When Betty Cuthbert, an 18-year-old sprinter from Sydney, stunned the crowds by winning the 100-metre and 200-metre sprint races at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, a young Peter Duras was at the MCG cheering her on. He also watched Vladimir Kuts and Dawn Fraser win their gold medals. “That’s hooked me into athletics and the Olympics ever since,” says Peter, now retired after a lifetime career in sports physiotherapy.
At our club’s meeting on Tuesday May 13 , speaker Peter will take us on a fantasy trip back 2400 years to Olympia, 376BC for the original Games. He knows his history – he’s a member of the International Society of Olympic Historians. His hobby is collecting Olympic torches, medals, posters and rare autographs, which now festoon Peter and wife Sue’s Southbank apartment.
He’s worked with elite athletes in fifteen different sports, including five years at the Western Bulldogs and three years at Essendon.
His travels with Australian track and field teams include four World Championships. He was a member of seven Commonwealth Games teams from Brisbane 1982 to Melbourne in 2006.
His greatest night? Watching trackside as Cathy Freeman ran the race of her career to win Gold in the 400-metre sprint at Sydney 2000.
Peter’s an active member of Rotary Central Melbourne, which brought our Bearbrass into existence in 2020. He’s also been a volunteer physio at the Asylum Seekers Resource Centre. Last year his services to Sports Physiotherapy and the community earned him an Order of Australia.
