25 Facts About Edward Trickett

Edward Trickett was the first Australian to be recognised as a world champion in any sport, after winning the World Sculling Championship in 1876, a title he held until 1880, when he was beaten by Canadian Ned Hanlan.

Edward Trickett's father was a former convict and a bootmaker and his mother was Irish.

Edward Trickett's took part in his first race at the age of ten.

Edward Trickett went on to defeat most of the State's professional scullers to become Australian Professional Sculling Champion.

Edward Trickett's occupation was noted as a quarryman and he met his wife, the daughter of a lighthouse keeper, whilst delivering stone for the construction of a new lighthouse at South Head.

Edward Trickett was an extremely tall person for his time, being.

Edward Trickett went on to win Australia's first world sporting title on 27 June 1876 by defeating the two-times champion, Englishman Joseph Sadler, for the World Sculling Championship, starting a Golden Age for Australian professional sculling.

Edward Trickett thus became the first Australian World Champion in any sport.

The scullers had raced before for the New South Wales Championship but the race was unequal because Edward Trickett used the new sliding seat and Rush continued to use a fixed seat.

Rush had not learned his lesson and again used the fixed seat while Edward Trickett used a sliding seat which gave him a huge advantage notwithstanding claims to the contrary by Rush's backers.

However, by the mile and a half point Edward Trickett had overtaken the leader and from then on the race was a procession and he crossed the line twenty-two seconds ahead.

Edward Trickett won several non-title races over the next couple of years and earned enough money to buy a hotel.

Edward Trickett became licensee of Trickett's Hotel and later became the proprietor of the International Hotel which was located on the corner of Pitt and King Streets in Sydney.

Laycock took an early lead but by four hundred yards Edward Trickett had passed him and was never tested for the rest of the race, winning "as he liked" by some fifteen to eighteen lengths.

Edward Trickett had used the then new invention of swivel rowlocks.

On 15 November 1880 on a decidedly raw and cold day with a drizzling rain that fell at intervals; Trickett, weighing and tall, aged 29 years rowed against the tall Edward 'Ned' Hanlan weighing aged 25 years of Toronto Canada over the Thames Championship Course which ran between Putney and Mortlake.

Edward Trickett lost the race to the Canadian in a time of 26 minutes-12 seconds and three lengths behind, and thus he lost his World Title.

However, the race was very one sided and Hanlan won so far ahead that he then turned around and rowed back to Edward Trickett, turned around again and beat him a second time to the finish line.

Edward Trickett returned to Australia and in 1884 he moved to the Oxford Arms Hotel in Rockhampton, Queensland.

Edward Trickett returned to Sydney to find employment but was deeply depressed - to the point of being suicidal.

Edward Trickett seemingly found religion after having been duck shooting on the Sabbath.

Edward Trickett lived and worked at Moama on the Murray River in New South Wales for some time and his family remained in Sydney.

Edward Trickett remained a committed Salvation Army envoy throughout the rest of his life and became a good speaker for their cause.

Edward Trickett helped Fred work the shaft until tragedy struck on 27 November 1916 when the walls of the gold mine shaft collapsed.

Edward Trickett Street is nearby those named after other rowers, vis Beach Road, Hanlan Street, and Laycock Street.