Historical information

Ross Milne grew up on his family's tobacco property in Myrtleford, Victoria and started skiing at Falls Creek when he was 13. He went on to win the North-Eastern District Ski Association (NEDSA) Junior Championships for three years in a row. In 1961 Ross was a member of the Australian team which competed against New Zealand in the Inter-Dominion Championships. In 1963, he won the Downhill and Alpine Combined title at the Australian Championships, while placing second in the Grand Slalom event.

Ross Milne was selected in the Australian team that participated in the 1964 Olympic Winter Games at Innsbruck, Austria. A few days before the opening of the Games, on 25 January 1964, he tragically lost his life when he crashed into a tree during a training run for the Men's Downhill. He was only 19 years of age.

Significance

This item is significant because it shows the Olympic Team at Falls Creek and features Ross Milne who died tragically in a training run in Innsbruck, Austria shortly after this photo was taken.

Physical description

A mounted black and white photograph of the Australian Olympic team standing in front of the Falls Creek Ski School sign as well as an article "Ski Champion at 18" from Australian Women's Weekly Wed 9 Oct 1963.
The image was taken while the team selected to represent Australia at the 1964 Winter Olympics at Innsbruck, Australia were in training.

Left to right: Christine Smith, Simon Brown, Sigi Haberzettl (Coach), Judy Forras, John Wagner (Manager), Peter Wenzel, Peter Brockhoff, Ross Milne.