Arthur Tonkin
Encyclopedia
Arthur Edward Joseph Tonkin (19 October 1922 – c. 1991) was an Australia
n national representative
rugby union
player who featured in the 1947-48 Wallaby tour of the British Isles
.
but made no attempt to influence his three children on which sports they should play. Arthur went to Wagga Wagga Christian Brothers' and later to St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill
where he benefited under Brother Henry, the College's legendary coach of the 1930s. He won the GPS Schools
sprint championship in 1942 and was an army
sprint champion during his wartime service. He was a gunner in the AIF
who saw three years of active service during World War II
.
after his discharge and played the first of six matches for New South Wales
in 1947. A powerfully built sprinter he added menace to every team in which he played because of his rare acceleration and scoring potential.
in 1947 but was selected for that year's
epic Wallaby tour
and became one of the spearheads of Australia's attack in Britain after champion Manly
winger Charlie Eastes broke his leg in an early tour match. Tonkin appeared on the wing in all five Tests of the tour using his blinding acceleration to get around his opposing wingers to score tries against Scotland
and Ireland
. He was also one of four kickers who figured in the Tests (along with Brain Piper, Trevor Allan
and Bob McMaster) kicking two penalties against France
in the Paris Test at Stade Colombes
.
Injury affected his representative prospects after the conclusion of the tour but he did make a further Test appearance against the British Lions in Sydney
in 1950.
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n national representative
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who featured in the 1947-48 Wallaby tour of the British Isles
1947-48 Australia rugby union tour of the British Isles, Ireland, France and North America
Between July 1947 and March 1948 the Australia national rugby union team – the Wallabies – conducted a world tour encompassing Ceylon, Britain, France and the United States on which they played five Tests and thirty-six minor tour matches...
.
Early life
Tonkin's father was one of the pioneers of the New South Wales Country Rugby LeagueNew South Wales Country Rugby League
-2011 Tier 2 Championships:-History:Newcastle was the first city outside Sydney to start a league competition, being involved in the Sydney Premiership in 1908-09 and then starting their own competition in 1910....
but made no attempt to influence his three children on which sports they should play. Arthur went to Wagga Wagga Christian Brothers' and later to St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill
St. Joseph's College, Hunters Hill
St Joseph's College is a Roman Catholic, Secondary, day and boarding school for boys. It is located in Hunters Hill, a suburb on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia....
where he benefited under Brother Henry, the College's legendary coach of the 1930s. He won the GPS Schools
GPS Schools
The Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales ', also known as GPS or Great Public Schools is an association of mostly private boys' schools in New South Wales, Australia that share common interests, ethics, educational philosophy and contest sporting events among themselves...
sprint championship in 1942 and was an army
AIF
AIF may refer to:*AIF , refer List of role-playing games by name*Accredited Investment Fiduciary*Adult Interactive fiction, a game genre*American India Foundation*Anti-Iraqi Forces*Apoptosis inducing factor...
sprint champion during his wartime service. He was a gunner in the AIF
AIF
AIF may refer to:*AIF , refer List of role-playing games by name*Accredited Investment Fiduciary*Adult Interactive fiction, a game genre*American India Foundation*Anti-Iraqi Forces*Apoptosis inducing factor...
who saw three years of active service during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Club rugby
Tonkin joined the Gordon ClubGordon RFC
Gordon Rugby Football Club are a rugby union club based on the North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales. The club, known as the Highlanders, play out of Chatswood Oval and compete in the New South Wales Rugby Union grade competition.-Club information:...
after his discharge and played the first of six matches for New South Wales
New South Wales Waratahs
The New South Wales Waratahs are an Australian rugby union football team, representing the majority of New South Wales in the Super 15 Super Rugby competition...
in 1947. A powerfully built sprinter he added menace to every team in which he played because of his rare acceleration and scoring potential.
Representative rugby career
He missed a place in the Test against New ZealandAll Blacks
The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represent New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport....
in 1947 but was selected for that year's
epic Wallaby tour
1947-48 Australia rugby union tour of the British Isles, Ireland, France and North America
Between July 1947 and March 1948 the Australia national rugby union team – the Wallabies – conducted a world tour encompassing Ceylon, Britain, France and the United States on which they played five Tests and thirty-six minor tour matches...
and became one of the spearheads of Australia's attack in Britain after champion Manly
Manly RUFC
Manly Rugby Union Football Club are a rugby union club based in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, New South Wales. The club was formed in 1906 and competes in the New South Wales Rugby Union competitions, the Shute Shield and Tooheys New Cup. Manly, known as the Marlins, play their home games at Manly...
winger Charlie Eastes broke his leg in an early tour match. Tonkin appeared on the wing in all five Tests of the tour using his blinding acceleration to get around his opposing wingers to score tries against Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...
and Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
. He was also one of four kickers who figured in the Tests (along with Brain Piper, Trevor Allan
Trevor Allan
Trevor Allan OAM was an Australian dual-code rugby international who captained Australia in rugby union before switching to rugby league with English club Leigh.-Rugby union club career:...
and Bob McMaster) kicking two penalties against France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
in the Paris Test at Stade Colombes
Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir
The Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir - stadium in Colombes, near Paris, France . Named in memory of French rugby player Yves du Manoir in 1928. Was the main stadium for the 1924 Summer Olympics and had a capacity of 45,000 at the time...
.
Injury affected his representative prospects after the conclusion of the tour but he did make a further Test appearance against the British Lions in Sydney
Sydney Cricket Ground
The Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney in Australia. It is used for Australian football, Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian...
in 1950.
Post playing
Tonkin became a lecturer in physical education after his football career ended and worked at Armidale Teachers' College where he also coached rugby. He retired in 1982, leaving the coaching of college rugby teams to John HipwellJohn Hipwell
-Early life:John Hipwell, born 24 January 1948 in Mayfield , is a former rugby union player who played and captained the Australian national team . He played the majority of his career at scrum half...
.