In the 1950s, we begin on the track – with a pair of handcrafted spikes and a name that still carries weight across the College: Jim McCann.
Lean, dark leather. Steel fixed underfoot. No cushioning, no compromise. A glove-like fit designed for speed. These spikes tell a bigger story than equipment alone. They represent an era when Australian athletes relied on ingenuity and craftsmanship; when they raced with a freedom that feels almost daring today.
There’s a particular kind of romance wrapped up in old athletics spikes. It’s nostalgia, alongside admiration for the courage found in wearing them. In mid-century Australia, elite sprinters and hurdlers often raced in custom-made spikes cut from kangaroo skin, built for one purpose on the track. Comfort was never the brief. Speed was.
The 1956 College Annual captured the electricity of Jim McCann’s schoolboy racing in a single moment. In the “greatest furlong race in GPS history”, McCann and Symonds (The King’s School) broke from the field. With 50 yards to go, Symonds drew level – then McCann produced a “scintillating finish”, forging ahead to win by two yards in 21.6 seconds and breaking the oldest record in the book. That finish – the ability to hold steady, stay brave and surge when others falter – became a hallmark of his career. His achievements were not limited to school sport. He went on to represent Australia in the 1958 and 1962 Empire Games, earning a bronze medal in the 4×110 yards relay. A decade after leaving Joeys he was still pushing the limits – in 1966 he ran 22.7 seconds for the 200 metres hurdles, reported as just four-tenths off the Australian record and within two-tenths of a world record mark.
What stands out in McCann’s later reflections is connection. In a College profile, he describes Joeys as “a whole new family”, formed through lifelong friendships and the values that have guided the College since 1881. “I grew up an only child – coming to Joeys framed my life. I received outstanding coaching for rugby and athletics and I did some schoolwork, too!” McCann played in the First XV and, in his first year at Joeys, his master in fifth division was the famous rugby coach Brother Henry. “They used to call him ‘Skittle-O’, because when he coached the First XV they skittled everybody. He was a good man.”
McCann speaks about mateship with the ease of someone who’s lived it, about returning to Joeys in later years to coach athletics, how he still finds his place in the stands through the rugby season. Finding a place at Joeys has carried on to the next generation, with his grandsons Austin (2021) and Finnegan Boyd (2024) returning from the United States to board at Joeys and, today, his youngest grandson Paddy McCann is completing Year 11.
This is exactly what the Sport Lovers Lunch is built to honour: the Joe-Boys who shaped sport at the College. The Joe-Boys who carried us with them onto bigger stages, never losing the values formed on the track, field or court. The living connection between past and present – Old Boys, families and current students share the same tradition, one generation at a time. When you see the spikes up close, you’ll recognise something more than nostalgia: the pursuit of excellence, the willingness to do the hard things well and the pride of representing your College.
In his shoes.
Jim McCann (Old Boy 1956), winning the Open 220 yards, a new GPS record.
