Individual Details
Eugene O'SULLIVAN
(1931 - 28 Sep 1967)
Eugene emigrated to Australia in 1950, working initially for his uncle Eugene (O'Sullivan) cutting cane in Innisfail, Queensland. He then moved to Brisbane where he was employed as a dock worker for a time before moving to Sydney where he worked at the docks (possibly as a crane driver) and in the painting and decorating business. Eugene never married. He was a fine singer, and he and his brothers, Jim and Jerry were well known among the Irish community in the city.
Eugene was a superb athlete, a newspaper article describing him as "the Brisbane wharfie and distance runner who has broken every Queensland record from three miles to ten miles”. At the age of 25, sponsored by the Waterside Workers' Federation, he had the opportunity to train with world champions Vladimir Kuts and Emil Zatopek in Moscow. On his way to Russia Eugene won a 3,000 metre steeplechase in Canton (now Guangzhou) and a 5,000 metre event in Peking (now Beijing), beating the Chinese champion, Chin Chow, on both occasions. While in Moscow he competed in the World Youth Festival where he finished third.
Selected to represent Australia at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Eugene turned down the opportunity as it would have required him to take Australian citizenship, meaning he would have to pledge allegiance to the Queen, an obligation he was unwilling to fulfil. Efforts were then made by the Australian Olympic Council to arrange for him to represent Ireland. The Irish Olympic Council, however, set a standard equal to Australian record time which Eugene could not meet and so he never took part in the Games.
The photo shown here shows Eugene winning The Hungry Mile road race (actually 1.7 miles) in Sydney in late May or early June 1966.
Eugene was a superb athlete, a newspaper article describing him as "the Brisbane wharfie and distance runner who has broken every Queensland record from three miles to ten miles”. At the age of 25, sponsored by the Waterside Workers' Federation, he had the opportunity to train with world champions Vladimir Kuts and Emil Zatopek in Moscow. On his way to Russia Eugene won a 3,000 metre steeplechase in Canton (now Guangzhou) and a 5,000 metre event in Peking (now Beijing), beating the Chinese champion, Chin Chow, on both occasions. While in Moscow he competed in the World Youth Festival where he finished third.
Selected to represent Australia at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Eugene turned down the opportunity as it would have required him to take Australian citizenship, meaning he would have to pledge allegiance to the Queen, an obligation he was unwilling to fulfil. Efforts were then made by the Australian Olympic Council to arrange for him to represent Ireland. The Irish Olympic Council, however, set a standard equal to Australian record time which Eugene could not meet and so he never took part in the Games.
The photo shown here shows Eugene winning The Hungry Mile road race (actually 1.7 miles) in Sydney in late May or early June 1966.
Events
| Birth | 1931 | Kilquane, Mourneabbey, Co. Cork | |||
| Relationship | Margaret (Maggie) CAMPBELL | ||||
| Death | 28 Sep 1967 | Lusk, Co. Dublin | |||
| Burial | Donoughmore Cemetery, Stuake, Co. Cork |
Families
| Spouse | Margaret (Maggie) CAMPBELL (1931 - 1988) |
| Child | Living |
| Father | Denis O'SULLIVAN (1895 - 1971) |
| Mother | Mary SWEENEY (1900 - 1978) |
| Sibling | Mary (Maura) O'SULLIVAN (1921 - 2020) |
| Sibling | James (Jim) O'SULLIVAN (1923 - ) |
| Sibling | Jeremiah (Jerry) O'SULLIVAN (1925 - 1988) |
| Sibling | Julia (Sheila) O'SULLIVAN (1926 - 2024) |
| Sibling | Hannah O'SULLIVAN (1929 - 2021) |