Joe Sweeney wrestled for Australia at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, but he became far better known in Australia for surfing. After the Olympics he became a woodworking teacher at Corio Tech in Geelong, and also worked as a carpenter, but it was his time on the surf at Bells Beach that made him a local legend. Sweeney bulldozed the first access road to Bells Beach in the early 1960s. In the winter he would surf Bells’s famous breaks in a sleeveless footy jumper and Speedos until he was blue. Sweeney also became known for carving the trophies awarded for the Bell’s Beach surfing contests, notably the Rip Curl Pro trophies. He was a founding member of Jan Juc Surf Life Saving Club and a revered member of the Torquay Surf Life Saving Club. Late in life, Sweeney was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease, from which he died 2½ years after the diagnosis.
Australia