Passages: Charlie Raeburn, Coach of Olympic Champion David Wilkie, 80
Charlie Raeburn, who coached British Olympic champion David Wilkie, died on Sept. 25 at the age of 80.
Raeburn was a physical education teacher and served as a board member of sportscotland, Scotland’s national agency for sport. He also worked as a local government representative and as a sport and recreation manager on the West Lothian Council. He served as a member of a cross-party working group on sport matters in Scottish parliament and remained a writer and thinker on sports matters.
In swimming, Raeburn was a volunteer coach for much of his career. He was the swimming manager/convenor at Warrender Baths Club and the chair of the Scottish Schools Swimming Association.
Wilkie, who died in 2024, was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and moved to Scotland at age 11. He began swimming at Daniel Stewart’s College in Edinburgh, then Warrender Baths Club, where he began working with coach Frank Thomas. Warrender is also where Wilkie and Raeburn worked together.
Wilkie’s time at Warrender spanned from 1968-76, a stint that began with Thomas as club president. Raeburn became chief coach of WBC in April 1973. He remained in various capacities for years, including as the founder of and coach to the WBC master’s swimming program.
Wilkie would go on to swim at the University of Miami. He won silver at the 1972 Olympics in Munich in the 200 breast, then gold in the 200 breast and silver in the 100 breast at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. Wilkie won European Championships golds in the 200 breast and 200 individual in 1974, three world titles in the 100 and 200 breast in 1973 and 1975 and two Commonwealth Games golds representing Scotland in 1974. He was inducted to the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1982.
Wilkie died on May 22, 2024 after battling cancer.
