Henry Robert "Bobby" Pearce

One of the highlights of the Bonhams 25th July Olympic Games Sale being held in London is an archive of Australia’s first ever double Olympic Medal winner Bobby Pearce (1905-1976) who competed for Australia in the sport of rowing.

The archive features Olympic Gold Medals as well as photographs, trophies, letters and other remarkable items of memorabilia which have attracted a pre-sale estimate of £30,000 – 50,000 ($44,000 - $73,000 AUD).

Pearce’s son Bob Jnr, who lives in Canada, is delighted to be offering the collection through Bonhams. He says: "This is a remarkable archive of Olympic and Australian memorabilia, paying homage to my father's great sporting achievements. I would hope that a suitable home for this collection could be found in Australia."

Pearce, an Australian born Olympic rower, was only considered an amateur when he competed in his first Olympic games in 1928 during which he became the first Australian to win a rowing Gold Medal. He was also the only Australian prize winner at the Games and the first from the Dominions.

Famously, Pearce stopped during his heat with the French rower Victor Saurin to allow a group of ducks to cross the course, and then went on to win by twenty lengths. He defeated the American entrant Kenneth Myers in the final, who was so disgusted that he smashed his boat.

Competing for Australia again in Los Angeles in 1932 after driving across America to compete, with his sculling boat on the roof of his car, Pearce won Gold once again making him the first to retain an Olympic Rowing gold medal.

After 1932 he turned professional competing in the Professional Championship of the World in a wager match at Toronto, where he won the race by a staggering quarter of a mile. He retained the title and went on to defend it successfully in 1934 and 1938, relinquishing it undefeated after WW2.

Regarded by many as the best Sculler ever produced by Australia, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986.