1914 - 1976

Hermie Doerner became a legendary figure in Australian water polo after playing 14 seasons with the NSW team (1933-1951), he played his last game for New South Wales as captain/coach during the 1951 Australian Championship in Sydney. As a representative of Sydney 's Bondi club, Hermie first competed for Australia in its first Olympic bid at the London games (1948), at which event he received international acclaim when selected in the 'World Team'. He culminated a great career as captain of the gold medal winning Australian Team at Auckland’s 1950 Commonwealth Games.

Upon retirement he continued in the sport at the National and State level as a coach and administrator, coaching the Olympic team in Rome (1960). Hermie also won nine Australian championships in surf life saving events and he became a dual international when selected as captain of Australia's surf life saving team for Hawaii in 1939. Hermie’s younger brother Owen also represented Australia in water polo and his son Peter in tennis, as a member of Australia’s 1967 Junior Davis Cup Team.

Courtesy of 'Water Warriors: Chronicle of Australian Water Polo’ (2009), by Dr. Tracy Rockwell (WPA Hon. Historian) and Fairfax media.