JOHN Treloar was sharing the Olympic spirit right up until his death on Monday night, July 23.
Tributes have poured in for the 1948 and 1952 Olympian who died from heart failure aged 84.
Treloar organised, and attended, a reunion of the 1952 Helsinki team just two weeks ago and was co-ordinating Olympic celebrations for residents at his aged care facility, Woolooware Shores at Taren Point.
His daughter Patricia said he always looked forward to the Games.
‘‘He was so excited about the Olympics,’’ she said. ‘‘He was going to decorate their foyer and was the organiser of celebrations so it was going to be big.’’
Treloar followed his late wife Patricia to Sutherland Shire from Sydney’s north shore after they married in 1951.
The couple lived in Caringbah while he competed at the 1952 Helsinki Games where Treloar became the first Australian male to qualify for an Olympic 100 yard final, finishing sixth, just 0.1 seconds behind the winner.
In retirement, Treloar stayed an active member of the athletic fraternity, becoming a founding member of Sutherland Athletics Club where he had remained as patron for the past 20 years.
‘‘He would continue to turn up once in a while to our monthly meetings,’’ club president Bob Reus said.
‘‘He would have a chat to all our up-and-coming athletes and encourage them.’’
Treloar, also a successful engineer, was inducted into the Leader Sporting Hall of Fame in 2003 and was a permanent fixture at the annual awards night.
Cook MP Scott Morrison said: ‘‘It was not just John’s great achievements in life that made him a champion. It was the way he lived his life, with honesty, integrity, passion and commitment.”
Son John added: ‘‘The press coverage he had was amazing but he gave a lot of time and energy into his family.’’
Treloar is survived by second wife Jan and his children John, Philip, Geoffrey and Patricia and 13 grandchildren.
His funeral will be at 10am, next Wednesday, August 1, at North Sydney Boys High School.
