Ric Charlesworth

After leaving politics, he was appointed coach of the Hockeyroos (the national women's field hockey team), leading them to Olympic gold medals in 1996 and 2000. Charlesworth later coached the Kookaburras from 2009 to 2014, and has also worked in consulting roles with the New Zealand national cricket team, the Australian Institute of Sport, and the Fremantle Football Club (an Australian football team).

Ric Charlesworth studied at University of Western Australia and Christ Church Grammar School. The recorded working language is English. Places of work recorded in the authority are Canberra. Positions recorded include member of the Australian House of Representatives. Distinctions recorded are Australian Sports Medal, Member of the Order of Australia and Officer of the Order of Australia.

• Birth Name — Richard Ian Charlesworth • Honorific Suffix — AO • Constituency Mp — Perth • Parliament — Australian • Predecessor — Ross McLean • Successor — Stephen Smith • Term Start — 5 March 1983 • Term End — 8 February 1993 • Born — 6 February 1952 • Birthplace — Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia • Party — Australian Labor Party • Education — University of Western Australia • Occupation — Hockey player

Born in Subiaco, Western Australia, Charlesworth attended Christ Church Grammar School until he graduated in 1969. In 1976, he completed a medical degree (MB, BS) from the University of Western Australia School of Medicine. In 2002, he received an honorary Doctorate of Science at the University of Western Australia and completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in philosophy and history also at the University of Western Australia. His father Lester Charlesworth, a dentist, represented Western Australia in cricket between 1949 and 1951.

In 1969 Charlesworth captained the Western Australian State under 19 cricket team before going on to play A grade Club cricket for West Perth (1969–1970, 1976–82) and University Cricket Club (1970–76). He played in 47 first-class matches for Western Australia from 1972 until 1979, making 2,327 runs at an average of 30.22. He was a member of Sheffield Shield winning teams in 1972–73, 1976–77, 1977–78, and was a squad member in the winning season of 1974–75. In the 1979 Charlesworth was Captain of WA in 4 Matches

Charlesworth was coached by Ray House at Christ Church Grammar School, where he was promoted to the school's first XI at an early age. He was a member of the PSA Hockey Cup (now known as the Ray House Hockey Cup) winning teams of 1966–67. He played in and captained the Western Australia hockey team and the Australia men's field hockey team the Kookaburras. He was selected to represent Australia in five Olympic hockey teams, 1972, 1976, 1980 (captain) (Moscow Olympics were boycotted), 1984 (captain), and 1988, winning Silver at the 1976, Montreal Olympic Games. He was a member of the national team which competed in various other international tournaments including winning the World Hockey Cup in London in 1986 where he was named player of the Tournament as well as being the tournament's leading goalscorer. He retired from playing after representing Australia at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. He played 227 games for his country and scored 85 goals. Charlesworth was inducted into the Australian Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008, the second person to achieve this award. In 2015 he was made a Legend of the Western Australian Hall of Champions for all sports. In 1980, while playing for The University of Western Australia Mens Hockey Club, Charlesworth also won the Olympian's Medal, an annual award presented to the player judged by umpires to be the fairest and best in men's first division competition in Western Australia. In addition, the female equivalent of this award, the Charlesworth Medal, is named in his honour.

From 1993 to 2000 Charlesworth was head coach of the Australian Women's hockey team, the Hockeyroos. During this time they won the Champion's Trophy in 1993 (Amsterdam), 1995 (Mar del Plata), 1997 (Berlin) and 1999 (Brisbane), the World Hockey Cup in 1994 (Dublin) and 1998 (Netherlands) and were gold medallists in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and Sydney Olympics in 2000 and 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. Prior to his appointment as technical adviser to the men's and women's Indian hockey teams, he was the high-performance manager for the New Zealand cricket team. He was selected to act as an advisor to the newly formed hockey selection committee formed by the Indian Olympic Association. Charlesworth has been a mentor coach to several national team coaches with the Australian Institute of Sport and a performance consultant with the Fremantle Football Club. In 2009, Charlesworth was appointed coach of the Australian men's national hockey team, the Kookaburras. The team went on to win the 2009 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy in Melbourne, Australia; the 2010 Hockey World Cup in New Delhi, India; the 2010 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy in Mönchengladbach, Germany; the 2010 Commonwealth Games Men's Hockey Gold Medal in Delhi, India and the 2011 Men's Hockey Champions Trophy in Auckland. After coaching the Kookaburras to success at the 2014 Hockey World Cup in Netherlands, he resigned.

Charlesworth was elected as the Federal Member for Perth in 1983, representing the Australian Labor Party, and was a member of parliament for 10 years until retiring in 1993. During his time in the House of Representatives Charlesworth twice represented Australia at the Olympic Games (84 and 88) and in was flag bearer for Australia in the opening ceremony in Seoul Charlesworth said one reason for retiring from Parliament was that he never became a minister.

Charlesworth was a member of the Australian Sports Commission Board 1994–97 and Western Australian Institute of Sport Board 1984–1992, 2001–2005.

Ric Charlesworth is recorded as having received Australian Sports Medal, Member of the Order of Australia and Officer of the Order of Australia.