His great-grandfather emigrated from England in 1850 and settled in Double Bay, in Sydney's harbourside district, where he worked as a fisherman and ran a boatshed.

[1] Cecil's uncle, Henry J "Harry, Jr" Pearce Jr., was an Australian sculling champion and challenged for the world championship twice (in 1911 and 1913), losing to Richard Arnst (NZL) and Ernest Barry (GBR) respectively.

Harry's son Bobby Pearce (Cecil's cousin and eight years his senior) was the most accomplished rower in the family.

However the AOF selection committee preferred to see Pearce focus on the single and Turner rowed the double with the Bill Dixon the reserve for the men's eight.

Pearce rowed the double sculls event at the Empire Games in Sydney, with William Bradley and won a gold medal.