, there was a. lack of,, firm control and the position from" the viewpoint of the trainer was impossible. The team, according to the diary of Horton, left Sydney on May 1 aboard the P. and O. liner Naldera. Mrs. Duff, wife of Manager Les. Duff, to everyone's surprise, made her appearance on deck after having kept well out of the limelight at Sydney. She was not expected to travel with the team m either an official or unofficial capacits'. , Continuing, the diary says: MAY 7: Arrive Melbourne. Tivoli at night. Team presented; made look very cheap by comedian, who pretended to shake hands on stage with each member, but didn't. 11 p.m.: Went to Green Mill dance palace, Mrs. Duff being introduced to people as manageress of team. MAY 9: Duff asks: "Is it necessary for team to be rubbed while travelling?" . . . Arrive Adelaide. Civic reception, Town Hall, Not invited, so didn't go. Manly resident attends luncheon to team; so did Hay. (Hay had nothing whatever to do with the party so far as the Olympic Council was concerned.)

MAY 16: Very hot m Indian Ocean. Whole team should train m morning before sun gets too hot. Charlton complains of sore legs. Pearce tells me he asked Duff before we left Sydney to enter him for Hehley-on-Thames regatta, so he could compete m Diamond Sculls, also to get him training machine for use aboard ship. Duff has done neither so far. ... Carlton always m Edna Davey's company. Edna and Bob fall out. Lady passenger reports certain members of team to captain for making remarks about her. ! Captain took no action. MAY 18: Fancy_ dress ball. 11 p.m.: I warn Duff about ship's officer trying to get 'friendly with Edna Davey. Girls m team jealous of Bob because he's sweet with two theatrical girls aboard and won't fuss about With them. MAY 19: Massage Gray, Watson, Edmi, Edie, Stuart, Ford and Pearce. Charlton much m company of a girl on board. I ask- Duff, not to allow team to eat soup, porridge or much meat, as weather is very hot. He adopts suggestion. MAY 20: Charlton tells Edna: "It will be very hard for me to win at the Games. I don't think I am half as good as I was four years ago." I wish I .had Charlton, I would towel him up. MAY 21: Miss Springfield told me Duff warned her she would have to be more strict with girls. She asked me what lie meant. Miss S. is nice woman but too inexperienced and trusting for her to keep close watch on one of them things. Plain what Duff was driving at, but she couldn't see it. He means her to kep close watch oh one of them who likes boys too much. ... He also means her to keep girls from overeating. One girl has Carlton worried

to death trying to keep an eye on her. 11 p.m.: As I write this she goes past me with , bound for upper decks Carl ton arrives m his pyjamas, asks me whether I've seen her. 1 advise him to keep an eye on her. MAY 22: Colombo. Wonderful lunch at Bristol; 12 courses. Riding m rickshaws, when we lose a man and a girl, members of the team. They turn up later at Galle Face Hotel. Pearce boxes big nigger at V.M.C.A. Large crowd. Bob put it all over nigger, who was champion of Ceylon. . . . Some members of teams got "full." MAY 24: One girl has become laughing stock of team. She's most fickle girl I've met, and I've met a few. Nearly all the team have been sweet on her. They all go m and they all go out. Watson is now worried about her. He's almost out. 9 p.m.; Ship's officer asks her down to his cabin, and to "bring a mate to a good party," but she did not go. Boys have drawn a cartoon depicting - 1 — exploits and conquests m male line. MAY 25 : Watson weakening m his suit. Didn't last long. Arrive Bombay 5 p.m. Go ashore. 11 p.m.: See aboard. Tells me she's been asked by a steward to go for car drive into the hills. "I wish I weren't with this team," she said; -"I could have a wonderful time." This almost knocked me bandy. I realised how stupid she was. MAY 26: Duff, his .wife, and Hay now occupying first-class cabins adjoining each other. This won't better 'Duff's "brother and sister spirit" with the team. comes to me and asks why I told . about her proposed 'trip previous night Avith steward. MAY 28: Massaged Edna's ankles, and Dorrie'-s, too. They're much better. Swollen through deck games and dancing. Duff calls meeting of girls and warns them, including Miss Springfield, against certain passengers. Quite right, too. Miss Sprjngfield complains she is not introduced at functions. She says Mrs. Duff is pushed into everything. iMAY 30: Special training display put on for Rajah and first-class passengers. Duff, m charge, introduced Hay as official coach to swimmers. Hay gave

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| That all was not well with the Australian Olympic Games 1 team has been quite apparent during the past few weeks. j Since the team arrived back m Sydney there has been a proper | show down, including allegations of mismanagement and mis- | conduct, together with vigorous denials. I Horton's diary contains allegations which call for a 1 full inquiry m the interests of sport. The Australian OlymJ pic Federation did meet m Melbourne, but most of the deleI gates attended the Melbourne Cup meeting, and Manager I Duff's report and the comment thereon was shelved until next | April.

display of strokes. Duff describes j them. Girls angry.. Miss S. tells me girls intend approach Duff and protest against Hay being described as coach. I advise her tolet matter drop. Whole team held meeting. I have a word with Duff about it. He says: "The girls are. a tough lot The whole trouble was caused by me telling them not to eat so much at table. . . . I saw one girl eat five ice-creams after a five-course meal the other night m the saloon. They are proper gluttons at the table. They do not know their table manners. I am trying to teach them how to eat and how to behave." I said nothing. Duff also said: "Miss S. is very incompetent. No good at" all. The girls say that Hay, who sits at their table, is always watching what they eat. They have got it m for him on this account." MAY 31: Duff gets windy; tells 1 girls Hay is not official coach — -"not connected with team m any way." Arrive Aden. One athlete hors de combat. Team should have been examined before sailing. JUNE !>: Sweep drawn on board on English Derby among passengers. One of team members suggested draw sweep. Passengers objected, as they considered she was not a fit and proper person to do so, as she had been observed receive :i dress at Port Said

that was stolen from native seller. All team now training. JUNE 6: Massaged team. Duff refers to stolen dress. He asked me if I knew anything about it. I told him "No." He then questioned team about dress. They all said they had never seen it. Later dress yvas brought to my cabin by a girl member of team, and, to shield her, I hid it there for her. JUNE 15: Arrived, m London. Mrs. Duff and Hay come to our hotel. Pearce has hard row with some English champion day of landing; very foolish. v JUNE 17; Went to Putney with Pearce. Gave him a rub. Theatrical girls, who were on boat, turn up at Putney to see Bob. I warn Harry Pearce to chase them. We are wild over these Janes following Bob. about. I stay at Putney with Bob. We meet N.Z. tdam. Girls of the team ask me •would I massage them. I told them if I had time to spare. I would. JUNE 18: When I leave hotel that night, at 10.30, after doing all team, I see two of our giHs smoking cigarettes and sitting m lounge. Looks very nice, I don't think. JUNE 20: Duff calls a meeting and warns whole team to have nothing to do with N.Z. team as regards training. Tells them not to show them anything, and is evidently frightened of N.Z. girl swimmers. One member of the team has been biting everyone about the place: JUNE 25: Massaged team, also N.Z. girls. . JULY 2: E>uff comes back from Holland. Says Pearce, Standen and Gray weren't entered for Games, but that he rectified mistake. Wonderful management somewhere. JULY 3: Team complaining about food at hotel. I know it's no good for athletes. Bonnie weighs 9.8. She is a size. I can't help, her. Colonel Horlick, of-Horlick's malted milk fame,

takes team round for tours. Go to Windsor Castle and malted milk works. Colonel gives a wonderful spread at his mansion. Bonnie gives the strawberries and cream and pastry a hiding. All the girls do the same. JULY 4: Duff tells me to rub Edie every day and not to neglect her for any of the boys. She didn't get rubbed yesterday as she went to the pictures and didn't get home till 11 p.m. Her muscles are very loose now, though she was as hard as a rock when I started. JULY 6: Team competes British Championships, Stamford Bridge. Not much of a, show outside of Whyte. Duff surprised. How could they on such a short preparation? JULY 7: Bob Pearce breaks a record from Putney to Hammersmith. He is pursing Duff for not entering him fov the Diamond Sculls at Ilenley-on-Thames regatta. 1 tell Duff some of the boys are doing very little training. He says: "Do you expect me to drive them to train? I have lots to do writing and attending functions."' All field athletes are fat and sluggish and need a ton of hard work. • N

JULY 10: Duff out all day. Never see much of him. Team left to train as they like. JULY 15: Duff rings me up at 10 o'clock at night to come and rub him. He's been playing cricket and is sore. Dis;cusses chances of team at Games, and says ones with a 1 chance are Pearce, Charlton, the .cyclists, Winter, Ford and Mealing. Duff tells me that ho is "spending money like, water." Also says "if the team wins a few events we can get plenty of money from Australia." JULY 16: Team had a turn-out at Australia House at night time. Most of the team didn't get home till 3 or 4 m the morning. A couple of them stopped out ad night. Great for training. Games only a fortnight off. JULY 17 : • Team leaves for Amsterdam and has now missed two. days' training. ; ■ JUH 19: Duff's wife has been m Paris for two weeks. Hay and Charlton go to Paris to compete. Duff goes to Paris leaving everything m chaos. Cyclists travel 70 miles each day to train. . JULY 23: Edie Robertson asks me to go on to. the ground with her, as she feels nervous among so many strange athletes. Duff ' seems worried and says things are up. to putty. JULY 24: Bobby is still doing things he should not do. He wants to race everyone he sees on the canal. Girls still hanging round. "Whole team disgusted with arrangements and training facilities. > No equipment. Athletes from other countries — girls included — have sweatsuits with name of ' country written across them. Our team go on to ground' like a lot of lost sheep. No one to handle, them and s no one to train them. Half-mile runners cannot train with sprinters and vice N versa. A girl runner has to train : by herself. Victorians always trafn a.lone. Inter-state

