VRI Fencing Club
Encyclopedia
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.
The Club was founded a week after the International Olympic Committee
awarded Melbourne the 15th Olympiad on 28 April 1949. Formed by employees of the Victorian Railways
, VRI Fencing Club was funded, equipped and accommodated under the auspice of the Victorian Railways Institute, an organisation dedicated to providing self-learning, social and sport opportunities for railway employees. In addition to encouraging public participation in the sport of fencing, the club sought to train and develop competitive athletes in three weapons to represent Australia at the Melbourne 1956 Summer Olympics
.
The club produced four athletes for the Melbourne Olympiad. Since 1956 it has produced 30 athletes for 14 consecutive Olympiads, including most recently, three athletes for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
. VRI Fencing Club has produced 48 per cent of Australia’s total number of Olympic fencers.
and Leslie Fadgyas
had fenced in Hungary in the pre-war period and saw the 1956 Melbourne Olympics as an opportunity to compete for their new country. Andy Szakall became the club’s senior coach and remained active with the club until his death in 1988.
With a commitment to develop skills in all three weapons – epee, foil
, sabre
– VRI produced a number of elite level fencers of international quality, including former Olympians maitre John Fethers
, Greg Benko, and Helen Smith
. The club’s members have achieved more than 500 podium finishes in state, national and international tournaments and represented Australia at 14 consecutive Olympiads; making VRI Fencing Club the most consistent and highest performing club in Australian fencing history.
The club pioneered and wrote programs for ‘Swordplay’ a games, fun and fitness based training program for young children that use plastic weapons to introduce children to the sport of fencing. The club’s schools program and Musketeers class for children aged 7 to 13 attracts many children to the sport. VRI’s most prominent Musketeer, cadet and junior fencer is Chris Nagle who in 2010 became the first student at Harrow School
since Sir Winston Churchill
to win gold (in foil) at the British Public Schools Fencing Championship, the world’s largest annual fencing tournament. In 2011 he repeated the achievement and set a new record by becoming the first student to win gold in all three weapons - epee, foil and sabre. VRI provides adult education courses, including theatrical fencing training for actors. The club’s most prominent actor-fencer being Geoffrey Rush
prior to his appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean.
VRI Fencing Club operated for many years in the Victorian Railways Institute Grand Ballroom at Flinders Street Station, Melbourne. When the Institute folded in 1984 the club retained its VRI identity, became a community sports club and between 1985 and 2010 operated from three different venues in the inner-city suburb of Richmond. In 2009 the club was invited to become a tenant at Punt Road Oval
, Yarra Park, East Melbourne.
On 10 October 2009, the club celebrated 60 years. The club’s members, living Olympians, VOC representatives and Government Ministers recognised the life achievement of 1952 Olympian Maitre John Fethers and 1976, 1980 and 1984 triple Olympian Helen Smith. Former club member and Victorian junior sabre champion the Hon. Bill Shorten
MP, Federal Member for Maribyrnong; the Hon Richard Wynne
MP, State Member for Richmond; and Steve Wright, CEO of the Richmond Football Club
announced inclusion of VRI Fencing Club in the redevelopment of the Punt Road Oval.
($2.0M); Australian Football League
($1.5M) and the Australian Government ($9.75M) to fund a $20M redevelopment of the iconic home ground. VRI Fencing club was subsequently provided a home within a new state of art sports facility, becoming the tenant of a modern purpose-built 14 piste indoor fencing training centre.
was the resident guest coach during the 2010 UFC.
since the club was established. The club has produced eight Australian gold medalists and contributed members to five Australian gold medal teams.
The Club was founded a week after the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
awarded Melbourne the 15th Olympiad on 28 April 1949. Formed by employees of the Victorian Railways
Victorian Railways
The Victorian Railways operated railways in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations...
, VRI Fencing Club was funded, equipped and accommodated under the auspice of the Victorian Railways Institute, an organisation dedicated to providing self-learning, social and sport opportunities for railway employees. In addition to encouraging public participation in the sport of fencing, the club sought to train and develop competitive athletes in three weapons to represent Australia at the Melbourne 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...
.
The club produced four athletes for the Melbourne Olympiad. Since 1956 it has produced 30 athletes for 14 consecutive Olympiads, including most recently, three athletes for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. VRI Fencing Club has produced 48 per cent of Australia’s total number of Olympic fencers.
