I was recently sent the following story by Andrew Ricketts about one of our more well-known members of the Goldfields Sporting Hall of Fame, Walter Lindrum, he was in fact one of the original inductees in 2005.
About the author:– Andrew Ricketts, the author of the Walter Lindrum Billiards Phenomenon, the only biography on Walter A Lindrum. Andrew is currently working on an expanded and updated version of the biography.
Kalgoorlie’s Walter Lindrum was so good at billiards, they had to change the rules so other people had a chance of beating him.
Walter Albert Lindrum
by Andrew Ricketts
Walter Albert Lindrum was born in Kalgoorlie on 29 August 1898. He was the fourth and final child of Frederick and Harriet Lindrum who had been drawn to West Australia in 1896 by the gold boom. Walter was so named in recognition of ‘W.A.’, his state of birth.
Lindrum’s father was one of the foremost professional billiard players around the turn of the century. He never held the Australian title, strangely nor did his son Walter. Fred Lindrum junior, the older brother was entrusted with the title of champion. Walter, despite his vastly superior skills, never bothered to challenge for the title.
Billiards grand master Walter Lindrum taking a shot during a match in NSW in April 1934 – Photo Milton Ulladulla Times.
The Lindrum family first arrived in Kalgoorlie in the Spring of 1897 where Fred senior took the lease of the billiard room at the newly-completed Palace Hotel. The Lindrums next returned to Kalgoorlie in 1906 where Fred ran the billiard room in the Great Boulder Hotel in Maritana Street. It was only a brief stay, as Fred seemingly flitted around the goldfields. The first stop was Broad Arrow, about 30 kms north of Kalgoorlie, where Fred ran the Exchange Hotel, then on to Coolgardie and the Grand Hotel. The Lindrums were back in Kalgoorlie in the latter part of 1908. There is no information available to indicate Fred’s occupation at this time. During their 3 stays at Kalgoorlie the Lindrum’s lived in Bourke Street, with their address on the latter occasions being 19 Bourke Street. The Lindrums final departure from the goldfields capital was in March, 1909.
It was at Broad Arrow that Fred senior took Walter in hand and taught him the basics of the game. It was a move that Fred initially opposed, not wanting Walter to follow in his footsteps. The father relented after his absence at the races, when Walter snuck into the billiards room and disastrously tore the table-cloth. Fred senior was a savvy but demanding coach who was integral to Walter’s success. Walter was smitten with billiards, and driven to succeed.
From Kalgoorlie the family went to Sydney where Walter’s coaching became more intensive. He made his first century break at the age of 12, and was soon practising for six hours per day. He turned professional at 14, by which time the family had made a final shift, this time to Melbourne where their nomadic existence had commenced in 1896.
Walter Lindrum – National Portrait Gallery
It was not until 1929 that Walter made his first trip to England, the home of billiards. Within months he had captured the imagination of the billiards world, astounding all and sundry with his consummate command at the billiard table. He set a new world break record, one of over two dozen records that he made on his first trip, and when he departed England in April of 1930 he was widely-accepted as the greatest player of all time. So dominant was he that in the following season he was conceding 7000 points start to his nearest rivals including the world champion, Joe Davis. It was not until 1933 that Lindrum first played Davis for the world title. He duly won, then defended his title in Melbourne in 1934. The world title then lapsed, partly due to Lindrum’s domination of the sport but also to the emergence of snooker as an alternate option, more suited to the Post-Depression environment.
Walter Lindrum was the most complete billiards player, having mastered every aspect of the game. The hallmark of his game was the nursery cannon, involving intricate point-scoring collisions with the other two balls. These highly scientific cannons involved small, often minute ball movements which, lacked appeal for the average onlooker. The rules were changed, not necessarily to ‘stop Lindrum’ but also to brighten up the play, but the game of billiards had outlived its time.
Lindrum retired in 1950, with a total of 57 world records, the majority of which still stand today. The last twenty years of his life were dominated by exhibitions he gave for fund-raising causes, ranging from the War Effort, to hospitals, red Cross, Blind Societies, church youth groups etc. No cause was too small. He once gave an exhibition in his own billiard room at Albert Park to support a neighbour who was raising three sons with health problems. He raised vast sums for charities which was acknowledged with an M.B.E. in 1951 and an O.B.E. in 1958.
The greatest cueist nobody ever talks about, Walter Lindrum, making a swift 100 break in 1932.
The greatest cueist nobody ever talks about, Walter Lindrum, making a swift 100 break in 1932.
byu/RocketMarciano inbilliards
Walter Lindrum died on 30 July, 1960 and is buried in the Melbourne Cemetery. His grave is in the form of a billiard table, erected by the Sportsmen’s Association in honour of its foundation president.
Walter Lindrum’s Grave – Photo Find a Grave
He is regarded by some as the most dominant sporting champion that Australia has produced. Walter was a quiet, shy man whose modest nature belied his astonishing ability. Sir Donald Bradman described him as the most modest sporting champion he had ever met.
Should anyone wish to contact Andrew Ricketts he would be happy to hear from you – ricketts@dragnet.com.au
Moya Sharp
Latest posts by Moya Sharp (see all)
- The Coolgardie Explosion Horror - 04/05/2024
- Bread Upon the Waters - 04/05/2024
- The Gallant Mrs Taylor – a woman in a mans game - 04/05/2024
Leave a Reply