Olympics a special time for Bruce Davies whose father coached 1956 Australian gymnasts

Every four years, St Paul’s Terrace resident Bruce Davies is taken back to his childhood of watching his father Stan guide the Australian gymnastics team through the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.

The 78-year-old was 10 when Australia hosted its first Olympics and was lucky enough to watch his father take the country’s best gymnasts through their paces against the rest of the world.

In the days before professional athletes and coaches, Stan had to take leave from the family’s Moorabbin business, Baker and Davies Joinery, to accept the Athletic Head Coaching job in November and December, 1956.

Bruce recalls that Stan had been given the choice to either compete or coach. Stan chose the latter using the rationale that he could demonstrate and transfer his knowledge to the competitors.

Unfortunately, the Australian team failed to win a medal in 1956 with Bruce remembering Stan’s lament that he had made the wrong choice.

The 1956 Olympics gymnastics competition was dominated by the USSR and Hungary through the 15 events held at West Melbourne Stadium, which became Festival Hall in the early 1960s in time for the Beatles’ performance.

While Bruce attended the competition, his strongest memory is running and tumbling in the stands with his friends as the events took place.

As a gymnast, Stan won his first Victorian Championship in 1939 at the age of 19 before joining the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II. He returned to win the Victorian titles in 1949, 1950 and 1953.

Bruce, now a grandfather of six, moved into Benetas St Paul’s Terrace care home in February this year and said he eagerly looked forward to watching the gymnastics competition in Paris.

“The Olympics has always been a special time for me and my family, remembering dad’s career and the successes he had,” Bruce said.

“I remember the horizontal bars that were set up in the backyard of our family’s Glenhuntly home and the excitement around the games being in Melbourne.”

While Bruce himself never competed at an Olympic level, he was heavily involved in the Haileybury Athletics Club, which was started by his family.

Bruce took over Baker and Davies Joinery when Stan retired and has since passed it onto his three sons, ensuring the family legacy continues.