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OLIVE DESMA BURRELL (WATKINS)  1916-1989

 Hockey legend

 Olive Desma Burrell was born in Marrickville NSW in 1916, the daughter of Douglas Frederick John Burrell and his wife, Olive Harriet Richards, nee Houghton. Her brother, Douglas Neville, was born on 4 November 1917, also in Marrickville. He attended Newington College, married Ruth Erskine in 1941, served in the 2nd AIF in WW2 and died in 1986. He was buried in Woronora Cemetery.

Olive’s father Douglas Frederick Burrell was born in Marrickville in 1890, the son of John William Thornhill Burrell (1865-1906) and his wife, Annie Elizabeth Dalmer (1866-1931). On 12 December, 1914, he married Olive Harriet Richards Houghton at St. Stephen’s Church, Newtown, NSW(Reg.No.14495).  After the marriage, the family lived in Marrickville where Doug was a laundry proprietor.

During the 1920s the Burrell family were frequent visitors to the Sutherland Shire, and photos in the Sutherland Shire collection show them enjoying the swimming and boating facilities in Gunnamatta Bay and around Darook Park in South Cronulla.  Legal and financial problems at the end of the twenties prompted a move to Woolooware in the Sutherland Shire where they lived in a residence on Kingsway called ‘Panorama’ which was next to the Woolooware sports ground on the corner of Kingsway and Wooloware Road South. This residence was formerly the Woolooware Private Hospital which moved to Croydon Street, Cronulla and became the Cronulla Private Hospital.

 

Doug Burrell set up a laundry business in a property on the other side of Kingsway and opposite the family home. After a few years, he acquired a property on the corner of Denman Avenue and Gannons Road, Woolooware and set up a commercial laundry which, during the war years, employed a number of people and serviced the army. Photos in the Local Studies collection of Sutherland Shire Library show the interior and exterior of the building and the many clothes lines airing army blankets, etc.

After the centenary issue of the Sydney Morning Herald in 1931, congratulations from various newspapers were acknowledged including from Douglas F Burrell, proprietor of All Sport Cronulla. The reports about the early days of the Cronulla Ladies’ Hockey team may have been written by ‘Pop’ Burrell. 

Olive Burrell was educated at Woodcourt College in Dulwich Hill. Woodcourt College was an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school for girls. It was established in 1905 by Grace Matilda Hunt and acquired by the Anglican Church of Australia in 1919 with Mrs. Hunt remaining as principal until her retirement in 1929. The school colours were brown and gold there were about 150 students. The school closed in 1935. The land was then subdivided and the building demolished and replaced with apartments. Olive remained a loyal ex-student, attending social functions to raise funds for the school, including being presented as a debutante at a dance at Marrickville Town Hall in 1932.

As a schoolgirl, Olive was a consistent winner at the Church of England Girls’ Grammar School sports. In 1927 the Daily Telegraph published a photo of her being presented with one of her trophies and described her as ‘a promising Olympian’.  However it was as a hockey player that Olive would achieve fame.

Before the Burrell family settled in the Shire, there had been some interest in hockey with social games being played by some teams of women against men from North Cronulla Surf Club and Cronulla Rugby League Club. By 1929, ladies hockey teams were emerging at Cronulla and Sutherland playing social games against each other. In June, 1930, the Cronulla Ladies Hockey Club was established with Mrs. Olive Harriet Burrell as President.

 

The Cronulla Ladies Hockey Club played their first match on Sunday, 29 June, 1930, at North Cronulla against Sutherland. The Sutherland team were an experienced team which played in the NSW Women’s Hockey Association. The game was played on an area of flat land between the old Cronulla Hotel and Bando Road. They were defeated 6-1 but not disgraced and looked forward to the return match.

 

On 6 July the return match was played at Woolooware Oval and, although defeated 2-0, the Cronulla girls were again praised by the reporter from the Cronulla-Sutherland Advocate, especially F (Tiger) Mitchell and O (Racehorse) Burrell.  However the game was the subject of a complaint lodged by the Cronulla Methodist Church, to Sutherland Shire Council. In reply, the president, Clr. Shaw said council did not know that the match was to be played and did not favour organised Sunday sport.

