“Somewhere in life you will find something that you will be good at.” This is what Nick’s last school teacher, Harry Harris, said to him at the end of Nick’s school days over 72 years ago.
Mr Harris, having taken Nick and his classmates aside, also said, “Some of you were left behind the door when the brains were handed out.” As Nick reflects, “These days he’d be sued for it.” Nick says that he found learning at school difficult.
Even if Mr Harris didn’t realise it, what he was really saying was that just because you may find school difficult, it doesn’t mean you are lacking in abilities.
Nick first attended Murrumburrah Public School at the age of 7. On his first day Nick was accompanied by Frank Sutton, from the cordial factory across the road from Nick’s house. Nick decided that school was not for him and ran off and hid, before being found and returned to school by Frank.
At school, Nick excelled in athletics. Indeed, as an adult, in the 1956 Melbourne Olympics Torch Relay, Nick achieved the fastest run of the 1 mile segment. Nick distinguished himself as a player of Rugby League both at school and in his adult life, including his being a member of Harden’s 1947 Maher Cup team.

Nick, Front Row: Second from the left.
Nick is the eldest of 3 children born to Nicholas and Cissy Rawlin. Nick’s father and grandfather were boot makers, although Nick says, “I couldn’t put a damn tack in a shoe.” Nick had 4 children with his wife, Joan: Leslie, Jill, Michael (deceased) and Nicholas (deceased). Nick has 7 grandchildren.
The history of the boot making trade in Nick’s family is faithfully commemorated in large letters on the front wall of his home, “N. RAWLIN BOOTMAKER 1895”. As well as Nick, over the years his parents and his children have all lived in this same house.
After leaving school, Nick’s first job was in the Produce Section of Killick’s Department Store, situated where the Foodworks Supermarket now stands. Nick also used to assist in the advertising and projectionist roles at Harden’s Lyceum Theatre.
Nick went on to work at wheat carting with Pat Ceeney, wood carting with Frank McGrath, on the Harden Shire Council, and in the shearing sheds, wool pressing (without the benefit of electricity).
When Nick was 17 years old, he “cleared off” from Murrumburrah with a mate, Freddy Woods, and headed for Sydney on the little train which departed from Demondrille on a Sunday night.
After nearly ending up working on a pig farm, Nick headed to Wollongong where he worked in the mines for 12 months.
Nick worked at the Murrumburrah Mill for some 14 years and established a record for, in 1 day, “lumping”/carrying on his shoulder and loading 4,552 filled bags (300 tons).
Some Sydney wharfies, temporarily working at the Mill, were amazed at how hard the Murrumburrah men could work and said that they wouldn’t put up with it.
Due to the nature of his work at the Mill, Nick quite often tore muscles and had to seek medical assistance from Harden-Murrumburrah’s then Doctor Joseph.
Doctor Joseph actually inspected the workload of the Mill employees, and said to Nick, “If you’re bloody silly enough to do that, well put up with it.”
Nick began cycling when he was 7 years old, and 77 years later still cycles about 30 kms each day. As Nick puts it, “It’s easier to keep going than to stop. The time I stop is when they put me in a box.”
Nick was a member of the Young Cycling Club and then the Cootamundra Cycling Club. When competing from Cootamundra, Nick would first ride from Murrumburrah to Cootamundra in order to do so.
On one occasion the wind and rain were so bad that the Cootamundra Starter cancelled the race, only to then see Nick arriving for the race after having cycled from Murrumburrah. The Starter reversed his decision on the basis of Nick’s fortitude.
Amongst many other long-distance journeys, over the years Nick has cycled from Perth to Sydney (1978), and to Murrumburrah from: Darwin (1988); Bourke (1990); Broken Hill (1992); to and from the Northern Territory/Queensland Border (1993); Cunnamulla (Qld, 1994); Mount Isa (1994); Byron Bay (Australia’s most easterly point) and Denham/Shark Bay (Australia’s most westerly point).

Nick arriving at his Mum’s house in Wollongong after his Perth to Sydney ride.

When Nick completed his Perth to Sydney ride, he suggested to Joan that he might pop down to see his mum – that seemed a fair enough suggestion, even if his mum lived in Wollongong.
In 1997, Nick rode 32,000 kms around Australia. Near to the halfway point of that ride, Nick was sideswiped by a car, and his leg was injured. It took Nick 4 months to recover from that accident, but recover he did – he cycled to the scene of his accident and continued his ride back home to Murrumburrah.
In 2000, Nick raised $1,750 for the Murrumburrah-Harden Hospital with his non-stop 24 hour ride on a circuit within and around the town: 201 laps of the 2.6 kms route, adding up to a total of 526.4 kms.
In 1967, Nick was in a running race in which another contestant, whom Nick had well and truly passed, caught up to him by riding in a car. Nick noticed that his devious competitor was puffing, and challenged him. The Cheat scored 0 out of 10 for honesty and a further 0 out of 10 for acting ability. Nick won this race by 1½ hours.
In competition, Nick’s track record is resplendent with trophies, many of which are for 1st place. Nick still cycles every day and, for decades, has relied on his favoured strawberry milkshakes for strength and sustenance. Nick says that his proudest moments have been winning against other riders, especially Bill Johnston of Cunnamulla.

Nick receiving his first place prize for winning the 50K run.
Nick is happy to have a lot of  friends. He enjoys Country Music (Charlie Pride, Slim Dusty), and gardening. For many years Nick was boxing instructor with the Harden Police & Citizens’ Club. Nick was proud to receive a postcard from the 1980 Moscow Olympics Australian Track Cycling Team, in recognition of his sportsmanship.
Nick’s attitude to life is “Such is life.” He says he’s always pleased to ride over Demondrille Hill and be able to see Murrumburrah spread out below. Nick also says it is getting harder to pedal up Demondrille Hill and that he now doesn’t have enough gears on his bike.
Nick now says that in cycling from Currawong to Kingsvale he used to think it didn’t include a hill – when you are riding a bike, “A molehill will become a mountain if you go over it enough.”
Many of Nick’s fellow riders of past days now no longer ride, but he encounters quite a few male and female riders (and young people at that) on the roads these days.
Nick agrees that at 84 years of age he is still a fitness freak – he doesn’t drink alcohol, or smoke. Nick says that he only ever drank alcohol once, at Galong with some of his mates, and decided that he didn’t like the experience.
In 2008, Nick’s partner, Gloria, accompanied him on his trip across the Nullarbor Plain.
Dr Eric R. Aldin, internationally known sports journalist, has described Nick as never having been “a headline hunter but a quiet achiever … one of the world’s best cyclists in his age division.”
Nick, may you continue with your cycling, your good health and your positive attitude to life. You are indeed one of Murrumburrah’s true sons, and an inspiration to those who know you.