VALE RAYMOND CHARLES (RAY) SMITH
12 August 1929 - 4 June 2010

It is with regret that we announce Coburg Harriers Life Member, Athletics Victoria Life Member and Olympian Ray Smith passed away last night aged 80. Smith competed during what was arguably a golden period in athletics for the Coburg Harriers. Born on 12 August 1929, Smith took up racewalking in 1947 and competed in the 2 mile walk at the 1949 and 1950 Australian Championships. In 1953, Smith joined the famous Percy Cerutty group at their Portsea base. One of two walkers in the group, they trained alongside the top runners of the day, including John Landy and fellow Coburg Harrier Herb Elliott

Possessed of an impeccable style and impressive speed, his 8 year career up till 1956 saw him win Victorian, NSW and Australian titles over a variety of distances ranging from 2 miles to 50 km. Second place and first Australian (breaking the national record) in the 1956 Australian Race Walking Championships earned Smith a place on the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games team in the 50 km walk where he would place 6th. He led through the 5 km mark and held on with the lead group until the 10 km mark. Fading in the hot conditions, Smith passed the half way mark in 10th place but on the long homeward leg, Smith's Portsea training saw him come to the fore and he passed a number of flagging walkers to finish sixth in 4:56:08, a finely judged race in hot conditions

After a career that continued at national level until 1971, Smith became an official and race walking judge and was present at just about every National Championships from the mid seventies until the late nineties. One of this country's IAAF international judges for almost two decades, few have contributed more to the sport of racewalking. Last year Smith received a 40 Year Merit Award from Racewalking Australia

Our thoughts are with the Smith family at this time

ATHLETICS VICTORIA NOTICE

HERALD SUN OBITUARY by TIM ERICKSON

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS IN RACEWALKING