 

Despite this setback, the social games continued and, with problems of suitable ground allocation and dwindling numbers, at the end of the season, it was decided that the two local teams would amalgamate and affiliate to Randwick Womens Hockey Section.

 

In 1931 the Cronulla Club competed on Saturdays in the C grade competition at Rushcutters Bay and continued playing social games on Sundays. They invited teams from Goulburn to the Shire and travelled to Wollongong to compete against Dapto and Wollongong. The dedication and commitment of the Cronulla team paid off and at the end of the 1931 season, in the NSW W.H.A. C Grade final held at Randwick, Cronulla was triumphant defeating St.James (SGASA) 2-0.

 

 

At the end of 1931 season, Mrs. Burrell resigned from the presidency of the Cronulla Ladies Club and Harry Pinkham took over as President until the Club was disbanded in 1933. In 1941 there was renewed interest in women’s hockey and the land bounded by the railway line, Gannons Road and Kingsway was eventually acquired and dedicated for the use of women only.  This is now known as the Jenola Oval.

 

During the successful 1931 season, Olive Burrell was recognised as a skilful and talented player and in 1932 was recruited by the Noels Club. At age 16, Olive was playing in First Grade in the Rushcutters Bay sector. She was among the Rushcutters Bay members who visited Newcastle in September to compete against teams from the Newcastle District Women’s Hockey Association.

 

Olive was also a member of the Cronulla Ladies Swimming Club and was chosen in the Cronulla team to compete in the Lady Game Beach Cup Contest run by The Sun newspaper to raise funds for unemployment relief.  There were 21 members in each team, many of whom had life saving qualifications.  Festivities took place at the various competing beaches, including Cronulla and Brighton, where the girls marched past the judges led by a standard bearer. Photos of some of the girls, including Olive Burrell, wearing swimming costumes appeared in the newspapers and in December, Bondi was declared the winner.

 

In June 1933 Olive Burrell was a member of the women’s hockey team chosen to visit Suva. In September the same year, she was also chosen in a Rushcutters Bay team to play in Newcastle against local representative teams. Her speed and general play was frequently mentioned and photos taken during play appeared in the papers.

 

In 1934 Olive Burrell was elected as a selector for the Rushcutters Bay Sector and, in 1936, transferred from Noels Club to Excelsior, ‘a speedy forward…..should be an asset to Excelsior’s attack’. In June 1937, she was selected as a reserve for the NSW team to play the Anglo-Scottish touring team. In 1938, Burrell was selected as left wing in a NSW representative team to compete against the visiting American ladies team. This was after three years of being on the brink of interstate selection. 

 

When the American players were going home, Miss Barbara Strebeigh had a problem. Due to sail on the Matson Liner Monterey, she was refused permission to take aboard reptiles for her brother including a goanna collected for her by Olive Burrell.

 

In September, 1938, Olive Burrell was a member of the NSW State side which defeated Tasmania.  Again she was reported as ‘prominent in attack’. In the same month, the All Australian Hockey Council announced concessions they would allow for members of the women’s team to tour England in 1939. The women would have to pay their own expenses, nearly £200, but would be given £10 by the Australian Council. They would be permitted two cigarettes a day and allowed to wear play suits on board ship. Cocktails were strictly taboo for a team on tour.  

 

In March 1939 Olive Burrell was selected as a member of the Australian women’s hockey team to compete in the world’s hockey tournament in England the following August. She had also been chosen to represent NSW in the All-Australian match in Adelaide in August. After the tournament in England, the team was to tour Holland, France and Germany.  ‘Miss Burrell is the first girl from Sutherland Shire to represent Australia in sport’.

 

As the Sydney Morning Herald noted:’At an interstate tournament in 1938, Miss Burrell got her first chance to play for New South Wales.  She has been trying for a number of years and has known disappointment when she has been in the reserve position on many occasions.  Now her big chance has come and there is no more excited player in the hockey world and none who is keener to do well and to help the team’.

 

As the team was announced, Olive was pictured in the paper modelling the new hockey uniform as sanctioned by the All England Women’s Hockey Association. In a sharp contrast to the Australian tunic and long sleeves worn in the photo by Miss E McCrae, is the use of knee-length socks, skirts and short sleeve blouses. The two women were then preparing for the Easter camp at the Teachers’ College camping ground at Castlereagh on the Nepean where they would be part of the coaching team for players from all over New South Wales.

