Eric Pearce (field hockey player)
Encyclopedia
Eric Robert Pearce is a former international field hockey
player who represented Australia
at four Olympics Games and numerous other international matches. In his home state of Western Australia
, he dominated the game as a striker for 19 years. Eric is one of five international-level hockey playing brothers, the others being Cec, Mel, Gordon and Julian
. His daughter Colleen Pearce (b 1961) was part of the Australian national hockey team that came third at the 1983 World Cup
and fourth at the 1984 Olympics
. He is considered to be one of the finest field hockey players to have represented Australia.
Following the partition of India
, his father Cec and elder brothers Cec and Mel settled in Perth, Western Australia
in 1947. His mother Gladys, Eric and his two other brothers followed in the following year. The Anglo-Indian
family had intended on settling in Victoria
but instead chose to say in Western Australia.
In the 1956 Olympics
in Melbourne
he joined with Gordon and Mel in the Australian team. He also competed in 1960 Olympics
in Rome, the 1964 Olympics
in Tokyo (Australia's first Olympic hockey medal - bronze) and the 1968 Olympics
in Mexico City (silver). Eric was the Australian team flag-bearer at the 1968 Games. In the 1964 Games he scored Australia's only two goals allowing his team to beat Pakistan (2-1) for the first time. In the 1968 Games he scored all eight goals in one match against Japan (8-1), his biggest tally in an international match.
Pearce played in 12 national championships for Western Australia, winning seven, largely due to his own goal scoring abilities.
Eric was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame as a founding member in 1985 - the only hockey player to have been selected. He was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions
in 1986.
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
player who represented Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
at four Olympics Games and numerous other international matches. In his home state of Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, he dominated the game as a striker for 19 years. Eric is one of five international-level hockey playing brothers, the others being Cec, Mel, Gordon and Julian
Julian Pearce
Julian Pearce is a former field hockey player who represented Australia in 45 international matches including three Olympics Games...
. His daughter Colleen Pearce (b 1961) was part of the Australian national hockey team that came third at the 1983 World Cup
Women's Hockey World Cup
The Women's Hockey World Cup is the field hockey World Cup competition for women, whose format for qualification and final tournament is similar to the men's. It has been held since 1974. The tournament has been organised by the International Hockey Federation since they merged with the...
and fourth at the 1984 Olympics
Field hockey at the 1984 Summer Olympics
All matches were played at Weingart Stadium, Los Angeles, United States. Final results for the Hockey competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics:-Men's Medalists:-Women's Medal Winners:-References:**...
. He is considered to be one of the finest field hockey players to have represented Australia.
Following the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
, his father Cec and elder brothers Cec and Mel settled in Perth, Western Australia
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1947. His mother Gladys, Eric and his two other brothers followed in the following year. The Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indian
Anglo-Indians are people who have mixed Indian and British ancestry, or people of British descent born or living in India, now mainly historical in the latter sense. British residents in India used the term "Eurasians" for people of mixed European and Indian descent...
family had intended on settling in Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
but instead chose to say in Western Australia.
In the 1956 Olympics
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Melbourne Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in Melbourne, Australia, in 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, which could not be held in Australia due to quarantine regulations...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
he joined with Gordon and Mel in the Australian team. He also competed in 1960 Olympics
1960 Summer Olympics
The 1960 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held from August 25 to September 11, 1960 in Rome, Italy...
in Rome, the 1964 Olympics
1964 Summer Olympics
The 1964 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan in 1964. Tokyo had been awarded with the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan's...
in Tokyo (Australia's first Olympic hockey medal - bronze) and the 1968 Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City (silver). Eric was the Australian team flag-bearer at the 1968 Games. In the 1964 Games he scored Australia's only two goals allowing his team to beat Pakistan (2-1) for the first time. In the 1968 Games he scored all eight goals in one match against Japan (8-1), his biggest tally in an international match.
Pearce played in 12 national championships for Western Australia, winning seven, largely due to his own goal scoring abilities.
Eric was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame as a founding member in 1985 - the only hockey player to have been selected. He was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions
Western Australian Hall of Champions
In 1983, the Sportswriters' Association of Western Australia proposed a Western Australian Hall of Champions to honour past athletes from the state who had made a significant impact in their sport...
in 1986.