Colin "Col" Windon, (8 November 1921 – 3 December 2003) was a rugby union player and soldier who captained Australia – the Wallabies – in two Test matches in 1951.
After serving with the Second Australian Imperial Force in the Pacific Theatre during the Second World War, Windon resumed his rugby career in 1946.
Windon attended Randwick Public School before Sydney Grammar where he was a mediocre rugby player, and never progressed beyond the lower grades.
[2][3] According to author Max Howell, Keith was a "football genius", and was a star during the 1937 South African tour of Australia.
[2] Keith was on the ill-fated 1939 Wallaby tour to England;[3] the team docked at Plymouth, but the next day war was declared and they returned to Australia without playing a game.
[2] Windon played at flanker or "breakaway", and earned the knick-name "Breeze" because, according to former Wallaby Max Howell "he ran like the wind".
[3] Enlisting in the Second Australian Imperial Force on 18 December 1941 after basic training in Dubbo, Windon was posted to the 2/3 Infantry Battalion, 6th Division,[2] He saw service in the Owen Stanley Ranges in Papua New Guinea where he contracted malaria, and after convalescence in the Atherton Tablelands he returned to New Guinea.
[7] His brother Keith was in the side (the only player in the squad that had toured New Zealand previously) which was captained by Bill McLean.
[13][a] Windon scored eight tries to be the fourth highest try scorer on tour behind three-quarters John MacBride, Charlie Eastes and Trevor Allan.
The series against New Zealand, for the Bledisloe Cup, was considered a consolation for the Maori players after the "guilt" of the NZRFU for not selecting them for the All Black tour of South Africa that was occurring at the same time.
[23] Windon scored in both matches,[14] and despite the weakened opposition made history as part of the first Australian team to win the Bledisole Cup on New Zealand soil.
[12] Keith Winning captained the Wallabies in the first Test of the series, but broke his jaw in an Australian XV match.
[1] After being named in Australian rugby's team of the century in 1999, he was given a plaque on the Sydney Cricket Ground's Walk of Honour.
[30] For over thirty years Windon was Australia's leading Test try-scorer with 11, until his record was overtaken by winger Brendan Moon in the 1980s.
[30] Upon his induction Australian Rugby Union President Paul McLean referred to Windon as "an electrifying talent and a try scoring machine".
A try-scoring machine, a superb attacker and with the speed of a three-quarter, the man they nicknamed 'Breeze' was simply peerless in supporting play".