Shirley Tonkin
Inducted: 2025 Sports: Hockey Western Australia’s long dominance of woman’s hockey on the national scene was at its peak in the 1960-70 decade. A key player in that era was Shirley Tonkin (nee Haines) whose talents as a midfielder and strike forward were pre-eminent. That time was characterised by very limited opportunities for women […]
Rohanee Cox
Inducted: 2025 Sports: Basketball Born Broome April 23, 1980 Rohanee Cox was born in Broome on April 23, 1980. She is the first indigenous Australian to represent her country in basketball at the Olympic Games. In her playing career at the top level, Rohanee was a highly skilled small forward and shooting guard. In […]
Bruce Yardley
Inducted: 1989 Sports: Cricket Born Midland, WA 15 September, 1947 – 27 March, 2019 Bruce Yardley is Midland, Western Australian and Australian through and through – a man truly loyal to his teams. He started with Midland-Guildford as a fast-medium bowler and it was in this role that he made his first-class debut in […]
Jean Wynne (nee Pearce)
Inducted: 1991 Sports: Hockey Born Wagin, W.A. 19 April, 1921 – 17 February, 1996 Four sisters from the remarkable Pearce family of Moulyinning formed the cornerstone of State Women’s hockey teams at interstate carnivals. Unrelated to the hockey-playing brothers of the same name, there were six Pearce sisters. Three of them- May, Jean and […]
Danielle Woodhouse (nee Gusterson) OAM
Inducted: 2013 Sports: Water Polo Born South Perth, WA January 23, 1969 Danielle Woodhouse (nee Gusterson) played water polo for Australia during the team’s golden era from 1995 through to the historic Sydney Olympics triumph in 2000. Sharing goalkeeping duties for some of that time with NSW’s Liz Weekes, Woodhouse, who played alongside her […]
Graeme Wood
Inducted: 2002 Sports: Cricket Born East Fremantle, W.A. 6 November, 1956 A neat left-handed batsman, Graeme Wood made his first-class debut for Western Australia at the WACA Ground against the touring MCC side in March 1977, making scores of 37 and 1. It was a relatively inauspicious start to a long and distinguished career […]
John Winter
Inducted: 1985 Sports: Athletics Born Perth, W.A. 3 December, 1924 – 5 December, 2007 The first Western Australian to win an Olympic gold medal, John Winter won the high jump, beating more fancied American rivals at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Winter also became the first (and only) Australian to win an Olympic […]
Dean Williams
Inducted: 2003 Sports: Squash Born Subiaco, W.A. 22 April, 1956 Dean Williams was born in the wrong era. Williams grew up on a squash court with his parents’ part-owners of a squash centre. His enthusiasm and appetite for the sport saw him improve quickly and he found himself on the developing world circuit at […]
Clive Wilderspin
Inducted: 1988 Sports: Tennis Born Perth, W.A. 3 April, 1930 Clive Wilderspin made tennis history in 1953 when he was the first Western Australian player to be selected in an Australian Davis Cup squad. This was a tribute to Wilderspin’s tennis ability because at that time Australian tennis was exceptionally strong. The outstanding tennis […]
Evelyn Whillier (nee de Lacy)
Inducted: 1994 Sports: Swimming Born Perth, W.A. 21 November, 1917 – 27 June, 2004 From a Maylands family of battlers noted for producing fine swimmers, Evelyn de Lacy was just 14 when she won the 1932 Swim Through Maylands as a prelude to blossoming into Australia’s foremost women’s freestyler. Tall, lean and lissom, she […]