Lumen Winter 2016 - Flipbook - Page 10
story by Ian Williams
Go The Blacks
Our proud sporting tradition began in 1881 when
the Adelaide University Boat Club was launched
and was soon followed by tennis and lacrosse clubs.
Then in 1896 the three clubs jointly established the
Adelaide University Sports Association.
Sport has been an integral part of
the University of Adelaide since
the very early days.
Today Adelaide University Sport – otherwise known
as The Blacks – has nearly 40 sporting clubs involved
in everything from fencing, gridiron and gliding to
kendo, motorsport and scuba diving. Lumen caught
up with three of our most active sports enthusiasts.
www.adelaide.edu.au/sports
Keeping it in the family
P
laying sport for the University
of Adelaide can become a real
family affair.
Intensive care specialist and Adelaide
University Blue winner Dr Peter Sharley
notched up 88 games with the University
Football Club – the ‘Mighty Blacks’ – and
has now been overtaken by his son Simon
with 120 games.
Such father-son combinations are not
unusual in the 110-year history of the club
and now that two women’s football teams
have joined the seven senior men’s teams,
neither are father-daughter pairings.
The Blacks celebrated this unique
connection in May with a photo shoot of 20
father-son and daughter duos currently
active at the club. They included University
8 Lumen | Winter 2016
graduates John Parker and his son Sam who
have each played more than 200 games.
“It really is quite amazing and highlights
the great and rich history of the club,”
said Peter. “And it’s more than just family
connections. The Blacks have an enormous
past player network with membership
emails going around the world which can
be very useful for career contacts.”
Peter specialised in both anaesthesia
and intensive care medicine after
graduating in medicine at the University
in 1985, and was Director of the Royal
Adelaide Hospital critical care retrieval
service and Deputy Director of intensive
care for many years.
In 2003 he was awarded an OAM for
his medical support to victims of the
Bali bombings and has recently held the
position of President of the Australian
Medical Association in SA.
Peter played football at the open state
amateur level and was awarded the
University’s premier sport award, a Blue,
in 1983. Today Peter is still involved as the
football club’s Senior Vice President and
club doctor. He’s been a member of the
Blues and Sports Scholarships Committee
for nearly 30 years.
Peter continues to be a big promoter of
the importance of sport to balance study
and also work.
Below left: Fathers, sons and daughters of current
Adelaide Uni Football Club (AUFC) players 2016
Below right: Simon and Peter Sharley
