Kookaburras great Mark Knowles recognised with Australian Sport’s highest honour

Published Mon 04 Nov 2024

The legacy of three-time Olympic medallist Mark Knowles OAM has been cemented further into the history of Australian sport after he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame last month.

The Kookaburras’ legend was one of eight top Australian athletes to be celebrated live on the Seven Network, as he was officially recognised with Australian sport’s highest honour.

“It was incredible when I got the call from [Sport Australia Hall of Fame Chair] John Bertrand (AO) to say that I was being welcomed into this esteemed group of Australian sporting icons and heroes of mine among them,” Mark Knowles said.

“It's just an amazing, amazing honour.”

It’s the second time in a month that the former Kookaburras captain has been recognised in a Hall of Fame after he was inducted into Hockey Australia’s HoF in September, six years after he retired from hockey at the highest level.

The off-field recognition follows one of hockey’s greatest careers, as he went on to record 365 appearances while scoring 243 goals for Australia in an international career spanning 16 years over the Kookaburras’ greatest decade.

He admits his most recent off-field honours have forced him to reflect on his achievements extending back to his very first memories playing hockey as a young boy in Rockhampton.

“I'm as country as anyone. I grew up just loving the sport, being influenced by my parents… I lived out my dream playing hockey, but I’ve been reflecting on how you can get yourself to a point like this at the end of your career and it's just a very nice way to reflect.”

It’s hard to look past his influence during the Kookaburras’ greatest era. In a period spanning 15 years from 2003 – 2018, the Kookaburras started by winning that elusive Olympic gold in Athens, before going on to win double Olympic bronze in 2008 and 2012, two World Cup titles, and four Champions Trophy gold medals, all while remaining unbeaten at the Commonwealth Games.

“I have absolutely no doubt that if I wasn't in an absolute elite team… I would never be in contention for an award and an honour like this without being amongst my teammates who are also driving such high standards. I have so many people to thank but you've got to have a huge level of respect for the coaches and the players who did it with you too.”

Mark joins two of them, the great Kookaburras player-coach Ric Charlesworth AO and his teammate Jamie Dwyer OAM in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, two key people in his career who he says had a huge influence on him.

“I think at the time when Ric took over I was 24 years old and desperately needed Ric's style and his way of working. I needed a good kick in the backside. I needed somebody to kind of challenge me in different ways. And I loved that,” Mark said.

“Jamie and I grew up in Rockhampton together, we’re now brothers-in-law and we worked together in a coaching business for 10 years. We played in Europe together, we played in India together, we played every major tournament together, both winning and losing.

“When I look at the people from Hockey, just as a start, who are in there already, I just think to myself how amazing this honour is.”

When asked what stands out the most when he reflects on his honour, Mark says the significance of the 2000 Sydney Olympics comes straight to mind and how he now wants to be the role model that his 16-year-old self admired during those Games on home soil.

“When I watched the athletes and how they conducted themselves in Sydney for me as a 16-year-old boy from Rockhampton that set the tone for me in terms of what I wanted and played such an important part.”

“It’s also why I think we need to we need to be on the front foot as sporting organisations and as an Australian community around Brisbane 2032.”

The inductees will be celebrated in Melbourne on November 18, when the Sport Australia Hall of Fame gala dinner returns in 2024.

Click here for a full list of the 2024 Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees.