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Sydney Morning Herald

‘No Wallaby scored tries like Breeze’

December 3, 2003 — 11.00am

Col Windon, who has died five days short of his 82nd birthday, was described as the greatest attacking breakaway in Australia's long rugby history.

They called him "Breeze", and he ran like the wind. Max Howell, rugby historian and author, said there was nothing Windon couldn't do with the ball in hand, and when in full flight he had a distinctive style as the defence closed in on him. Ball held tightly in one arm, bent over for contact, eyes on the defender, hand spread ready for a palm, he was action personified.

He was Australia's leading try scorer for more than three decades until Brendan Moon bettered his efforts, but still holds the record for the most tries scored by a breakaway.

Colin Windon was born to Stan and Maude Windon in Randwick. After moving to Coogee, he lived almost all his life in the Randwick local government area.

His father, Stan, was a pioneer of surf lifesaving and a foundation member of the Coogee Surf Club in 1906. He was also involved in other sports clubs across the Randwick/Coogee area, including the Randwick Rugby Union Club, for which he played breakaway.

He must have passed something on to Col and his older brother Keith, as Keith also played as breakaway for Australia, from 1936 to 1939, when his career was cut short by the war. Regarded at the time as one of the best forwards in the world, Keith had a tremendous influence on Colin.

Colin attended Randwick Public School for his primary education and then went to Sydney Grammar in 1933, as his mother, Maude, thought Grammar would be good for his wayward tendencies. His father encouraged him to be involved in sport and in his first year at Grammar he was selected for a combined schoolboys' cricket team and was taken on tour with Donald Bradman as coach. This experience made him give up cricket pretty quickly.

An article by Stan Baxter found in an old paper reveals that in rugby, too, he was a poor beginner, struggling to get out of the lower grades. He played for the lower grades in the GPS competition in 1935-37.

Colin always said it was on a particular day when he saw his brother playing for Australia in 1937 that he decided that if Keith could play for Australia, he could do the same. He sat next to his dad at the Sydney Cricket Ground and as Stan and his friends were singing the praises of Keith, young Col announced he, too, was going to play for Australia. At that, Stan and the friends apparently laughed, and he said to this young upstart who couldn't get out of second grade at school, "Son, I don't think you will ever play for Australia."

So, with determination, he left school a year early, and went to Coogee Oval to join Randwick Rugby Club in 1938. At 17 he played fourth grade and by 18 he was finally playing first grade with the Galloping Greens.

Windon went on to play 98 games with Randwick, 27 games for NSW, and represented Australia in 100 games including 20 Test matches from 1939-1952.

He was not only a rugged, hard-tackling breakaway, he was a speedy, elusive runner with a gift for scoring tries. During his career he toured Britain, France, Canada, the US, South Africa and New Zealand and in 1946 was picked as one of the five best players of the year by the New Zealand Rugby Almanac. He was vice-captain when Australia won the Bledisloe Cup in 1949 and he captained Australia in 1951.

As a young man, Windon was a member of many sports clubs. He swam in the Randwick Coogee Amateur Swimming Club for many years and was a foundation member of the Coogee Penguins Winter Swim Club, but one of his passions was the surf, and like his father, he became a very active member of the Coogee Surf Club.

He was quick on the sand and his explosive speed won him national flag races. The pillow fights, too, were a specialty, and Eddie Kann reported that in these two events he was unbeatable on Sydney's beaches.

Windon often told the story, how in 1941, he was on patrol at Coogee Beach one day and the next, having enlisted for World War II, was training in Dubbo with a rifle and grenade. In 1942, at the age of 20, he was called to join troops to be sent to Singapore. Fortunately, he missed the train, which may well have saved his life. He was transferred to the 2/3 Infantry Battalion 6th Division, and found himself on the Owen Stanley Track in New Guinea. He had his 21st birthday there but didn't know it until he came out for relief - he contracted malaria and was sent home to the Atherton Tablelands. Once recovered, he returned to New Guinea in 1944 for hard jungle encounters in the Aitape-to-Wewak campaign during 1945. Windon was a company runner, and he commented how the Japanese took a few shots at him but his fast zig-zagging was just too good.

Once home, he tried to switch off from his experience in the war and direct his energy into his rugby career. His days in the army built him up tough and strong, and gave him no fear for the rugby field. His mantra, inherited from his mentor, Cyril Towers, was "Position, possession, pace" but if asked how he did it all, he would say he had "no fear".

His mother ignited another of Windon's passions - horseracing. When he was a boy, Maude would send him to the butcher each Saturday with the bets and strict instructions - "Don't tell your father." In later years, he became a lucky owner. His friend Ross Cribb got him involved in a syndicate and he had some outstanding wins in the '80s with Heat of the Moment and Dolcezza.

In 1954 Windon married Judy Macdonald, and they had three daughters, Julie, Fiona and Kate, by 1962, all of whom survive him. He gave up coaching for Randwick Rugby Club and took an active role in the swimming careers of the girls.

In his later years he enjoyed the company of his grandchildren Maddi, Andrew, Kate and James and was very proud of their achievements at school and at sport. Andrew plays rugby for Clovelly Eagles, a junior village club of Randwick, and Windon was patron of the club.

