West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954), Thursday 31 August 1950, page 18


Sporting Round-Up FITNESS OFFICER'S RECORD Mr. Harry Giese, formerly of Perth, who is the Commonwealth National Fitness officer with headquarters at Canberra, took the opportunity during his recent visit to Perth to referee a rugby union A grade match.

He is an experienced referee, having taken his ticket with the N.S.W. Rugby Union. He is a regular referee in the Australian Capital Territory competition and frequently officiates in matches between Royal Military College teams. He was a convert to rugby union from the Australian code. He played Australian football with the W.A. University team about 1933 and in that year gained a place in a combined amateur side. Changing over to rugby union, he made a mark as a full-back and went to Ceylon with a combined Australian team. He played for a W.A. team against the Springboks in 1937, and for a N.S.W. country side against the All-Blacks in 1946. Harry Giese was an all-round sportsman. He played A grade cricket locally for many years and was captain of the University team. He was also a good oarsman and was a member of the W.A. University crew which was second to Sydney on the Swan River in 1936. He was organiser of national fitness in W.A. in 1943-1944 and then went to Brisbane where he became Director of Physical Education in Queensland schools. While in Perth, he said that there was a major national finess project in Sydney where the National Council of N.S.W. was negotiating to take over the Exhibition Building at Alfred Park with the object of developing it as a headquarters for amateur sport as well as a centre for national fitness activities. The council's proposals involved an expenditure on the building of £20,000. Chinese Tourists When Mr. W. J. Burton arrived in Perth from Singapore recently, he brought with him a letter to the W.A. Soccer Association from Mr. Choo Seng Quee, the mana-ger of a Chinese soccer team in Singapore, containing a request for matches against teams in Perth next season. The secretary of the W.A. Soccer Association (Mr. S. Jones) is at present going into the matter and is hopeful that arrangements for the tour of the Chinese team will be completed satisfactorily. Speedway Test Members of the Australian Speedway Control Board are at present meeting in Adelaide to discuss arrangements for the forthcoming season. The West Australian delegate (Mr. A. C. Johnson) will attempt to have one of the seven Test matches against England allocated to Claremont. Claremont speedway will reopen on October 6 and interclub racing between Perth, Northern Districts and Fremantle will resume.