Fairfield Canoe Club
2019 Centenary Year
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Ivan Gaal, FCC Olympian 1960, passed away on 23 September 2025.
Ivan recently died at the age of 87, having lived a life where he excelled in so many different avenues, displaying great skills and a keen sense of competition.
As a prelude our centenary in 2019, we organised a “Legends Lunch” in 2018.
Ivan presented us with this short precis of his sporting life, but there is so much more to be told.
“The Hungarian Revolution against the communist government of the day ran from 23rd October to10th November 1956 when USSR intervened with military force. Many refugees fled Hungary during this time, I was one of those people. After Bonegilla (Refugee camp) and Adelaide, I finally arrived in Melbourne and the FCC.
In 1956 I was third in the C2 in Hungary’s junior championship, but it took me a year to win the Australian Championships and Olympic selection with Adrian Powell in 1960.
I left the club in 1961 to pursue my other goals.
Came back in 2002 and paddled with Jonathan Mayne and won gold (in World Masters Games) in Edmonton, Canada in 2004.
I kept paddling Chinese Dragon boats after that.
Following my paddling days I became a keen lawn bowler”. (photo of Ivan on the greens here)
Ivan’s life in Hungary is told in a lovely documentary where he catches-up with his former C2 paddle partner after 55 years separation. C-2 - No Escape from the Old Canoe
Having arrived in Australia via Austria, Ivan found himself in Adelaide where canoeing was not a big feature, so he participated in his other favourite of the time, wrestling.
Ultimately, he came to Melbourne and through the émigré Hungarian network found his way to FCC in 1959. It was here that he was paired with a young Aussie paddler, Adrian Powell. This combination was dynamic. Ivan says that their size and power suited the lightweight C2 and they won Olympic selection for Rome. Sadly, Ivan never made Rome as he could not raise the £600 needed by each athlete to get to the Games. Ivan relates that he learned of this disaster when he was being measured for his Aussie blazer.
Not surprisingly, he sought to improve his job prospects and, via the ABC, ended-up with the Education Department creating visual materials. This proved to be his next love – documentary making. His movies are well worth viewing. See Ivan Gaal - Wikipedia - his filmmaking skills were recognised by other filmmakers at a personal retrospective night several years ago.
One film that was made by our Michael “Lofty” Loftus-Hills in association with Ivan in 2005 is Grey Paddle Power - Fairfield Canoe Club. This tribute interviews a number of club heroes, including Ivan Gaal. Mention is made of Ivan’s return to competition canoeing after he discovered the World Masters Games at Lake Nagambie in 2002. He and Jonathan Mayne paired-up at Nagambie and again in Edmonton, Canada in 2004, winning gold.
Having had both hip joints replaced Ivan looked for a gentler sport and latched onto lawn bowls where his highly competitive streak continued to flourish.
Vale: Ivan Gaal, we will miss your infectious enthusiasm.
