Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

The Clarks and the Booseys

My piece on March 27 on the Clarks and the Booseys who have contributed to Australia's newest fast bowling success, Stuart Clark, has brought in a heap of mail, e-messages and calls from the two families. And some of the information has been so noteworthy that I can't help but wonder how we've missed it so long.

But first, to set the record straight. Mary Clark, who used to work with May & Baker in Madras, is the daughter of Dudley Boosey of the Kolar Gold Fields. Her father, who was in the running for the goal-keeping slot in the 1936 Olympic hockey team, had much to do with developing the jumping talent of his ten years' younger brother Leslie, who stood a chance of winning an Olympic hop, step and jump medal in the 1940 Games if only World War II had not prevented the Games. Mary (Boosey) was a good sportsperson at Lovedale. Her husband Bruce, who started his conversation with me in impeccable Madras Tamil, recalled his days at Christ Church School, then with Scott & Pickson and William Jacks in Madras and wondered whether I couldn't trace for him his best friend at work, Arjun, or Arjun's brother who had been with Carborundum Universal. These lines are one small step in that effort to link old friends. It was the Clarks who put me in touch with Uncle Leslie Boosey's sons who have proved outstanding figures in sport overseas.

Says Derek Boosey the elder, who represented Karnataka, Maharashtra and then Britain 35 times between 1962 and 1972 in the triple jump, including at the Mexico Olympics (1968), "no family has the cumulative record we have". Father Leslie who captained Madras, jumped inches short of 50 feet, Derek went over 53 feet and younger brother Allan 48 feet-plus.

KGF-educated Derek, who after school joined the Central Railways, Bombay, migrated to Britain where, following a stint in the Royal Air Force, he began to concentrate on Athletics. From the 1970s, he has at various times headed sports administration at the Sussex (U.K.) and Melbourne Universities, been a coach with Canadian, Saudi Arabian, South Korean, and Chinese national teams, helped coach Australian national decathletes and heptathletes, been a Technical Advisor at the Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992) Olympics, was Chief Administrator, Operations, of the XII Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane in 1982, and helped Chinese 10 km walking champion Yueling Chen, the first Asian woman and the first Chinese athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. After her stunning victory in 1992, she migrated to the U.S. where, in 1998, she began training again with Derek Boosey, who became her personal coach when she went to the Sydney Olympics (2000), this time with the U.S. team.

San Diego (U.S.)-based Derek Boosey, however, is proudest of his record in the World Masters (Veterans) Games. In 1987 he won the hop, step and jump Silver Medal representing Australia in Melbourne in the 45-49 age group, in 1991 the Bronze in Japan representing Canada (50-54 years), in 1998 the Gold in Oregon representing Canada (55-59 years) and in 2005 the Bronze in Canada representing the U.S. (60-64 years). And still he trains — despite the rigours of being the Vice President of a bioceutical company — aiming for a Gold in the 65-69-year category at the next Masters Games, to be held in 2007.

Younger brother Allan has followed Derek into coaching and has coached at University level in the UK, Saudi Arabia, Jamaica and Australia.

He's also followed him into sports administration and will be the Chief Administrator in Brisbane when the World Athletics Championships are held there next year.

Now that's quite a record in the world of international sports administration for two men from the Kolar Gold Fields.

S. MUTHAIH

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail