Amateur Boxing - John McColl, John Backman

YALLOURN - Sir John Monash’s workers’ utopia by Winton McColl
Yallourn, as we all know, was a wonderful town to be born in, raised, schooled and to work in. The opportunities were seemingly endless. The services were probably second to none. Quality schools, kindergarten, library, medical services, theatre, sporting facilities etc etc for both males and females. Yes, it was pretty much the utopia that Monash intended.
The sporting achievements were many. Thanks to Roger Spaull, the history of the football club is now there for us all to read, enjoy and remember. Yes, the town certainly can claim a proud history of athletes of all descriptions. One field of sport that has yet to be mentioned is that of the Noble Art of boxing. Let me give some of my memories of a couple of great amateur boxers.
In the early 1950’s the Youth Club, the other side of the swimming pool, had a boxing ring. Mr Bill Backman, Church Street, himself as a young man was a very good boxer and those that remember him will remember an exceptionally fit and cheerful bloke. He was a near neighbour of ours and someone that I respected. He provided a venue for those lads of the town so that they could enjoy the disciplines of boxing. He trained and nurtured them at the youth club. Do you remember the youth club? A terrific place for the young boys of the town to go to and burn off energy, learn a few fundamentals to the extent that a good night’s sleep was ensured. At one stage there were so many attending that a bus was provided to take us all home. What a great trip around the town was that bus ride! But I digress.
Undoubtedly there were others, but the ones that I remember are Ray Mackie, Johnny Backman and my brother John McColl, aka Charlie. All boxed in the amateur ranks. Do you remember when Channel 9 on a Saturday night telecast amateur boxing? It was years and years before TV Ringside. Our family loved it, undoubtedly because regular bouts often included the above plus my cousin from Morwell, David Dickson, brother of longtime YOGA member Judy Dolan. The Yallourn boys and David certainly did well. I don’t know if Ray won a state title, but the others did. Their friendships have lasted a lifetime.
David was a state Flyweight champion - very quick and very sharp. John Backman a state Lightweight champion only to have his career cut short by a knee cartilage injury. Today, arthroscopic surgery would have had him back in the ring in about a month. Such were the times.
Brother John was at different times both the Victorian and NSW Light Heavyweight champion, Golden Gloves champion and was just pipped out of Olympic representation in1964. He had many bouts in Victoria and NSW and often says that one of his toughest was an exhibition against his good mate, Johnny Backman. When you consider that one was a light heavyweight and the other a lightweight makes you realise how good Johnny Backman was, but I reckon Mr Backman would have cleaned both of them up!
Brother John, whilst still living in Yallourn, was asked by the football club to give footy a go. John at 6’4” fit and with plenty of aggression you would think would make an ideal ruckman, but no, like myself, hopeless at football! So boxing was and still is his great sporting love. After retiring from the ring, he took up training young people in the inner suburb of Glebe in Sydney. He trained many state and national champions, both amateur and professional boxers, even a couple to world title bouts - no success there, but I think one of his most pleasurable achievements was at his Glebe boxing gym. The gym was a disused warehouse opposite Wentworth Park. Owned by the NSW government, it was given to John for a peppercorn rent (he proudly says he never paid - that’s our John). The condition was that he provide an after school care facility for the local kids living in the Glebe housing estate. You can probably imagine, many of those kids came from dysfunctional families. He relished working with the kids. The gym would have up to 50-60 kids there and like the old Yallourn Youth Club, some training and the rest just having a good time. It kept them off the streets. Each year he would put on a boxing exhibition, sometimes including the then World Light Heavyweight Champion, Jeff Harding. Without going into detail, all sorts of Sydney society would go and donate money for the big Christmas Bash that John would put on for the kids. He’s a bit of a character and through boxing has met many people from all walks of life. Yep, he can tell some stories that would curl your hair. He did have the pleasure of meeting the great German world Heavyweight champion Max Schmelling and later Smokin’ Joe Frazier. There were others, but it all comes back to Mr Backman, and the Yallourn Youth Club. John did and still loves his Glebe and somehow, I think Glebe loves him.
And me? John did teach me the fundamentals, but like my football (lack of) prowess, I stuck to gentler pursuits. Happily married for almost 40 years, no kids and 5 years ago downsized from Eltham South to Montmorency. Mary and I enjoy, amongst other things, golf at our local club (Heidelberg), some half serious bike riding and many trips to the UK and Europe. Yes, it’s all good as was Monash’s utopia.
To all my old Yallourn friends, best wishes....Winton McColl