Berwick

Distinguished and Famous people from Berwick

Berwick's notable associations include an Olympic champion's cattle farm and the home of a governor-general and a writer who was also an enthusiastic pilot. These were adult residential and working connections, distinct from their birthplaces.

🏅 Edwin Flack

Edwin 'Teddy' Flack won the 800 and 1500 metres at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. Later, alongside his accountancy career and company directorships, he bred Friesian cattle at Burnbank near Berwick. His sporting interests were broader than running: he also competed in Olympic tennis. The farm gave him an enduring local connection after the performances that made him Australia's first Olympic champion. He was born in London, not Berwick.

📚 Maie Casey

Maie Casey's work included painting, memoir, poetry and collaboration on books about Australian history and architecture. Edrington, the Berwick property she inherited with her brother Rupert Ryan, became an important home for her and her husband Richard. Both learned to fly, and an airstrip was laid out on the property. She continued writing and flying during retirement there. Her memoir and family history add a literary dimension to a house often remembered chiefly for its vice-regal association.

🤝 Richard Casey

Richard Casey, later Baron Casey of Berwick, served as Australia's governor-general from 1965 to 1969. He and Maie Casey made Edrington an adult home, returning there in retirement after his vice-regal service. Their interest in aviation included flying lessons, aircraft ownership and the property's airstrip. His local association is therefore a residential and personal one as well as the title that carried Berwick's name into public life. He was born in Brisbane.