Cecil Arthur Pearce (5 May 1913 – 27 March 2002) was an Australian representative rower. He was a four-time Australian national champion who won the

double scull A double scull is a rowing boat used in the sport of competitive rowing. It is designed for two persons who propel the boat by sculling with two oars each, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly ...

s event at the

1938 British Empire Games The 1938 British Empire Games was the third British Empire Games, the event that evolved to become the Commonwealth Games. Held in Sydney, Australia from 5–12 February 1938, they were timed to coincide with Sydney's sesqui-centenary (150 yea ...

and competed in the

single scull A single scull (or a scull) is a rowing boat designed for a single person who propels the boat with two oars, one in each hand. Racing boats (often called "shells") are long, narrow, and broadly semi-circular in cross-section in order to mini ...

s at the

1936 Olympics 1936 Olympics may refer to: *The 1936 Winter Olympics, which were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany *The 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI ...

Sporting pedigree

Cecil Pearce was born in Woollahra, Sydney, Australia, into a family with an extraordinary sporting pedigree. His great-grandfather emigrated from England in 1850 and settled in

Double Bay Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district. It is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of ...

, in Sydney's harbourside district, where he worked as a fisherman and ran a boatshed. Pearce's grandfather Henry John "Harry" Pearce, Sr. was an Australian champion in sculling. Harry Pearce had five sons and seven daughters. One of those daughters (Cecil's aunt) was a New South Wales swimming champion. Cecil Pearce's father

Sandy Pearce :''Sid Pearce directs here, for his son, the rugby league footballer of the same name, see Joe Pearce'' Sidney Charles Pearce (born 30 May 1883 and died 14 November 1930 Double Bay, New South Wales), better known as Sandy, was a pioneer Austral ...

, was a national rugby league representative inducted into that sport's Australian Hall of Fame. Cecil's brother

Sid Pearce :''Sid Pearce directs here, for his son, the rugby league footballer of the same name, see Joe Pearce'' Sidney Charles Pearce (born 30 May 1883 and died 14 November 1930 Double Bay, New South Wales), better known as Sandy, was a pioneer Austral ...

also played rugby league for Australia. Cecil's son Gary Pearce would row in three Olympic games from 1964 to 1972. Cecil's uncle, Henry J "Harry, Jr" Pearce Jr., was an Australian sculling champion and challenged for the

world championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

twice (in 1911 and 1913), losing to Richard Arnst (NZL) and Ernest Barry (GBR) respectively. Harry's son Bobby Pearce (Cecil's cousin and eight years his senior) was the most accomplished rower in the family. Bobby – a sculler like Cecil – was a three-time world champion (1933, 1934 and 1938); twice Olympic champion (1928 and 1932); three time Australian national champion; and won the

Diamond Sculls The Diamond Challenge Sculls is a rowing event for men's single sculls at the annual Henley Royal Regatta on the River Thames at Henley-on-Thames in England. First run in 1844, it is open to male scullers from all eligible rowing clubs.

Henley Henley may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Henley, Dorset, a location * Henley, Gloucestershire, a location * Henley-on-Thames, a town in South Oxfordshire, England ** Henley (UK Parliament constituency) ** Henley Rural District, a former ru ...

in 1931.Bobby Pearce
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Club and state rowing

Cecil Pearce's took up rowing at age eighteen and rowed from the Balmain Rowing Club. He was first selected as the New South Wales state entrant to contest the President's Cup – the interstate single sculls championship – at the 1936 Interstate Regatta. He won that title in 1936 and then won the event in 1937, 1938 and 1939.

International representative rowing

Pearce's chief Australian and New South Wales rival early in his career was

Herb Turner William Herbert Turner (6 July 1921 – 24 February 2002) was an Australian rules footballer in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Nicknamed "Stumpy", Turner was a dual premiership player at Carlton. He could play in the midfield or up forwa ...

. Although Turner was the 1935 Australian single-sculls champion, Pearce beat him in selection trials for the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics ( German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi- ...

. Pearce was chosen as the single sculler and Turner was selected to row the double scull with Pearce. The rowing selectors also nominated Pearce and Turner in a double scull. However the AOF selection committee preferred to see Pearce focus on the single and Turner rowed the double with the Bill Dixon the reserve for the men's eight. In Berlin Pearce finished fourth in his heat, then second in the repechage and failed to reach the final. For the

the selection intrigue was reversed. Pearce was the Australian national champion but Turner beat him in trials for the single sculls selection. Pearce rowed the

s event at the Empire Games in Sydney, with William Bradley and won a gold medal.

War service

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Pearce served as a sergeant in the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

. He enlisted in 1943 just before his 30th birthday and was discharged at the war's end.Pearce at WWII Nominal Roll
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce, Cecil 1914 births 2002 deaths Olympic rowers for Australia Rowers at the 1936 Summer Olympics Australian male rowers Commonwealth Games medallists in rowing Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Rowers at the 1938 British Empire Games Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Australian Air Force airmen Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games Rowers from Sydney Sportsmen from New South Wales