Today
VRI Fencing Club operates seven days a week. It is accessible to beginners and social fencers, and provides frequent beginner classes. The club’s ongoing childrens and schools programs make an introduction to the sport an easy and fun social occasion for children. It caters for all levels of skill - beginners young and old (from Musketeers aged 7 to 13; to fencers in their fifties, sixties and seventies); social fencers and competitive fencers. Many junior and senior athletes compete nationally and internationally. The club attracts visiting fencers from around the world who travel to Melbourne to combine work or study with an opportunity to train with its athletes. Fencers from the USA, UK, Italy, France, India, China, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia and Singapore are frequent visitors.History
Three post-war Hungarian refugees employed by the Victorian Railways provided the impetus for forming the VRI Fencing Club. Maitre Andy Szakall, Sandor SzokeSandor Szoke
Sandor Szoke was an Australian fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was a founding member of the VRI Fencing Club in May 1949, a week after the IOC awarded Melbourne the 15th Olympiad....
and Leslie Fadgyas
Leslie Fadgyas
Leslie Fadgyas was an Australian fencer. He competed in the individual and team sabre events at the 1956 Summer Olympics. He was a longstanding member of the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club.-References:...
had fenced in Hungary in the pre-war period and saw the 1956 Melbourne Olympics as an opportunity to compete for their new country. Andy Szakall became the club’s senior coach and remained active with the club until his death in 1988.
With a commitment to develop skills in all three weapons – epee, foil
Foil (fencing)
A foil is a type of weapon used in fencing. It is the most common weapon in terms of usage in competition, and is usually the choice for elementary classes for fencing in general.- Components:...
, 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...
– VRI produced a number of elite level fencers of international quality, including former Olympians maitre John Fethers
John Fethers
John Fethers was an Australian Olympic fencer. He competed in six events at the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was a longstanding member and coach at the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club...
, Greg Benko, and Helen Smith
Helen Smith (fencer)
Helen Smith is an Australian fencer. She competed in the women's individual foil events at the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics. She was a long standing member of the VRI Fencing Club before joining other clubs in the 1990s...
. The club’s members have achieved more than 500 podium finishes in state, national and international tournaments and represented Australia at 14 consecutive Olympiads; making VRI Fencing Club the most consistent and highest performing club in Australian fencing history.
The club pioneered and wrote programs for ‘Swordplay’ a games, fun and fitness based training program for young children that use plastic weapons to introduce children to the sport of fencing. The club’s schools program and Musketeers class for children aged 7 to 13 attracts many children to the sport. VRI’s most prominent Musketeer, cadet and junior fencer is Chris Nagle who in 2010 became the first student at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
since Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
to win gold (in foil) at the British Public Schools Fencing Championship, the world’s largest annual fencing tournament. In 2011 he repeated the achievement and set a new record by becoming the first student to win gold in all three weapons - epee, foil and sabre. VRI provides adult education courses, including theatrical fencing training for actors. The club’s most prominent actor-fencer being Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Rush
Geoffrey Roy Rush is an Australian actor and film producer. He is one of the few people who has won the "Triple Crown of Acting": an Academy Award, a Tony Award and an Emmy Award. He has won one Academy Award for acting , three British Academy Film Awards , two Golden Globe Awards and four Screen...
prior to his appearance in Pirates of the Caribbean.
VRI Fencing Club operated for many years in the Victorian Railways Institute Grand Ballroom at Flinders Street Station, Melbourne. When the Institute folded in 1984 the club retained its VRI identity, became a community sports club and between 1985 and 2010 operated from three different venues in the inner-city suburb of Richmond. In 2009 the club was invited to become a tenant at Punt Road Oval
Punt Road Oval
Punt Road Oval is a sporting ground located in Yarra Park, East Melbourne, Victoria situated only a few hundred metres to the east of the famous Melbourne Cricket Ground....
, Yarra Park, East Melbourne.
On 10 October 2009, the club celebrated 60 years. The club’s members, living Olympians, VOC representatives and Government Ministers recognised the life achievement of 1952 Olympian Maitre John Fethers and 1976, 1980 and 1984 triple Olympian Helen Smith. Former club member and Victorian junior sabre champion the Hon. Bill Shorten
Bill Shorten
William Richard "Bill" Shorten is an Australian politician, the Member for Maribyrnong in the Australian Parliament, Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Superannuation and Financial Services. He was the Parliamentary Secretary for Disability and Children's Services in the Rudd/Gillard Government...
