Jack Pollard

Jack Ernest Pollard OAM (31 July 1926 – 25 May 2002) was an Australian sports journalist, writer and cricket historian.

Early life

Born in Sydney, New South Wales on 31 July 1926, Pollard began his journalism career in 1943 as a copy boy at Sydney's "Daily Telegraph" newspaper. At the age of 18, he was called up to the Australian Army, but a foot injury sustained during an army rugby game saw him sit out nine months at Holsworthy Barracks. The injury may have saved Pollard's life, as his assigned platoon was killed in action in New Guinea during World War II.

Journalism career

From 1945 to 1947, Pollard lived in post-war Japan working as a sports editor for the armed forces newpaper there. He returned to Sydney briefly, then moved to England, where he worked as a horse racing writer for a newspaper in Sheffield. In 1948, he started work as a correspondent for the Australian Associated Press in London, where he covered many major sporting events such as the 1948 Summer Olympics, ten Wimbledon Championships and the 1948 tour of England by Don Bradman's Australian cricket team. [cite book |last=Clark |first=David |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=ABC Australian Sports Almanac 2003 |year=2003 |publisher=Hardie Grant Books |location=Sydney |isbn=1-74064-056-X ]

Publishing career

Pollard returned to Sydney in 1956, where he worked as a sports reporter until starting his own publishing company (Jack Pollard Publishing), which specialised in books on sport and leisure topics. Pollard was a prolific writer and editor, who produced a large number of sporting reference books, including a definitive five-volume history of Australian cricket, encyclopaedias on rugby union, golf, horse racing and a series of popular fishing guides. He also wrote biographies for several sports stars including tennis players Lew Hoad and Rod Laver, cricketer Keith Miller and umpire Lou Rowan, golfer Bruce Devlin, rugby league players Ken Thornett and Johnny Raper, and VFL player Peter McKenna. [http://www.sahof.org.au/hallOfFame/memberProfile/index.php?memberID=181&memberType=general Jack Pollard OAM - Media] , Sport Australia Hall of Fame.]

Retirement

Pollard retired from publishing in 1981 to concentrate on writing.

He died on 25 May 2002, after suffering a stroke upon his return to Sydney from a research trip in Melbourne.

Honours

*12 December 1990: General member of the Sport Australia Hall of FameSAHOF]
*8 June 1992: Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sports journalism and sporting history [ [http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=886222&search_type=quick&showInd=true POLLARD, Jack Ernest] , "It's an Honour" (Australian Government).]

References

External links

*Author biography: [http://www.harpercollins.com.au/global_scripts/product_catalog/author_xml.asp?authorid=AUS_0008531 Jack Pollard] , HarperCollins
* [http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?Search_Arg=pollard+jack&Search_Code=PNAM&SL=None&PID=25000&SEQ=20070517195442&CNT=25&HIST=1 Titles by Jack Pollard] , National Library of Australia