Arthur Postle

In 1906, in front of a 20,000-strong crowd at Kalgoorlie gold mine, Postle defeated Beauchamp Day, a champion Irish runner sponsored by promoter Rufus Naylor, in a seventy-five-yard spring.

In 1908, at Durban Postle ran fifty yards in 5.20 seconds, another record, and later the same year he set yet another world record, running sixty yards in 6.1 seconds. He also opted to use a number of emblems to represent his nationality, in an era before standardised colours and emblems were used by Australian sportsmen. In addition to his crimson vest he wore green shorts with gold trim, and his shirt had an emu and a kangaroo, one on each breast.

As Postle's notoriety grew, a rivalry began between Jack Donaldson – a prolific Australian sprinter nicknamed 'Blue Streak' – and himself. Postle and American runner Charles Holway challenged Donaldson to a race at Johannesburg in February 1910 to decide who would be crowned World Champion over a one-hundred yard sprint. Though Postle began quickest, he was overtaken by Donaldson at eighty yards and the latter was victorious by 2.4 yards.

In October 1912, Postle married an Englishwoman, Edna Leadbeater, in Lancashire, England.

His mother died in 1937, and his father twelve months later. During the Second World War he sold the farm and retired to Wynnum, though he continued to coach runners well into the 1950s. He was still a regular at local running tracks, sharing his expertise with young runners. He coached Norma Croker, later an Olympic gold medal winner.