Born June 21, 1948 near Warragul, in Victoria, Australia, Lionel Rose died yesterday, May 8th in the same town.
Lionel was the first Aborigine to be crowned Australian of the Year, in 1968, the same year he became the first Aboriginal Aussie to become a boxing champion, beating the Fighting Harada in Tokyo for the bantamweight title.
After a successful boxing career, Lionel had a modestly successful singing career, with two hits that placed on the Australian charts, "I Thank You" and "Please Remember Me". "I Thank You" was a national hit, and occasionally played instead of the national anthem on radio broadcasts of rugby matches by a pair of comedic sportscasters.
As a boxer, Lionel Rose compiled a career record of 42 wins, 12 by knockout, versus 11 losses, mostly at the tail end of his career.
A hero to his community, not forgotten but barely mentioned in this country, he was a pioneer, and will be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment