Jack Hinton, Boxer, In Kelly's School..

A reader has asked us to find something about Jack Hinton, a Victoria Cross winner and has a memorial at Colac Bay.

We have found an article in a 1964 Newspaper which goes as follows:

The presentation of a boxing trophy to the Southland Boxing Association by Jack Hinton, bought to light that not only was Jack Hinton a brave Soilder but a great boxer.  Jack Kelly alias ("KO") who was then living in Dunedin was present at the presentation.

Everyone knew of "KO" and his expolits in a career of more than 100 fights in southland and Otago   His association with Jack Hinton came about in 1927 when Jack ran a boxing school in Invercargill and Hinton was one of his champion pupils.   Hinton was a country boy and visited Invercargill at the weekends for instruction.  Later he worked in Tokanui where Kelly also ran a school. A personality in the Tokanui school was Hughie McLeod, mile champion runner, who was secretary of the Tokanui Club.

Hinton won his first trophy at Tokanui, the Hobson Cup for the most successful boxer at the tournament.  E. Fraser another well-known name in southland sport, won the medal for the most scientific boxer in the school.  The Fraser brothers, Ika and Bay were also good boxers.  Bob another brother, was a heavyweight.  The brothers won fame for Southland and New Zealand as winners of the world double-handed sawing championship.

The record of the Invercargill school was noteworthy, and numbers among its members several champions whose names still run through Southland boxing.  Jack Kelly, the instructor won featherweight at Tuatapere; W. Burgess was first in bantamweight at Bluff; W. Stiles won the lightweight at Bluff; H. McFarlane still be seen seconding boys from his Mataura school, won featherweights at Bluff and Tuatapere. J. Winders won the bantamweight at Bluff.

Back Row: E.J. Kelly, J. Kett, J. Hinton, W. Dore, W. Burgess. Middle Row: M. Hall, J. Dore, J. Kelly (Instructor), L. Galt (Trainer), W. Stiles, H. McFarlance. Front Row: C. Davis, J. Winders, A. McFarlane