CROQUET is certainly not the first sport that jumps to mind when speaking of hall of fame status, but former Mount Gambier resident Bryan Dawson was presented with the honour from the World Croquet Federation for his service to the sport.
He has dedicated more than 30 years of his life to enhancing the game and was the brains behind the current croquet balls which are used in competition globally.
A woodturner by trade, Dawson purchased the Australian Croquet Company after the death of its creator Bill Smith and used his inventive mind to revolutionise both ball and mallet technology.
Opposed to the old style balls which had a tendency to chip or break, Dawson’s “high-tec plastic” design can last over 10 years of regular use.
He said his ball design stands out in the industry due to its durability and consistency.
“They are solid all the way through,” Dawson said.
“In the old days Jaques of London made them and their balls were cork in the middle and a thin melamine casing on the outside.
“You would get a brand new set and open the box and the ball is split in half.
“With these you can smash the guts out of them for 10 years with a club and they still look the same.
“Their size is accurate, their rebound is right and the colour is right – everything is spot on.”
Dawson did not expect to receive hall of fame status, but said it was a proud recognition for his life’s work.
“I am shocked I ended up in the hall of fame, but I put a lot of years and a lot of nightmares into this ball to get it where it is,” he said.
Dawson has not called Mount Gambier home for half a century and now resides in Mount Barker, but he looks back fondly on the 15 years he spent in the Blue Lake city.
The now 76 year old has since sold the ball production part of his business to Paul Manwaring in Darwin, but Dawson continues to produce mallets as a pastime to keep his inventive mind entertained, while playing croquet socially with the Mount Barker Croquet Club.
Despite the big impact he has had on croquet, Dawson was a late bloomer to the sport.
“I manufactured croquet mallets for three years before I even started playing croquet,” he said.
However, after taking it up Dawson went on to represent the sport at the highest level, competing against the best players in the world.
“I had 18 years in the (South Australian) state team and three years in the national team,” he said.
“I have played in world championships in America and New Zealand.
“In New Zealand, which is the MacRobertson Shield – the biggest event in the world – I got player of the tournament which was pretty fantastic.”
Dawson is always tinkering and thinking of ways to improve current and new inventions.
However, his inventive ways were not a result of a thorough education.
“I failed in grade one, failed in grade three, failed in grade six, then left school,” he said.
“When I started work I could not even read a ruler and now I am in the hall of fame.
“At school I was not listening to my teacher, I was thinking about how to build crossbows.
“I was always inventing things in my head.
“It was the same with the balls – I made all the machinery and moulds – I did everything myself.”
Dawson is proud of his achievement and said it all came down to hard work and the “determination and grit” to keep pushing for his goals.
