When Lynch Cooper, formerly of 19 Dunn St, Benalla did his magic he was made a citizen of the British Empire.
He was a proud Yorta Yorta man and a gifted runner from a young age.
His father was William Cooper, who owned a fish shop at Tocumwal. His brother was a war hero, who died at Gallipoli.
Earlier in his life he lived on the Murray River. He would sell his boat and fishing licence in an attempt to fund an attempt at the Stawell Gift, in 1928.
By selling up he could afford the entrance fee. He was also allowed, in those days, to back himself at the local bookies.
So, he put £60 on himself. He ended up winning the race and the bet which had been given long-odds.
In 1929, he entered again, but was pipped at the post, finishing second.
Not to be daunted, he entered another event, the World Sprint Championship, which involved running a series of races at different distances. Each winner was awarded points for each race.
At the end Lynch was declared ‘The Fastest Man in the World’.
He was lauded in newspapers along the east coast.
These individual accolades were some of the first for an Indigenous man.
When I met Lynch Cooper, I was a teenager, in the 1960s. My mother took me to see him, maybe she wanted him to coach me.
He was a middle-aged tradie who wore white painter’s overalls and had a contract to paint commission houses in the Benalla and Mansfield areas.
But he was still coaching in Benalla. Many young aspiring athletes sought his tuition.
He trained young men for local Gifts at many country championships at the time.
When Benalla starts to build its new sports complex it would do well to have Lynch’s name on it.
My mum has since passed away and this was one of the last things on her bucket list.
– Jamie Clarke.
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