Eddie Scarf
 Scarf in the 1930s | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Edward Richard Scarf | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Eddie | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 November 1908 Quirindi, New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 7 January 1980 (aged 71) Camperdown, New South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Marist College North Shore | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Butcher | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 99 kg (218 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Edna May Gale | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wrestling, boxing | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | middleweight, light heavyweight, heavyweight | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Edward Richard Scarf (3 November 1908 – 7 January 1980) was an Australian wrestler and boxer. He was Olympic bronze medalist in Freestyle wrestling in 1932,[1] and also competed at the 1936 Olympics.[1]
Early life
[edit]He was born in Quirindi in New South Wales.[1] He was the fourth child of Michael Eli Scarf and Amelia, née Zraysarty, who had both migrated from Lebanon. He attended Marist Brothers School in North Sydney.[2]
Career
[edit]In February 1938, Scarf won the wrestling gold medal at the Empire Games in Sydney in the light heavyweight division.[3] His victory came in spite of pulling a muscle in his right thigh during the preliminary rounds.[4] In November that year he turned professional and moved up to the heavyweight class in order to compete in a competition sponsored by Stadiums Limited to determine the heavyweight professional champion of Australia.[5] He had been training with American wrestlers, Ray Steele, Dean Detton, and Bobby Roberts.[5] He was crowned professional champion by defeating Jim Bartlett of New Zealand one fall to nil in four rounds.[6] He retained hs title the following year.[7] In 1940, he famously beat Chief Little Wolf on points, using Little Wolf's signature move, the Indian deathlock against him.[8]
On 29 April 1941 Scarf enlisted in the Royal Australian Air Force as a storekeeper.[2] He served with the Parachute Training Unit from 1943 and in 1944 participated in an exhibition wrestling match with Jerry Visscher during a boxing tournament in Madang, New Guinea.[9] He was discharged from the R.A.A.F. on 7 February 1945.[2]
Personal life
[edit]In 1942, Scarf married Edna May Gale at the Church of Our Lady of Dolours in Chatswood.[2] They had one daughter and two sons. After the war, he focused on his butchery business, opening new shops across the Northern Beaches at North Narrabeen, Dee Why and Palm Beach.[2] He also became active in community and charity work. He was a founding member of the Warringah Rotary Club, member of the Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club and president and first patron of The House with No Steps.[2] He died on 7 January 1980 at Camperdown and is buried in Mona Vale cemetery.[2]
References
[edit]
- ^ a b c "Eddie Scarf". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g Sear, Tom. "Scarf, Edward Richard (1908–1980)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "AT THE GAMES". Cairns Post. No. 11, 236. Queensland, Australia. 17 February 1938. p. 10. Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "EDDIE SCARF". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 31, 238. New South Wales, Australia. 14 February 1938. p. 15. Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "EDDIE SCARF". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 31, 465. New South Wales, Australia. 5 November 1938. p. 15. Retrieved 22 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "SCARF WINS IN NEW CLASS". The Courier-mail. No. 1653. Queensland, Australia. 19 December 1938. p. 9. Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "SCARF DEFEATS MUIR". The Argus (Melbourne). No. 29, 088. Victoria, Australia. 14 November 1939. p. 13. Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "EDDIE SCARF WINS". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 32, 097. New South Wales, Australia. 12 November 1940. p. 12. Retrieved 23 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "076026". Collections. Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
External links
[edit]- Eddie Scarf at the International Wrestling Database
- Eddie Scarf at Olympedia
- Eddie Scarf at the Australian Olympic Committee
- Eddie Scarf at the Commonwealth Games Federation (archived)
- 1908 births
- 1980 deaths
- Sportsmen from New South Wales
- Olympic wrestlers for Australia
- Wrestlers at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Wrestlers at the 1936 Summer Olympics
- Australian male sport wrestlers
- Olympic bronze medalists for Australia
- Olympic medalists in wrestling
- Australian people of Lebanese descent
- Medalists at the 1932 Summer Olympics
- Australian male professional wrestlers
- Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
- Wrestlers at the 1938 British Empire Games
- Commonwealth Games medallists in wrestling
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
- Royal Australian Air Force airmen
- Australian butchers
- Medallists at the 1938 British Empire Games
- People from Quirindi
- 20th-century Australian sportsmen