Manager Has Trip To Berlin, Leaving Young Girls Alone In England to Take Care of Themselves

rivalry as existent m Australia still carried on. Charlton very dissatisfied with everything since he arrived m Holland. Told Stuart he swam very badly m Paris. He was blowing like a bull when he finished the race. Midnight. Duff not home yet. Out with his wife m the big private car. Members of the team pinch Yankee sweat-suits to-day. Duff won't buy themi Jimmy Garlton buys a secondhand sweat-suit from a Canadian for ten bob. Whyte has gone very stale through too much hard work when we first came to Holland. Team bitter against Duff for his lax management. Some have no lunch, having no money to buy it m town. Edie and "Tickle" Whyte asked Duff for money, but he aid. not give it to them. JULY ,25: I doctor all injured members of team. Duff tells cyclists they will ride test races on Friday. I warn Duff to get proper judges and time- | keepers. Duff tells team they will broadcast to Sydney to-night. He tells them all to come along. Some go to bed instead. Very foolish on Duff's part to want team to do such a thing so close to Games. They get enough travelling- and bumping as it is. JULY 26: Massaged team. Finish 1.30 a.m. Different members of team going out with girls that hang about the hotel. Hyde's leg poisoned. Watson's ankle very bad. I warn Bob Pearce to let up from hard work. His eyes are beginning to, get dull, white and streaky underneath. A sure sign of too much hard work. JULY 29: Charlton tells me he has no chance at the Games. He says he has done everything, but cannot strike form. He told Stuart the same. JULY 31: Duff says he hopes my

team — meaning Pearce, Standen, Win-, ter and Gray — save the situation. AUGUST 2: Nick beaten at Games — disinterested. Like rest of the team he did not take his training seriously enough on account of adverse conditions. Had lie done so I honestly think he would have won world's championship again. Standen wins both test races against Gray. AUGUST 4: Bob wins heats of sculls. Cyclists travelling by train 70 miles every day, and have to walk five. miles as well to train. Duff tells me finances of team are m bad way, and that team will have to travel back third class. Charlton is beaten. I have, no hope for .Bonnie; she is too fat. Swimmers have not had a proper preparation for such a big 1 event. AUGUbl 1 6: Charlton beaten. Swam good race, but not well enough to beat such swimmer as Borg. Borg broke world's record; Charlton also broke his own Olympic record. Borg set hot pace and Charlton chased him. I know how far he was from being fit, and it is my opinion that he would have won again had he been m first-class condition. AUGUST 7: Bobbie jumping out of his skin. Thriving on racing. Could not be better. Beats Frenchman by twenty lengths m fast time. Frenchman dumbfounded, for he had won his heats well. Coach of Thames Rowing Club says: "Bob is not a sculler; he is a freak." I warn Duff to put a guard over Bob's boats. One slash from a knife and they would have been gone, and quite a lot of people were hanging about them. After that two policemen were always on guard. AUGUST 8: Bob beats Collett by five lengths; world's record. Bob races Myers next. He should beat him by at least three lengths. Charlton swam/

second 400 metres. Borg collapses. Charlton throws race away. Thought he had it Avon when he passed Borg. Zorilla (Argentine rep.) stole up and sneaked race. AUGUST 9; Bonnie swam last m heat. Too fat, not enough training as regards work and right kind of It. Bonnie very down-hearted. Good little kid, but too young, no experience and badly handled. Girls and boys of- Aussie team threw real party final night m Velserbeek. Majority well oiled. Yanks and Canadian teams guests of team. Nekt morning: Aspros. . . . Duff has to foot bill for repairs to chateau. Many windows badly bent. . . . AUGUST 29: Return to London after trip to Budapest with Standen and Gray. Duff gone Berlin with wife. Team, wandering about place like lost sheep. Team -write on hotel walls what they think of place. Miss Spi'ingfield and Edie Robinson go to Paris. Three young girls alone m London. Would have made plot for decent drama but for boys m team, who looked after them. ' SEPTEMBER 3: Duff- back from Berlin. New trunk filled with silks. Says he will fix my fare back to Sydney. SEPTEMBER 4: Charlton and Whyte want to leave team. Charlton wants tour Europe and Japan with Harry Hay. Duff won't agree. Charlton very sore. SEPTEMBER 7: Warn Edie and Doric to be careful on return trip. Both thanked me. World's professional sculling champion Bert Barry turns up, tells Bob he wants to race. him m Syd"ney. Ernie Barry there, too. Heaven help Bert when Bob meets him. SEPTEMBER 8: Carl ton m private hospital. Ulcers cut off his tongue daily. Went to see him. He could not catch Chitral. I had to fix his passage, wireless Duff for Jim's private money, get him transferred to Maloja, etc. Otherwise Jim would have been stranded m the Strand. Carlton very cut up. Reckoned Duff dumped him, too. Should have left one of team behind with him. Jim only left school to make the trip.