The
sun was shining, the smell of newly baked pasties hung in the air, and the
enthusiastic cheers of the crowd rang out across the park.
The
proud descendants and relatives of Cornish folk were celebrating St Piran’s
(Patron Saint of Cornish Miners) Day at ‘Castlemaine
2000’ and had already witnessed the raising of St Piran’s Flag and
the procession of the Bards, complete with traditional dancing flower girls.
But
amid the Celtic atmosphere an ancient custom was taking place that had not
been witnessed in Victoria for over one hundred years! That’s how long it
has been, it’s believed, since a Cornish Wrestling competition had been held
in Australia.
With
a proud family history in Cornish Wrestling which boasts ‘Uncle Bill’ long
time President of the Cornish Wrestling Association, and ‘Uncle Mike’ one
of only two Cornish Wrestlers who was champion at every weight, Colin Roberts
has been on a twelve year quest to revive the sport ‘downunder’.
And
so the stage was finally set for the climax of a very successful weekend of
Cornish cultural history at Castlemaine.
The
competition commenced with the junior boys, all under 11 years old.
Mitch Chapman of Castlemaine defeated Keiran Thomas-Sievers, and David
Roberts was successful against an improving Eric Jones. In a final, which was
highlighted by skillful technique, honed during the previous day’s Wrestling
Workshop, David Roberts was the victor, as adjudged by the ‘sticklers’.
This is the name given to the umpires or referees in Cornish Wrestling and
under the leadership of Doug Jones they lived up to their name of being
discerning judges of the wrestling bouts.
There
were also four senior boys - under 14 years of age. Luke Jones scored the
first outright win, or ‘Back’, of the day by defeating Christopher Thomas-Sievers
in the first minute of his bout. Michael Roberts took on Justin Chapman, two
years his senior, and struggled valiantly to win on points against his bigger
opponent.
In
a very tight final, Luke Jones proved too strong; and by a decision on points,
was cheered as the champion for that division.
In
a demonstration bout, two older participants from the Wrestling Workshop, Owen
Dunkerly and Barry Smith, showed the crowd what it was like in the ‘bigger
league’. At 15 years of age Owen did well to go the full distance with his
more experienced opponent.
And
so the time came for the Open Competition, for which four wrestlers had
registered. Up until this day only Colin Roberts and Doug Jones had ever
wrestled in Australia in the Cornish style this century, and only then in
demonstration bouts at the National Celtic Festivals in Geelong.
Indeed,
it was the broadcasting of footage on Melbourne’s Channel
31 of the Geelong Festival last year that made a group of avid
Irish style ‘Collar and Elbow’ wrestlers in Ringwood, Victoria aware that
Cornish Wrestling was being practiced in Australia.
The
Cornish way of wrestling is stylised by the use of a canvass or hessian
jacket, on which all the holds are made. There is no wrestling on the ground,
the aim being to lift, throw or trip you opponent, and drop him straight onto
the ground on his back.
The
three Ringwood wrestlers soon adapted these techniques at the Workshop and
transferred their own skills and experience to enable the first truly
competitive Open Competition to take place.
First
up were Colin Roberts and Chris Roberts (no relation). Chris had all the
attributes of a Cornish Wrestler – youth, agility and strength. And though
he had not attended the Workshop or wrestled in this style before, he was a
formidable competitor.
The
bout proved a very tight struggle and the ground pounded as first one then the
other heavyweight was thrown to the ground. The crowd shuddered with every
throw until timekeeper Neville Dixon finally ended the bout. Colin was
declared victor by just one point though the torrid struggle had clearly taken
its toll on him.
The
second bout saw Barry Smith take on David Stone. Up until now David had
assisted Doug Jones and Wendy Roberts as a stickler, but this was the moment
he had waited for all year. David, a graduate wrestling coach from the
Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra has studied all forms of traditional
wrestling and this was his chance to add the Cornish Style to his repertoire.
Smith
delighted the crowd by going the full distance, but Stone won decisively.
This
left David Stone to meet Colin Roberts in the final.
The
eager crowd had stayed right through to the end and the Cornish Association of
Victoria acknowledged that this aspect of the rich cultural heritage of
Cornwall had provided a fitting backdrop to their activities.
The
final was fierce and skilful, with neither wrestler allowing the other to get
into a position where he could gain an advantage. At the three-minute mark
Roberts made a decisive move and won the competition with a throw that saw all
three sticklers raise their sticks to signify a victory.
It
was a weekend where old friendships were strengthened and new ones forged. The
quest to revive Cornish Wrestling in Australia, last witnessed on the
goldfields in the eighteen hundreds, took a giant leap forwards – thanks to
the tireless efforts of the Cornish
Association of Victoria.
This
truly was ‘History in the Making’ and is another example of how, in this
fast-changing world, there remains a desire to hold on to those aspects of our
culture that signpost our origins.
Colin
Roberts
March, 2000