Ted Terry

Ted's grandfather, Richard Terry (1833–1909), was born in Middlesex, England.

He landed in Melbourne in 1852, and in October 1852 sailed to north-eastern of Tasmania, and settled at "Terry Vale" on the banks of the Powers Rivulet, near present-day Goshen, Tasmania, in North-Eastern Tasmania.

In 1854, hearing of the discovery of some very rich farming land in the region of today's Pyengana, he moved there.

He "selected" 320 acres (130 hectares) of the very best land, and continued to farm it until his death.

He was also the proprietor of the Columba Hotel, the only hotel offering accommodation in the district.

In 1864, he married Celia Terry (née Rosier) (1843–1925), who was born in Avoca, Tasmania.

Two of "Old Ted’s" brothers also kept hotels: Alfred (1865–1937), the Commercial Hotel, at Ringarooma, Northern Tasmania, and John (1870–1936), the Scottsdale Hotel, at Scottsdale, North-Eastern Tasmania.

"Old Ted" also owned a timber mill in Derby, North-Eastern Tasmania.

"Young Ted's" brother John worked at the timber mill; and "Young Ted" also worked for his father at the timber mill for some time both immediately before and immediately after World War II.

Ted's father, Edward "Ted" Terry, born in Pyengana, North-Eastern Tasmania on 21 August 1872, was one of the eleven sons and four daughters of Richard and Celia Terry.

"Old Ted" owned the Ascot Hotel, near Branxholm, North-Eastern Tasmania; and, at various times, owned each of the three hotels at Derby, North-Eastern Tasmania.

Ted's uncle, Ernest Richard "Mick" Terry, was born in Pyengana on 17 August 1881.

In his prime as an athlete, "Mick" Terry was not only a fine sprinter and middle-distance runner, he was also the champion axeman of the Australian Commonwealth, and he held a number of world records for the 12-in, 15-in, and 18-in standing blocks.

He often competed very successfully in private handicap woodchopping contests.

He later became an athletics coach.

He married Kathleen Melva Westbrook (1903-1991).

They had a daughter, Frances Jill Terry.

He was the first St Virgil's batsman to score a century, which he did in 34 minutes against the attack of Arthur Owen Burrows (1903–1984) — who would later bowl in tandem with Laurie Nash for Tasmania – and Alan Bispham "Block" Brownell (1904–1981), two of the best bowlers that Tasmania has ever produced; and, in his last year at St Virgil's, he topped the school's batting and bowling averages.

Edward Richard Terry (4 June 1904 – 5 March 1967) was an outstanding all-round Tasmanian schoolboy athlete.

He was an accomplished professional sprinter, and he also played Australian rules football in Tasmania before moving to the mainland and playing with St Kilda in the VFL, and with Prahran in the Victorian Football Association.

Edward Richard "Ted" Terry ("Young Ted") was born in Launceston, Tasmania on 4 June 1904, the son of Edward "Ted" Terry ("Old Ted") (1872–1954) and Honorine Cousel (1878–1964).

He was, also, the nephew of Ernest Richard "Mick" Terry.

He spent his early formative years in Scottsdale and parts of northeastern Tasmania.

He had one brother, John, and two sisters, Madge and May.

He moved to South Africa in 1909, as the coach of "The Blue Streak" Jack Donaldson, He was short-listed to coach the German team in the 1916 Summer Olympics; however, the 1916 Olympic Games were later cancelled due to World War I. He was the coach of the South African Olympic Athletic Teams in 1924 and 1928.

At the 1919 Southern Tasmanian Secondary Schools' Annual Swimming Carnival, he came third in the under-15 50 yards freestyle.

At the 1919 St. Virgil's College sports day, held on Thursday 20 March 1919, he won the open mile (at the age of 14), the under-15 100 yards, 220 yards, 440 yards, and high jump (he jumped 4 ft 7in).

Terry became the school's handball champion, and won the College's handball championship's gold medal in 1921.

On Saturday, 19 November 1921, playing for St. Virgil's College against Hutchins School, Terry lost his only singles match, but won his two doubles matches (those two wins were the only wins for St. Vigil's on that day).

He was stroke of the school's crew in the Head of the River (this would usually indicate that he was the best oarsman); and, in October 1921, he weighed 10 st 13 lbs (69.5 kg).

Over the years he regularly competed for St Virgil's in the 100 yards sprint, 220 yards sprint, 440, 880, and mile races as well as the 130 yards hurdles and the high jump.

On Saturday 15 April 1922, Terry was beaten in the final of the Associated Schools Tennis Singles' Championship.

In 1922 he was St. Virgil's open-age swimming champion.

He was an athletics coach for the Australian Olympic Athletic Team in 1932.

"Old Ted" died, in Derby, on 12 May 1954.

He died in Durban, Natal, South Africa on 7 July 1964.

Ted Terry attended St Virgil's College, a Christian Brothers' college, in Barrack Street, Hobart; and, whilst there, was an outstanding all-round schoolboy athlete.

He excelled at track and field athletics, cricket, football, tennis, swimming, gymnastics, rowing, and handball.

Given that St. Virgil's was Christian Brothers' college, handball was very strongly promoted amongst the students, driven by the Brothers' view that handball "affords an excellent preparatory training for football, as it calls into play all the resources of the physical man".

Handball is one of the best ways for a potential Australian Rules footballer to acquire the optimum level of hand–eye coordination, ambidexterity, smoothness and flexibility, and sense of where one is in time and space (e.g., Bill Serong who played in three Grand Finals for Collingwood, went to the Christian Brothers' College in Victoria Parade, and was the Australian handball champion in 1974, aged 38).