A pleasant surprise for Little Darwin was a visit from Mrs Yvonne Carlos , wife of the late Australian boxing champion , Max Carlos, who called in on a trip back to Magnetic Island from Melbourne, with the above interesting , well illustrated book, about the champions in many fields in the Shepparton District . She supplied it with memories of her involvement in Highland Dancing competitions which contains a photograph of her , aged 14, maiden name Yvonne Jones, in full regalia , holding a sword, in 1954.
Mrs Carlos , who danced for a decade , even gave us a demonstration of the various national dances in which she competed , including the Sailor's Hornpipe , showing how she hauled away on the ropes .
She wrote that the Goulburn Valley Highland National Dancing Association conducted the competitions in which a bagpiper from the Shepparton Pipe Band played all day , his cheeks becoming very rosy , rewarded between breaks with a cold beer. Doing a sword dance on the back of a narrow truck , she explained , was very difficult . By taking part in a number of dances, which required a quick change of costume, it could result in winnings of thirty shillings ( $3) , if you were lucky, enough to buy a pair of shoes in those days .
Naturally , there is much coverage, with associated photographs , of Max Carlos and his boxing career, details of which were run previously in this blog including the fact that he had collapsed on Magnetic Island with a brain tumour after a winning night playing blackjack at the Townsville casino and died in a nursing home on May 12, 1996 ; all his brothers were good boxers . The Palm Island , Queensland , born boxer , George Bracken , won the Australian lightweight title in 1955, Carlos took it from him 1958 in an epic battle in the Festival Hall , Melbourne, and is featured in the pictorial content .
The book , which gives an unusual and extensive insight into the sporting and social activities covers football, cricket, boxing , cycling , athletics , hockey, croquet , basketball, badminton, horse racing , motorbike racing , sailing, golf, tennis , softball, bowls, greyhound racing , marching girls , bands , vigoro and swimming . Square dancing also gets a mention .
There is a section dealing with Douglas Nicholls , in younger days a top sprinter and Fitzroy footballer , Australia's first Aboriginal pastor , knighted and made Governor of South Australia .
