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Rohan Browning is an athlete, best known for running the second-fastest time by an Australian over 100 metres. Here, the 26-year-old reflects on the generosity of his grandma, the early encouragement from his mother, and the ongoing support from his partner, Alix.
I am naturally inclined towards women who are curious, honest and understand themselves.Credit: Courtesy of The Iconic
My maternal grandmotherRuby, lives in the Illawarra, NSW. We’d go there to visit when I was young, and my grandparents would look after me if my parents had to go away for work. I remember the flat lemon squash that was always in the fridge – who knows how old it was – and enjoying it with a bowl of Cheezels. My grandma would always slip me some money.
My mum, Elizabeth Jackson, worked as an ABC radio journalist and raised three sons with my dad, Andrew. Mum always had a global consciousness, attuned to the ways of the world, and had her finger on the pulse when it came to the news cycle.
Mum was outnumbered by men in our home. There was a lot of male energy and sport activities were her life. She set the tone early for us, though, to always respect motivated and ambitious women because that is who she was. She taught her sons that nobody was better or less than us. She had a brilliant wit and gave us a curiosity for the world. I always look up to her and appreciate her work ethic.
My love of English as a subject definitely stems from Mum. She never spoke down to us as children, and never dumbed down her language.
I remember coming home from a school sports carnival in year 1 after winning everything that day. I don’t know if Mum knew there was a kernel of talent that would blossom, but she encouraged me to do athletics.
I didn’t really care about how I looked at an all-boys school. I didn’t have time for girls, as sport was my focus.
ROHAN BROWNING
My parents never pushed me to succeed. Their joy came from seeing me loving to compete and train, not from an unrealised dream on their part. I did play rugby in high school and Mum hated that. She was happy I ended up in athletics.
As a teenager, I had terrible cystic acne and didn’t really care about how I looked at an all-boys school. I didn’t have time for girls, as sport was my focus. That changed toward the latter part of high school, then I dated a girl for two years at university.
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