Canberra street celebrates Lionel Rose – champion of the world

Released 19/09/2016

A new street in the Belconnen suburb of Holt has been named after Lionel Rose MBE, the first Indigenous Australian to win a world boxing title and the first Indigenous ‘Australian of the Year’, ACT Surveyor-General Jeffrey Brown said today.

“In 1968 when Rose returned to Australia after beating world champion ‘Fighting Harada’ in Tokyo, to take the world bantamweight title, more than a quarter of a million people lined Melbourne's streets to welcome him home,” Mr Brown said.

“That same year he was honoured as the ‘ABC Sportsman of the Year’ and ‘Australian of the Year’.

After a champion boxing career, where he successfully defended his world title three times and made two more world title attempts in the lightweight division, Rose embarked on an Australian singing career releasing the nationwide hits ‘Please Remember Me’ and ‘I Thank You’ in 1970.

“Lionel Rose Street is one of four roads to be built in a new residential subdivision in Section 99 Holt, adjoining the public golf course,” Mr Brown said.

The other new roads are:

• Fullston Way; named after World Champion Australian cricketer Lynette Fullston.

Lyn, or ‘Lefty’ as she was known, was a member of the Australian Women's Cricket team that won the World Cup in New Zealand in 1982 and represented Australia in 12 test cricket matches and 41 one-day international games as a slow left-arm orthodox spinner and handy lower-order batsman.  At the time of her retirement she was the only Australian woman to have taken 100 international wickets and was the leading wicket-taker for women's cricket in World Cup history.

• Lorraway Street; named after dual Olympian, Canberran and current Australian triple jump record holder Ken Lorraway.

Ken Lorraway grew up in Canberra and came through the junior ranks with the North Canberra Athletics Club.  Ken won five consecutive national triple jump titles between 1980 and 1984.  He competed at the Olympics in 1980 (Moscow) and 1984 (Los Angeles) and at the Commonwealth Games in 1978 (Edmonton) and 1982 (Brisbane).  

• Chester Close; named after sports administrator Gwen Chester.

Gwen Chester was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for outstanding service as an administrator and competition and team official, especially in Western Australian Athletics.  She managed the Australian Women's Athletics teams at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch and in1978 (Edmonton) and was an Honorary Life Governor of Athletics Australia.  

For more information on Canberra street names visit the ACT government street and suburb names page at www.planning.act.gov.au/tools_resources/place_search

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