Profile: Ian Melliar (Water Polo)
Something was missing at the 2024 edition of the Schools Water Polo South Africa Inter-Provincial Tournament in East London. No one heard Ian Melliar’s infectious laugh or his baritone voice discussing the game with officials, parents, and players. He was nowhere to be seen at the opening ceremony or by the poolside during the aquatic showpiece.
It was the first time since 1978 that the water polo legend followed the action through online streaming, and articles on the matches.
However, his presence was undeniable. Melliar has been in the sport for so long that he has had a direct or indirect impact on everyone attending. His name is synonymous with water polo in South Africa.
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Wendy Way’s name is spoken with reverence in the Camps Bay area. It is almost impossible to speak of swimming in the area without mentioning her name. She was the Camps Bay Swimming Club. She established it and used it as a vehicle to teach young people the craft. Melliar was one of her earliest pupils.
His happy place was in the Camps Bay municipal pool and the ocean. He learned to swim when he was five and spent whatever free time he had in those two bodies of water.
“I just seemed to grow a passion for water. I loved all sports, but swimming was my primary love,” he shared.
Way officially opened her swimming club in 1966 and Melliar was one of the first youngsters to sign up. However, he wasn’t just one of Way’s first students, he was also one of her first three Currie Cup swimmers. Mellier competed in the 100- and 200-metres butterfly at the 1977 Currie Cup Swimming Championships. The other disciplines at the event were springboard diving, synchronised swimming, and water polo.
“I enjoyed the swimming, but then when I was watching the water polo, I admired the team dynamic it had. I used to spend long hours alone in the pool working on my discipline. It was hours of swimming up and down in a lane at training and doing the same at competitions,” Melliar recalled.
He was a big fan of team sports. He thrived in them. He played rugby during his high school years at Wynberg Boys’ High and was a member of the Villagers team after school. He also played cricket.
In 1977, he was 17 and the first thing he did after he got home was look for a water polo club to join. He ended up with the Vikings Waterpolo Club in Sea Point. He was a natural at the sport. Melliar immediately caught the eye of the Western Province selectors, who picked him for the provincial side that took part in the 1978 IPTs.
That was the beginning of a playing career that lasted for over a decade.
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“I had a single goal as a young man, and that was to get to the Olympics. That was my end outcome,” Melliar revealed.
However, in the 1980s, that goal did not seem realistic. South Africa was under sanctions and unwelcome on the international stage because of apartheid. Melliar, who became aware of the system only when he was older and witnessed it in action, had robust discussions with his father on the downsides of a country espousing such a model of governance. He could not understand why it was in place.
“I just couldn’t believe how people were completely ostracised, telling them sorry you can’t swim here, that beaches were for whites only and you got to go there. It really got me going with my dad. I had many discussions about it with him. You can’t treat people like that. It’s impossible,” Melliar said.
However, with or without it, Melliar had resolved that his Mount Everest was the Olympics.
“I realised early on that the only way I would get to the Olympics was as a coach or referee. I started my refereeing at school level in the Western Cape at junior school matches and then grew into the senior matches when I stopped playing club water polo,” he recalled.
He coached the Western Province Schools A and B teams from 1986 to 1992.
The first steps towards the realisation of his Olympics’ dream arrived in 1992 when the world was opening its doors to South African sportspeople and officials again. Melliar was part of a delegation of swimmers, water polo players, divers, coaches, and referees that was invited to Hungary for a tournament.
“There was a meeting at the end of the whole thing. An international panel had been watching us at some of the matches we officiated. They told us that there were four referees from South Africa that were accepted onto the international panel. They said that they thought they would pick only one referee, which would have been me, but we ended up with three,” Melliar said.
However, he had to wait another 12 months before he officiated in his maiden international water polo match. He was nominated to referee at the Junior World Championships in Cairo, Egypt. The veteran remembers the game as if was played yesterday.
“The match was between China and Brazil, their u20 teams. If my memory serves me right, China beat Brazil by two goals,” Melliar shared.
That was the beginning of a long and illustrious career of officiating at international events, in various age groups, and at World Cups as a neutral referee or with the South African team. However, the greatest moment of his career came seven years after his first international match. Melliar refereed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“It was an amazing experience. I was one of the two referees who reffed in the first ever Women’s Olympic Games match between Australia and Kazakhstan in Sydney,” Melliar fondly recollected.
Almost 20 years after he had set the goal for himself, Melliar achieved it. He was 40. What made the experience even more surreal was that he was at the forefront of change in water polo, a change led by the Australian women’s team’s single-minded determination to be a part of the sporting showpiece.
For years, the Australian women’s water polo team had a delegation of players act as welcoming parties for Olympic Games and FINA officials visiting the country. They begged and accosted the visiting administrators to consider adding water polo to women’s disciplines at the Olympics. Melliar feels a deep sense of pride that he was part of the history-making event.
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“I have lived a blessed life. I got to experience something I had dreamed of for many years, and I also had the privilege of being part of a sport I love so much,” Melliar said.
Wynberg Boys’ High School, his alma mater, has a water polo tournament that bears his name.
Melliar held various positions and performed various functions within the Western Province water polo fraternity. He was one of the people at the forefront of developing the sport in Eden Districts and the South Western Districts aquatics union.
He coached in schools, and ever eager to contribute to the code’s growth and well-being, Melliar took a number of referees under his wing, some of whom officiated at the 2024 IPTs.
However, despite all of these successes, there remains a single regret. In his single-minded pursuit to achieve his Olympic dream, he did not give his family as much time as they deserved. It was a sacrifice he unknowingly made.
“Maybe I should have worried about my goal and my sports dream before I had a family. That’s the only regret I have,” Melliar candidly said.
Sadness came over him as he recounted what he considered the biggest mistake he made in his life. Melliar accepted that he couldn’t go back in time to undo the decisions he made, but he could do better in the present.
On 9 December 2024, he celebrated his 64th birthday. He fielded beautifully worded messages from friends, colleagues, and many people he had crossed paths with.
“Water polo has given me lifelong friendships, countless memories, and a profound appreciation for the values of sportsmanship, discipline, and resilience. I am deeply thankful to my family, colleagues, players, coaches, and the community who supported me throughout this incredible journey,” he said.
However, this time around, Ian Melliar shared his special day with his family and a handful of friends. It was the first time in 46 years that he had celebrated the day at home. He missed the action and being around the competing provincial sides. However, there was also a feeling of satisfaction. For 48 years he had selflessly contributed to the growth of water polo in South Africa in numerous ways, and now he has passed on the baton to the next generation of leaders.
While he is scaling back on his workload, he has not withdrawn his support and contributions to the code completely. He is still active, but on a smaller scale, and he is enjoying his new chapter.
“Reflecting on these decades, I am filled with immense pride, gratitude, and a deep sense of fulfillment. Officiating at World Championships, Junior World Championships, and over 45 IPT schools tournaments and countless senior and junior provincial events has allowed me to witness the growth of our sport and the rise of future champions,” Melliar smiled.