Over the past few years, rugby's rise in public attention brought him, and many of his teammates, belated, but well-deserved accolades. In 1999, he was named in rugby's team of the century. In 2000, he was made a life member of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust and his name appears on a plaque in the Walk of Honour. He was elected to Randwick City Council Sporting Hall of Fame and awarded an Australian Sports Medal for his sporting achievement. He consistently features in top rugby player lists as still the best breakaway in Australia's rugby history.

In the past year, Windon received his Wallaby cap, No.337, and fulfilled his wish to go to New Zealand with the Australian Rugby Union's captain's tour for the 100th anniversary of trans-Tasman rugby. He showed tremendous strength and determination while fighting cancer to attend these functions.

Recently, he said he was on the bench, waiting to join his brother and his mates who had gone before him. He was looking forward to resuming his career in the game they play in heaven, especially, he said, as there were some damn good players already there.

Julie Blomberg

Australian Rugby Union Representative

Wallaby # 337 20 Caps
Province; NSW
Position; Flanker
Debut Club; Randwick
Debut Test Match; 1946 Wallabies v New Zealand, 1st Test Dunedin
Final Test Match; 1952 Wallabies v New Zealand Maori, 2nd Test Wellington
Died; November 3, 2003
Service Number; NX73909

Biography

Col Windon was arguably Australian rugby’s greatest ever flanker and undoubtedly the Wallabies premier attacking flanker of all time. When one considers the likes of George Smith, David Pocock, David Wilson, Simon Poidevin, Greg Cornelsen and Greg Davis in that conversation those titles take on even greater meaning. Windon was known as ‘Breeze’ because he ran like the wind and his explosive speed won him national beach flag races. He was also a try-scoring machine, a superb cover defender and simply peerless in his support play. Windon’s mantra, inherited from his mentor Cyril Towers, was ‘Position, Possession, Pace,’ but when asked how he did it all, he simply said he had ‘no fear’.

Born in Randwick and raised in Coogee, Windon was educated at Sydney Grammar School where he enjoyed greater sporting success in cricket. It was not until Col saw his brother Keith (Wallaby #307) play against South Africa in 1937 that he developed the ambition to play rugby at the highest levels. Windon dropped out of school a year early and joined Keith at Randwick.

In 1940, his maiden year of first grade, he appeared predominantly on the wing and was equal-highest try-scorer in the competition with 11 from 13 games. The following year he was on patrol at Coogee Beach one day and the next, having enlisted, found himself training in Dubbo with a rifle and grenade. In 1942 he was to be sent to Singapore however in a stroke of luck missed the train, an event which may well have saved his life. Windon was then transferred to the 2/3 Infantry Battalion 6th Division and sent to the Owen Stanley Track in New Guinea. Recovered from a bout of malaria he returned to New Guinea in 1944 for the hard jungle encounters of the Aitape-to-Wewak campaign.

When rugby resumed after the war Windon quickly found his way into representative football when he scored a try on debut against Queensland and was then chosen for the Wallaby tour to New Zealand. Windon played nine of the 12 games, including his Test debut in Dunedin. Following the series Windon was named by the the New Zealand "Rugby Almanack" as one of the five players of the year.

He was one of the first chosen for the Third Wallabies 1947/48 tour to the U.K. and Europe where he starred, mostly notably in the Test against England. The Daily Telegraph’s Phil Tressider wrote, “I saw him single-handedly destroy England at Twickenham.” He scored scored two tries that day, one of them heralded as among the grandest ever seen at the ground. Hailed by the British media as ‘the prince of breakaways’, one commentator wrote that he ‘gave one of the finest displays ever seen at Twickenham.’

Among his many career highlights was his 1949 selection as vice-captain under Trevor Allan to New Zealand. Australia emerged victorious in both Tests and for the first time won the Bledisloe Cup on New Zealand soil. In a truly remarkable performance that year Windon scored tries in each of the three home Maori Tests and in both All Black Tests. Citing business commitments, Windon retired in 1950 and it was no coincidence that Australia were subsequently humbled by the British Lions. He returned to rugby a year later and after incumbent captain ‘Arch Winning’ broke his jaw, Windon was appointed as the 37th Wallaby to lead Australia in a Test match. In 1953, aged 32, Windon won a spot on the tour to South Africa however just before the team left he tore his hamstring training at Coogee but was then passed fit by the authorities. He missed the first seven games, rallied to play in six matches only for his leg to give out and sideline him for the rest of the tour. Windon retired as a player to coach his beloved Randwick from 1954-57.

In 1999 he was named in Australian rugby's team of the century and in 2005 he was honoured as one of the inaugural five inductees into the Wallaby Hall of Fame. Before he died in 2003 Windon said he was on the bench, waiting to join his brother and his mates who had gone before him. He was looking forward to resuming his career in the game they play in heaven, especially, he said, as there were some damn good players already there.

Col Windon played 20 Tests for Australia, two as captain, in a seven year international career. He scored 11 Test tries, a record that stood for 31 years until broken by Queensland winger Brendan Moon against Italy in 1983. Those 11 tries remained an Australian flanker record until 2016 when Michael Hooper scored his 12th, in what was his 54th Test, against England in Sydney. Windon’s try-scoring strike rate of 1.82 Tests per try (min. 10 tries) currently ranks fifth all-time for Australia behind ‘Pup’ Raymond (1.30), Randwick’s Matt Burke (1.53), David Campese (1.58) and Ian Williams (1.70).