Laurie Lawrence

Laurie Joseph Lawrence (born 14 October 1941) is an Australian swimming coach. He was also an Australia national rugby union team member in 1964.

Lawrence was born in the Queensland city of Townsville, where his father, Alan 'Stumpy' Lawrence, worked as a publican during the war years. Afflicted by bronchiectasis through his childhood Lawrence had part of his lung surgically removed, and was advised to pursue swimming to improve his remaining lung function. This prompted Lawrence's father to change jobs to become the manager of the Tobruk Pool, on Townsville's foreshore. During 1956 and 1960 the Tobruk Pool was the training venue for the Australian Olympic Team. Greats like Dawn Fraser, Lorraine Crapp, Jon Henricks, John Konrads, Ilsa Konrads, Murray Rose, David Theile and John Devitt were some of the many athletes who trained there. Lawrence states:

And it was there that I got my real passion and love for swimming... ...'56 was just a magic time for me, as a young fella. And when I wasn't down amongst the athletes, asking for their autograph, then I was up there sitting on the balcony, hands over the edge of the concrete building just peering down into the water, watching Dawn Fraser, Murray Rose, Jon Conrads, David Tyler, Lorraine Crapp - they just keep coming - Kevin Berry. The names, the Olympic champions, and to sit up there one night, one night in Townsville when they had the last carnival before they were to go away and see 13 world records in one night, it's just etched indelibly into my memories, you know. It's just...fantastic.

Lawrence's parents separated later in the 1950s, and Lawrence moved with his mother to Brisbane. He attended St Laurence's College and then Kelvin Grove Teachers College. He played Rugby Union to get a scholarship to be a Phys Ed teacher, which led to his selection for the 1964 international tour of New Zealand.

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