Norman Ella

Ella rowed for the New South Wales Police club in Sydney. In 1936 the Police Club's eight dominated the Sydney racing season, the New South Wales state titles and won the Henley-on-Yarra event.^[2] They were selected in toto as Australia's men's eight to compete at the 1936 Berlin Olympics with their attendance funded by the NSW Police Federation.^[3] The Australian eight with Ella in the stern finished fourth in its heat, behind Hungary, Italy and Canada. It failed to qualify through the repechage to the final.^[4]

In WWII Ella served in the Australian Army. He enlisted early in the war in 1940 and had the rank of corporal when he was discharged in 1944.^[5]