John Fethers was an Australian Olympic fencer

Fencing

Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...

. He competed in six events at the 1952 Summer Olympics

1952 Summer Olympics

The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...

. He was a longstanding member and coach at the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club

VRI Fencing Club

VRI Fencing Club located in Richmond, Victoria is an Australian fencing club distinguished as being one of few sports clubs in any sport to have produced athletes for every Olympiad since 1956....

. On 10 October 2009 in recognition of a significant international fencing career, outstanding personal contribution to Australian fencing, and lasting legacy in the training and development of numerous coaches and Olympic athletes, he was inducted as a Living Legend to the VRI Hall of Fame.

Early years

Born in Melbourne, he began fencing at the age of 17 - the same year the Australian Amateur Fencing Association was formed (1946). John’s interest and passion for fencing was inspired by the films of Australian actor Errol Flynn

Errol Flynn

Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...

 with whom he bore an almost identical size and appearance. (He eventually met Flynn at Paris airport in 1954). A natural fencing talent, he won the 1946 Victorian novice and intermediate foil

Foil

Foil may refer to:Materials* Foil , a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food...

 championships and won bronze in the Victorian Open foil championship. In 1949 he won bronze for foil at the inaugural Australian Fencing Championships. Shortly after, he was selected to represent Australia in foil at the 1950 British Empire Games in Auckland, New Zealand and won silver. At the 1951 Australian Fencing Championships he became the first fencer to win gold in epee, foil and sabre

Sabre

The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...

 - a feat that has only been matched once.

International career

Seeking international experience, he joined the 1950s Australian 'invasion' of Britain. He was selected to represent Australia in the foil at the Helsinki

Helsinki

Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...

 1952 Summer Olympics

1952 Summer Olympics

The 1952 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. Helsinki had been earlier given the 1940 Summer Olympics, which were cancelled due to World War II...

 - the first time an Australian fencing team competed at the Olympic Games. In 1953 and 1954 he reached the semi-finals of the men's individual foil at the FIE World Championships. He won silver in foil and bronze in sabre for Australia at the Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

 1954 British Empire Games in Canada. He later reached the finals round at the individual men's foil at the 1955 FIE World Championship. While selected to represent Australia at the Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 1956 Summer Olympics

1956 Summer Olympics

The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...

 he was unable to return to Australia in sufficient time to compete.

Honours

In 1961 he was awarded the Challenge Gilbert Duval, one of Europe's highest fencing honours, awarded to the fencer judged the best consistent fencer over a 5 year period. In 1956, after a year's study and training at the French Academy of Arms he became a Maitre d'Armes (Master of Arms).

Later years

He returned to Australia in 1964 and became a member and coach at VRI Fencing Club. He coached the 1964 Australian Olympic Fencing Team before being appointed national coach in 1966. He remained a national coach and coach at VRI for several decades before eventually retiring in 1992. Drawing on a lifetime interest and passion for fencing in performance, he appeared in several films and short films and choreographed duels for film, stage and television. His achievements in fencing have never been bettered by a fellow Australian.

External links

• Australian Fencing Federation