MP, Federal Member for Maribyrnong; the Hon Richard Wynne
Richard Wynne
Hon. Richard William Wynne MLA is an Australian politician and former Minister for Housing, Minister for Local Government and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs in the State Cabinet of the Government of Victoria, and has held the Legislative Assembly seat of Richmond in the Victorian Parliament since...
MP, State Member for Richmond; and Steve Wright, CEO of the Richmond Football Club
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
announced inclusion of VRI Fencing Club in the redevelopment of the Punt Road Oval.
Tigerland
Punt Road Oval or Tigerland, is the traditional home of the Richmond Tigers AFL Football Club. In 2008 the Richmond Football Club allocated $2.5M and received grants from the Victorian Government ($4.5M); City of MelbourneCity of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne is a Local Government Area in Victoria, Australia, located in the central city area of Melbourne. The city has an area of 36 square kilometres and has an estimated population of 93,105 people. The city's motto is "Vires acquirit eundo" which means "She gathers strength as she...
($2.0M); Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
($1.5M) and the Australian Government ($9.75M) to fund a $20M redevelopment of the iconic home ground. VRI Fencing club was subsequently provided a home within a new state of art sports facility, becoming the tenant of a modern purpose-built 14 piste indoor fencing training centre.
Home of Australian Fencing
In 2011 the VRI Fencing Club and its Tigerland training centre was named the Home of Australian Fencing. The name reflects the club’s status as the oldest, largest and most successful fencing club in Australia and its extraordinary record of producing Olympic athletes. The Australian Fencing Federation has recognised VRI Fencing Club as the nation’s High Performance Club of the Year every year since the award was introduced in 2002.Ultimate Fencing Camp
Recognised internationally as a quality training provider in fencing, VRI Fencing Club is the convenor of the annual three-week intensive residential Ultimate Fencing Camp designed to meet the needs of emerging cadet and junior fencers. The camp is notable for providing a comprehensive program of lectures, training, cross-training (in pentathlon), coaching, preparation for international competition, biometric analysis and education in nutrition, fitness, sport psychology, physiotherapy and injury management. The UFC is attended by junior male and female fencers from across Australia, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East. Former World Champion Sergei GolubitskySergei Golubitsky
Sergei Golubitsky is a Ukrainian fencer. He won three straight world championships in Men's Foil and is considered one of the best foil fencers of the 20th century. He now lives in Italy and designed a fencing blade for the Leon Paul company...
was the resident guest coach during the 2010 UFC.
Olympians
In the 62 year history of the VRI Fencing Club, 30 members have competed for Australia in 14 consecutive Olympiads. The club has contributed 48 per cent of Australia’s Olympians in fencing and on two occasions (1976 and 2008) has provided Australia’s only Olympic competitors.- Melbourne 1956 Les Fadgyas, Les Kovacs, Alex Martonffy, Sandor Szoke.
- Rome 1960 Zoltan OkalyiZoltan OkalyiZoltan Okalyi is an Australian fencer. He competed in the team foil event at the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was a longstanding member of the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club.-References:...
. - Tokyo 1964 Russell HobbyRussell HobbyRussell Hobby is an Australian fencer. He competed at the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics. He was a longstanding member of the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club.-References:...
, Alex Martonffy, Laszlo Tornallyay - Mexico City 1968 Russell Hobby.
- Munich 1972 Ernest SimonErnest Simon (fencer)Ernest Simon is an Australian fencer. He competed in the individual foil events at the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics. He was a longstanding member and coach with the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club before establishing the Melbourne Fencing Club in 1999.-References:...
, Christine McDougallChristine McDougallChristine McDougall is an Australian fencer. She competed in the women's individual foil event at the 1972 Summer Olympics. She was a longstanding member of the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club.-References:...
. - Montreal 1976 Ernest Simon, Helen SmithHelen Smith (fencer)Helen Smith is an Australian fencer. She competed in the women's individual foil events at the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics. She was a long standing member of the VRI Fencing Club before joining other clubs in the 1990s...
. - Moscow 1980 Helen Smith.
- Los Angeles 1984 Helen Smith.
- Seoul 1988 Robert DavidsonRobert Davidson (fencer)Robert Davidson is an Australian fencer. He competed at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics.-References:...
