Legend of the game: Alan Dawe

When it comes to sporting pioneers, Olympian Alan Dawe owns a coveted place in basketball and athletics history.

This West Adelaide Bearcats Basketball Hall of Fame “Legend” played 500 games between 1952 and 1964, represented Australia at the 1960 Olympics and carved a stellar coaching career..

He received South Australia’s highest basketball award, the Noel Wollacott Medal, not once but twice (1958 and 1959), along with many other accolades across the decades.

At the start, Alan fondly recalled playing Thebarton Town Hall in Adelaide - a place famous for big music acts visiting the city.

“They were the days,” said Alan. “If you were the first game, you had to take the seats out and if you were the last game, you had to put the seats back in,” he laughed.

Fast on his feet, Alan has been dubbed one of the finest players of the era - a point-guard, so a skilled all-rounder you’d want on your side.

This was also before the game in Australia went pro.

Leading up to Rome’s 1960 Olympics, Adelaide was home base for our first men’s basketball team who spent months here training and saving.

They each needed 700 pounds to fund their trip over to Italy and back.

“I just loved basketball,” said Alan.

“I suppose you could call us pioneers.”

Wife Shirely kept their deli in Mile End running, just across from the old Hilton Hotel.

Then Alan went into coaching, including the South Australian Men’s Team, West Adelaide, and then Glenelg in the National Basketball League.

He has received many coaching citations including the Basketball Australian Award of Merit in 1982, and in 1991 he received the Apollo Commemorative Medal All Star Coach 1969-1991.

As well as being a Torch Bearer at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Alan received the Australia Sports Medal for his outstanding contributions to sport.

Last year he moved into Bucklands Residential Care, joining Shirely who had moved in earlier.

For the full Alan Dawe story, see our September 2024 Southern Star magazine here.