16 Facts About Chilla Porter

Charles Michael "Chilla" Porter was an Australian athlete and political figure.

Chilla Porter won a silver medal in the high jump at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

Chilla Porter later served as general secretary of the Liberal Party of Australia from 1978 to 1987.

Porter was born in Brisbane, the son of Charles Robert Porter who was a Queensland state Liberal MP between 1966 and 1980 and served in the ministry of Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

Chilla Porter was a high jumper who utilized the straddle technique, the dominant high jump technique before the Fosbury Flop emerged in the 1960s.

Chilla Porter won silver medals in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games held in Cardiff, UK, with a height 2.03m, and in the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games in Perth, Western Australia with a height of 2.08m.

Chilla Porter was the first Australian high jump athlete to clear the height of 2.10m.

Chilla Porter moved to Perth in the early 1960s where he married Nerida Chater.

Chilla Porter worked for the Liberal Party of Australia as a divisional field officer in the seats of Fremantle, Perth and Stirling.

Chilla Porter subsequently became a senior field officer and then was appointed general secretary in 1978.

Chilla Porter returned to the Liberal Party as chair of the state campaign committee from 1994 to 1996.

Chilla Porter was appointed chairman of the Western Australian Institute of Sport in 1995 by the state Liberal government.

Chilla Porter held the position only until 1996 but was "instrumental in WAIS developing a new purpose-built facility at Challenge Stadium".

Chilla Porter was criticized for the amount of money that was distributed to the charities after fundraising costs were deducted.

Chilla Porter was inducted into the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame in 2011.

Chilla Porter died on 15 August 2020, after a long battle with cancer.