Peter Bennett (footballer, born 1926)
| Peter Bennett | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Peter John Bennett | ||
| Date of birth | 11 July 1926 | ||
| Place of birth | Brighton, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 4 July 2012 (aged 85) | ||
| Place of death | Gold Coast, Queensland | ||
| Original team(s) |
Melbourne HSOB; Collegians | ||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1944, 1947–54 | St Kilda | 103 (258) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1954. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's water polo | ||
Representing  Australia
| ||
| British Empire Games | ||
 |
1950 Auckland | Water polo |
Peter John Bennett (11 July 1926 – 4 July 2012)[1] was an Olympian water polo player and Australian rules footballer who played with St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Bennett was a full forward and topped St Kilda's goal kicking five times, with a best of 59 goals in 1950; however, he never fully recovered from a knee injury sustained in his debut match in 1944 and was among the best players in a poor team.[1]
Having already declined an invitation to represent the Australian team in water polo at the 1948 Summer Olympics and claimed a gold medal in the sport at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland,[1] in 1952 Bennett took a year off from football in order to take part in the 1952 Summer Olympics at Helsinki.[2] After two more seasons at St Kilda he decided to retire from football to concentrate on water polo, and captained the Australian team at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics where they finished ninth.[2] In 2012, he was inducted into the Water Polo Australia Hall of Fame.[3]
He was educated at Wesley College and Melbourne High School. He served as a private in the Australian Army as a teenager during the Second World War.[4] His wife Marjorie McQuade was an Olympic swimmer for Australia in the 1948 and 1952 games, and a triple gold medallist at the 1950 Empire Games.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Holmesby, Russell (4 July 2012). "Bennett obituary". St Kilda Football Club. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
- ^ a b Sports Reference - Peter Bennett Biography
- ^ "Hall of Fame - Water Polo Australia". waterpoloaustralia.com.au. Water Polo Australia. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
- ^ "World War Two Service". Australian Government – Department of Veteran's Affairs. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
External links
[edit]- Peter Bennett at AustralianFootball.com
- Peter Bennett at AFLtables.com
- Peter Bennett at Olympics.com
- Peter Bennett at Olympedia
- Peter Bennett at the Australian Olympic Committee
- Peter Bennett at Commonwealth Games Australia
 | This Australian rules football biography of a person born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
  | This biographical article relating to an Australian water polo figure is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1926 births
- 2012 deaths
- Australian rules footballers from Melbourne
- St Kilda Football Club players
- Australian male water polo players
- People educated at Wesley College (Victoria)
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
- Water polo players at the 1950 British Empire Games
- Olympic water polo players for Australia
- Water polo players at the 1952 Summer Olympics
- Water polo players at the 1956 Summer Olympics
- Australian Army personnel of World War II
- Australian Army soldiers
- People from Brighton, Victoria
- Sportsmen from Victoria (state)
- Military personnel from Melbourne
- Collegians Football Club players
- Melbourne High School Old Boys Football Club players
- 20th-century Australian sportsmen
- Australian rules biography, 1920s birth stubs
- Australian water polo biography stubs