. - Barclona 1992 Scott Arnold, Robert Davidson.
- Atlanta 1996 Sarah Osvath.
- Sydney 2000 Gerard Adams, Evelyn Halls. Joanna Halls, Nick Heffernan, David Nathan.
- Athens 2004 Evelyn Halls, Seamus RobinsonSeamus Robinson (fencer)Seamus Robinson was the first Australian fencer to win a Fencing World Championship title when he won the men's épée cadets title in 1991, Foggia, Italy and to place third on the junior men's épée world cup in 1995.Other results include:*2003 World Cup : Cuba - 6th*2003 World Cup : Tehran -...
. - Beijing 2008 Angela Darby, Joanna Halls, Amber ParkinsonAmber ParkinsonAmber Parkinson is an Australian Epee fencer.-As an Athlete:Parkinson was ranked first in the Australian Open Fencing Championships in December 2007. In August 2007 Parkinson competed in the Asian Fencing Championships Nantong, China, coming second...
. - Helsinki 1952 John Fethers*
- (Maitre John Fethers was overseas when VRI was formed and was selected to compete in the 1952 Olympiad while overseas. On return to Australia he was a VRI member and coach for more than 20 years).
Commonwealth Games
VRI Fencing Club provided a number of competitors to the 1954 and 1958 British Empire Games and the 1962, 1966 and 1970 British Commonwealth Games. VRI club members, led by Ivan Lund, (later made a member of the Australian Sports Hall of Fame), achieved a number of podium finishes.Gold Medalists - Individual Events
- Vancouver 1954 Ivan LundIvan LundIvan Lund was an Australian Olympic fencer. He competed at four Olympic Games.He was a longstanding member of the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club.-References:...
(epee). - Perth 1962 Ivan LundIvan LundIvan Lund was an Australian Olympic fencer. He competed at four Olympic Games.He was a longstanding member of the Melbourne based VRI Fencing Club.-References:...
(epee).
Medal Tally
Overall total of medals achieved by VRI Fencing Club members for individual and team events at the British Empire Games (1954–1958) and British Commonwealth Games (1962–1970), prior to the establishment of the Commonwealth Fencing Championships in 1974.| Fencing |  Gold |
 Silver |
 Bronze |
Total |
| Australia | 3 | 15 | 11 | 29 |
| VRI FC | 2 | 8 | 5 | 15 |
Commonwealth Fencing Championships
VRI Fencing Club has provided competitors to every Commonwealth Fencing ChampionshipsCommonwealth Fencing Championships
The Commonwealth Fencing Championships is one of the older sport-specific sporting events held in the Commonwealth of Nations, following the demise of fencing as an event in the Commonwealth Games...
since the club was established. The club has produced eight Australian gold medalists and contributed members to five Australian gold medal teams.
Gold Medalists - Individual Events
- Glasgow 1978 Helen SmithHelen Smith (fencer)Helen Smith is an Australian fencer. She competed in the women's individual foil events at the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics. She was a long standing member of the VRI Fencing Club before joining other clubs in the 1990s...
(foil). - Shah Alam 1998 Seamus RobinsonSeamus Robinson (fencer)Seamus Robinson was the first Australian fencer to win a Fencing World Championship title when he won the men's épée cadets title in 1991, Foggia, Italy and to place third on the junior men's épée world cup in 1995.Other results include:*2003 World Cup : Cuba - 6th*2003 World Cup : Tehran -...
(epee), Evelyn Halls (epee). - Newcastle 2002 Nick Heffernan (epee), Evelyn Halls (epee).
Gold Medal Teams
- Shah Alam 1998 Mens epee, Womens epee.
- Newcastle 2002 Mens foil, Mens epee, Women’s epee.
Medal Tally
Overall total of medals achieved by VRI Fencing Club members for individual and team events at the Commonwealth Fencing Championships from 1974 to 2010.| Fencing | Gold |
Silver |
Bronze |
Total |
| VRI FC | 5 | - | - | 5 |
External links
- Australian Fencing Federation official website
- Fencing Victoria official website
- Richmond Football Club official website
- Council of Adult Education http://www.cae.edu.au/web/default.aspx?category=10
See also
- Australian Fencing Team Team members
- Australia at the Olympics
- Richmond Football Club project statement Media release