Ric Charlesworth

Richard Ian Charlesworth AO (born 6 February 1952) is an Australian sports coach and former politician. He played first-class cricket for Western Australia and international field hockey for the Kookaburras (the Australian national team), winning a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics and winning the World Cup in 1986. Charlesworth served as a federal member of parliament from 1983 to 1993, representing the Labor Party. After leaving politics, he was appointed coach of the Hockeyroos (the national women's field hockey team), leading them to Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000. Charlesworth later coached the Kookaburras from 2009 to 2014, and has also worked in consulting roles with the New Zealand national cricket team, the Australian Institute of Sport, and the Fremantle Football Club (an Australian football team).

Biography Born in Subiaco, Western Australia, Charlesworth attended Christ Church Grammar School In 2002, he received an honorary Doctorate of Science at the University of Western Australia and completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in philosophy and history also at the University of Western Australia.

His father Lester Charlesworth, a dentist, represented Western Australia in cricket between 1949 and 1951. making 2,327 runs at an average of 30.22. He was a member of Sheffield Shield winning teams in 1972–73, 1976–77, 1977–78, and was a squad member in the winning season of 1974–75. In the 1979 Charlesworth was Captain of WA in 4 Matches the second person to achieve this award. In 2015 he was made a Legend of the Western Australian Hall of Champions for all sports.

In 1980, while playing for The University of Western Australia Mens Hockey Club, Charlesworth also won the Olympian's Medal, an annual award presented to the player judged by umpires to be the fairest and best in men's first division competition in Western Australia. In addition, the female equivalent of this award, the Charlesworth Medal, is named in his honour.

Coach From 1993 to 2000 Charlesworth was head coach of the Australian Women's hockey team, the Hockeyroos. During this time they won the Champion's Trophy in 1993 (Amsterdam), 1995 (Mar del Plata), 1997 (Berlin) and 1999 (Brisbane), the World Hockey Cup in 1994 (Dublin) and 1998 (Netherlands) and were gold medallists in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and Sydney Olympics in 2000 and 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. He was selected to act as an advisor to the newly formed hockey selection committee formed by the Indian Olympic Association.

Charlesworth has been a mentor coach to several national team coaches with the Australian Institute of Sport and a performance consultant with the Fremantle Football Club.

Politics Charlesworth was elected as the Federal Member for Perth in 1983, representing the Australian Labor Party, and was a member of parliament for 10 years until retiring in 1993. During his time in the House of Representatives Charlesworth twice represented Australia at the Olympic Games (84 and 88) and in was flag bearer for Australia in the opening ceremony in Seoul

Charlesworth said one reason for retiring from Parliament was that he never became a minister.

Administration Charlesworth was a member of the Australian Sports Commission Board 1994–97 and Western Australian Institute of Sport Board 1984–1992, 2001–2005. Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2016 Queen's Birthday Honours Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1987 Hockey Australia Hall of Fame 2008 West Australian Sports Champions of the Year Award – Coach of the Year 1994–2000 Western Australia Citizen of the Year Award 2001 Australian Institute of Sport Coach of the Year 2010