CAREER AGAINST ODDS

Q You grew up in Tasmania in World War I as the son of a dairy and potato farmer. How did you find your way into bookmaking?

A I left school at the age of 15 and worked as a banker and at TAA (Trans Australia Airlines) before I became a bookmaker’s clerk. When I was 23 the licence at that shop in Railton became available. I had about $4000 to my name at that stage, which was a lot of money back then. I was listed as the youngest bookmaker ever to be licensed in Tasmania and told I was the youngest to be licensed in Australia at that time but whether or not that second part is true I’m not sure.

Q Why did you want to become a bookmaker?

A I’d been a bit of a gambler and would be having two bob each way. But I saw the light and there was more hope in being a bookmaker than being a punter. It was only a very small business. I’d hold something like $700 on a Saturday. I went about 25 days of working and didn’t have a loss. I started to get a little bit of a name in Tasmania.