 

On 19 August 1939 the NSW members of the hockey team for England left on the first leg of their journey. By 2 September they had returned to Sydney with the International tournament being abandoned as war broke out in Europe.

 

In May 1940 the New South Wales Women’s Hockey Association decided to send a team to play in the All Australian hockey tournament in Perth in August. The team would include the three players, including Olive Burrell, who missed out on the trip to England. 

 

During the early forties Olive still attracted the attention of reporters. In May 1941 she was noted in an unaccustomed role as goal-keeper for Commonwealth after being with Excelsior for some seasons. By 1944 Olive was in the Evergreens team playing at Woollahra Park and still scoring goals.

 

In 1942 Olive Burrell organised a women’s hockey competition in the Shire, recruiting teams, coaching boys and girls, organising exhibitions and training games. Hockey became the oldest organised women’s team sport in the area. She kept her connection to the Shire hockey scene and in 1944 was in the Sutherland team that competed in a Hockey Carnival at Bathurst. The team made it to the final but was defeated by Bathurst Blacks 4-2.

 

In January 1946 Marie Clemenger, women’s sport writer for the Sunday Sun, claimed:’The Boom in Women’s Sport is no longer a prediction, it’s here!’ She went on to highlight the sports in which women would claim their space on the national and international stage. After the disappointment of the cancelled International tournament of 1939, the Australian Women’s Hockey Association were keen to hold a similar event in Australia in the 1947- 48 season and among those mentioned as ‘probables’ for selection was Olive Burrell, still playing with Evergreens.

 

During these years Olive continued to make her mark, not only as a player but also as a coach and administrator. With Edna Knight, she conducted regular coaching classes at the Gannons Road Oval and summer camps at Bundeena. During the war years, with men away, she coached young boys who went on to play as seniors and form the foundation of the successful men’s competition in the Shire.  As a result of her approaches, Jack Williams, M.L.A., presented a Private Members Bill to State Parliament allowing grounds to be dedicated to the use of women only and Gannons road Oval was duly dedicated under Minute No.710, 1.6.1942 of the Sutherland Shire council meeting. During these years, Olive Burrell was also appointed as Secretary of the NSW Women’s Hockey Association.

 

In 1950 Olive Burrell was one of three delegates chosen to represent Australia at the International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations’ conference in Johannesburg, South Africa and as guests of the All South African and Rhodesian Women’s Hockey Association. They were to be taken on a four month tour of South African provinces and Rhodesia with a break for the conference and tournament to be held.  Seven countries would take part in the tournament but, unfortunately, Australia was unable to send a team as a ship was not available. Delegates and players had to pay their own expenses.

 

In March 1951 the engagement was announced, in England, of Olive Burrell to Charles Watkins, the brother of a well known English hockey player. They were married later the same year (Reg.No.18091) in Cronulla and later lived in Rutherford Avenue, Cronulla. They had two children, Dennis and Desma.

 

In 1963 Olive Watkins was awarded Life Membership of Hockey, NSW.  She was also awarded Life Membership of Sydney South Hockey Association. In 1970 Olive Watkins received a Sutherland Council award for services to Sport and the community. When the Sutherland Shire celebrated its Centenary in 2006, a booklet ‘Faces of the Shire’ celebrated 100 of the people ‘who have embodied the Spirit of the Shire’. Olive Burrell was included as one of those people. She will always be remembered as a driving force to promote and develop hockey in the Sutherland Shire.

 

Olive Watkins died on 30 March, 1989 and was cremated at Woronora Cemetery. 

Charles Watkins died on 22 July, 2003 and was cremated at Woronora Cemetery.

Olive Harriet (AKA Harriet Olive) Burrell died on 2 July, 1983 (Reg. No.25486) and was cremated at Woronora Cemetery.

Douglas Frederick Burrell died on 17 September, 1960 (Reg.No.22740) and was cremated at Woronora Cemetery.

Douglas Neville Burrell died on 30 April, 1986 (Reg.No.10441) and was buried at Woronora Cemetery.

 

 

Colleen Passfield 2018

 

Click on the name, OLIVE DESMA BURRELL (WATKINS) 1916-1989 at the heading of this story. You will be taken to the database entry for Olive Burrell and her family.

 

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