In 1956 Don would begin his career and over a thirty year period would coach Olympic champions and World Record holders acheiving major successes and steering Australia at Olympic, World Championships and Commonwealth Games. Don's proudest moment came when Australia was crowned number one at the 2001 World Championships in Japan. “He'll go down as one of the great coaches in Australian swimming history, he'll be remembered as a tough, hard, uncompromising coach who is well respected by his peers, and someone who's brought an ethos of team into the Australian swimming team because swimming can be a very, very individual sport, it's a very selfish sport, but Talbot was able to transcend it..”
- Status: Pending1990Inducted to the Australian Sporting Hall of Fame (Coach Swimming).
- Status: Pending2000Awarded Australian Sports Medal.
- Status: Pending2001Awarded Centenary Medal.
- Status: Pending2007Officer of the Order of Australia (OAM).
Beginnings
Don came to the district as a 3 year old residing in South Terrace Bankstown and attended Bankstown Technical School before moving to Homebush Boys High for his final years. He learnt to swim at the Bankstown Pool coached by Frank Guthrie..
Don attended Teacher's College and began teaching swimming at the Pool as Guthrie's assistant in 1950 before building a dynamic coaching career of his own. Don would show early potential as a swimmer winning the NSW Under 14 backstroke championship in 1946/47. In 1952, he would become a primary school teacher and in his spare time would teach children to swim and coach promising juniors.
Achievements
In 1956 while teaching at Revesby Public School one of his pupils was John Konrads and Don would begin coaching John and his sister Ilsa. Two extraordinary swimmers, John broke and held every world record from 100m through to the 1500m and helped launch Don's Career.
Don was also responsible in establishing the foundations of the AIS. These foundations included the employment of coaches, development of sports medicine and science services and training facilities.
Post Representation
At the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Australia and the world witnessed the results of over a decade of Don's coaching and belief in Australian athletes. He retired as Australia's head coach after Australia topped the swimming gold medal tally at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka. Don would retire to Queensland and during his long career would receive recognition through numerous accolades and awards and his impact on the sport continues as his opinion is widely canvassed to day.