Oral history - John Cole

John Cole was an outstanding junior sportsman. In 1957, at age 14, he started playing under-16 football for East Victoria Park Football Club, and then under-18s. Both teams won their premierships. At about the same time John started playing baseball for West Perth Baseball Club in the under-16s.

While attending Kent Street High School, two of the staff members, John's Form Teacher Laurie Sawle and the Science Master John Rutherford, who were opening batsmen for the Western Australian Sheffield Shield Cricket Team, encouraged him to play cricket and to join the Perth Cricket Club. In his first year there, he won an 'Outstanding Junior Player' award for his bowling prowess. By age 18 he was playing A-grade cricket.

In John's final year at Kent Street High School, he was captain of the school's football team, and at the end of that season he was selected by the Perth Football Club to join their junior team. On leaving school, in 1961, he was a student at Graylands Teacher's College where he played in their State-run league football team. After a move to Claremont Teachers College, he graduated as a physical and health education teacher and was transferred to Geraldton in 1963, where he was recruited by the Rovers Football Club.

On returning to Perth in 1965, John re-commenced his baseball career and played his first A-grade game with West Perth, then aged 22. In 1971, at age 28, he was selected for the first time in the Western Australian Claxton Shield team. This was followed by selection in the 1972 and 1974 teams as a player, and 1975 as an assistant coach.

In 1972/73 John joined the East Fremantle Baseball Club as a playing coach and coached them to their first West Australian Baseball League premiership in 1973/74.

Other coaching credits include accompanying a team of Australian under-18 baseballers to the USA, under the auspices of the Australian Baseball Federation, to attend a specialised coaching camp.

As an administrator, John was influential in Executive roles with the West Australian Baseball League (Vice President), the Australian Baseball Federation (Western Australian delegate) and the West Australian Junior Baseball League (President). His contribution to baseball was acknowledged in 1985 with Life Memberships of both the Western Australian senior and junior baseball leagues.