Bill Collins (racecaller)
Encyclopedia
William Henry "Bill" Collins OAM (1928 – 1997) was an Australia
n racecaller
who earned the reputation for being able to accurately call the winner of even the closest of races. Known as "The Accurate One", he was well known for his call of the Melbourne Cup
each year. One of his most notable commentaries was the 1986 Cox Plate
, dubbed the "Race of the Century
". Collins also called important races in the UK, US, South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Collins' radio career began in the early 1950s in Sale, Victoria
, and in 1953 he moved to Melbourne
where he worked as a racecaller for the radio station 3DB, and appeared on television
hosting the musical comedy program Sunnyside Up
at HSV-7
, leading to a Logie Award
in 1959 for Outstanding Performance.
In 1987, Collins received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his services to horseracing, and was also inducted into the "Australian Racing Hall of Fame". He called his last race on Easter Saturday 1988 on radio 3UZ,as 3DB had already dropped its racing coverage.
In 2004, he was honoured posthumously at the Moonee Valley Racecourse
, home of the W.S. Cox Plate, with the 'Kingston Town Greatness Award' for his services to the event. http://www.mvrc.net.au/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=179 Moonee Valley Racecourse also featured the Bill Collins Mile for trotters, which is now run at Cranbourne.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n racecaller
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
who earned the reputation for being able to accurately call the winner of even the closest of races. Known as "The Accurate One", he was well known for his call of the Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
each year. One of his most notable commentaries was the 1986 Cox Plate
Cox Plate
The W.S. Cox Plate is an Australian Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne every October by the Moonee Valley Racing Club to honour W.S. Cox, the club's founder. For three-year-olds and over, the race is considered to be the Weight for Age championship of Australasia...
, dubbed the "Race of the Century
Race of the Century (Horse racing)
The Race of the Century was the name given to a 1986 W.S. Cox Plate, a thoroughbred horse race in held in Melbourne, Australia, between two great New Zealand racehorses of the 1980s....
". Collins also called important races in the UK, US, South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Collins' radio career began in the early 1950s in Sale, Victoria
Sale, Victoria
Sale is a city in the Gippsland region of the Australian state of Victoria. It is the seat of the Shire of Wellington as well as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sale and the Anglican Diocese of Gippsland. It has a population of around 13,336, and is expected to reach a population of 14,000 soon...
, and in 1953 he moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
where he worked as a racecaller for the radio station 3DB, and appeared on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
hosting the musical comedy program Sunnyside Up
Sunnyside Up
Sunnyside Up was a weekly variety program produced at HSV-7 Melbourne, during the late 1950s and early 1960s.The program was hosted by Bill Collins, with comedy by Syd Heylen , Honest John Gilbert, Syd Hollister, Maurie Fields and Val Jellay...
at HSV-7
HSV-7
HSV is a television station in Melbourne. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, and its first and oldest station, having been launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne....
, leading to a Logie Award
Logie Award
The TV Week Logie Awards are the Australian television industry awards, which have been presented annually since 1959. Renamed by Graham Kennedy in 1960 after he won the first 'Star Of The Year' award, the name 'Logie' awards honours John Logie Baird, a Scotsman who invented the television as a...
in 1959 for Outstanding Performance.
In 1987, Collins received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his services to horseracing, and was also inducted into the "Australian Racing Hall of Fame". He called his last race on Easter Saturday 1988 on radio 3UZ,as 3DB had already dropped its racing coverage.
In 2004, he was honoured posthumously at the Moonee Valley Racecourse
Moonee Valley Racecourse
Moonee Valley Racecourse is a horse-racing track in Melbourne, Australia which hosts races for Thoroughbreds. Located six kilometers from the Melbourne CBD, it is the home of the Moonee Valley Racing Club...
, home of the W.S. Cox Plate, with the 'Kingston Town Greatness Award' for his services to the event. http://www.mvrc.net.au/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=90&Itemid=179 Moonee Valley Racecourse also featured the Bill Collins Mile for trotters, which is now run at Cranbourne.