Below appearsthe Sport Australia Hall of Fame website’s tribute to Percy Pavey forthe interest of readers.
Percy Pavey MBE -Shooting
Unchallenged as the greatest competitive marksman Australia hasever produced, Percy Pavey dominated his chosen sport in the samemanner as Sir Hubert Opperman in cycling, Sir Donald Bradman incricket, and Sir Norman Brookes in tennis. His career as a top levelmarksman spanned more than 30 years.
After moving to Oakleigh,Melbourne, with his parents and sister, he joined the Oakleigh RifleClub as a young man and soon showed his outstanding skill. A marksmanof rare quality, he was selected in both the Victorian and Australianrifle teams for many years, coached both teams, and served on theVictorian Rifle Association Council.
His record in seniorcompetition in Australia is unmatched, winning numerous King’s andQueen’s badges. The Kings and Queens prize is the same prize eventand is linked to whoever is the monarch of the day. The trophy ispresented at state, national and international events.
Between1930 and 1959, he won the Victorian prize five times (1930, 1932,1935, 1958, 1959), the New South Wales prize twice (1931, 1952), theQueensland prize three times (1930, 1939, 1950), the South Australianprize twice (1938, 1955) and the Tasmanian prize twice (datesunknown). In 1952 he became the first man to win a King’s or Queen’sprize and the Jamieson Aggregate in the same year.
In 1928 he wonthe Canadian Grand Aggregate and the first stage of the GovernorGeneral’s Aggregate. His proudest moment was winning the covetedKing’s Prize at Bisley, England (where he represented Australia fivetimes) in 1948 and was presented with this award by King George V. In1956 he won the Scottish Championship and the Scottish GrandAggregate. He won the Grand Aggregate, the top prize in the sport, 16times – the only Australian to achieve this.
His friends knew himas a very gentle and reserved man who travelled everywhere bybicycle. The front fence of his home in Oakleigh was made from thebarrels of some of the many rifles he had used.
Someone oncecommented to Pavey that he should be known as the Don Bradman ofrifle shooting, but Pavey responded that in fact Bradman should beknown as the Percy Pavey of cricket as he was the elder of thetwo!
In 1982 he was an inaugural inductee to the Stockman’s Hallof Fame in Longreach, Queensland. In 1971 Pavey was made a Member ofthe Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his service to shooting.
0 Comments