“Cecil Healy’s memory is a powerful presence here,” says Australian Olympic team deputy chef de mission Kaarle McCulloch, a former world champion track cyclist.
“What stands out is his leadership, his bravery and his sportsmanship. And of course, he was such a wonderful athlete. What a tragedy that he lost his life at a young age with the First World War coming to an end.”
McCulloch and 1980 gold-medal swimmer Michelle Ford laid wreaths on Healy’s grave. The pair were joined by Assevillers mayor Didier Jacob, Australia’s ambassador to France Gillian Bird and Patrick Gorman, the assistant minister to the prime minister.
Sand from his beloved Manly beach, flown over for the occasion, was sprinkled beside his headstone.
“It took a lot to go beyond our shores to Europe during a troubled time for the world to compete at the Stockholm 1912 Games; paying his own way also,” said Ford, who won gold in the 800-metre freestyle at Moscow in 1980. “I wanted to be part of this today to join the AOC and recognise someone who really stood for all the Olympic values.”
Healy crammed plenty into his 36 years. In swimming, he was an early proponent of the new crawl stroke and the side-breathing technique. A lifeguard at Manly beach, he was honoured for his bravery in several rescues.
Cecil Healy, killed in the battle of the Somme, served with the Australian infantry in France in World War I.Credit: Collection of John Devitt and Larry Writer
And his friendship with “The Duke” would lead to one of the pivotal moments in Australia’s sporting life. In 1914, Healy invited him to Sydney, and he brought his surfboard, performing a number of exhibitions over the summer, most famously at Freshwater Beach in front of hundreds of spectators.
The nation had fallen in love with surfing for the first time.
In France, the victorious battles fought by Healy and his men in the bloody battles of the Somme have never been forgotten. His statue stands outside the town hall as a reminder of the Australian contribution.
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Local science teacher Bertrand Fareneau researched Healy’s background in 2016, leading to the commissioning of the statue.
“We are privileged to have him resting alongside so many brave men here,” he says. “I think you can see we will never let his memory or his achievements be forgotten.”
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