Jack Ryrie's father was John Cassels Ryrie, a pastoralist from
Trangie in
central northern New South Wales. Jack was educated at
The King's School in Sydney, where he distinguished himself in his studies and the sporting fields of cricket, rowing, and football. His senior club rowing was from the
Sydney Rowing Club. He was a member of the New South Wales
eight, which won the 1908
Australian Interstate Championship, the first time in 15 years his state had won the title. He repeated this feat in 1911, rowing in the
bow of the victorious New South Wales eight. The following year, Ryrie was a member of the
Australasian eight which represented at the
1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm. In the first round they beat a Swedish boat by two lengths, but in the next round they were up against the
Leander Club from Great Britain and lost by half a length. The overseas tour wasn't totally a loss as before the Olympics, he was part of the
Sydney Rowing Club eight which won the
1912 Grand Challenge Cup at the
Henley Royal Regatta. In that victory, they beat the same eight
Leander who knocked them out of the Olympic regatta a few weeks later. ==War service and death==