Rupert Theodore "Rufus" Naylor (14 August 1882 – 25 September 1939) was an Australian sporting entrepreneur and gambler. Naylor was born at Chippendale in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

to labourer Henry John Naylor and Susannah, ''née'' Phillips. He was educated at

West Wyalong West Wyalong is the main town of the Bland Shire in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. Located west of Sydney and above sea level, it is situated on the crossroads of the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane, and the ...

and left school at the age of twelve to work as a miner. By the time he was seventeen he was a licensed bookmaker, moving to the

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

n goldfields in 1906. He travelled to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

in 1908 with a number of athletes and in 1909 organised a

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event between Jack Donaldson,

Arthur Postle Arthur Benjamin Postle (8 March 1881 – 21 April 1965) was an Australian professional athlete, one of the country's most renowned sprinters in the early twentieth century.Phillips (2000) pp. 5–6. Born in Queensland and becoming a professional ...

and Charles Holway; his business expanded to include a stadium and a cinema chain. From 1913 to 1917 he was in

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managing African Theatres Trust Ltd. He subsequently returned to South Africa to run a weekly newspaper, ''Life, Sports and Drama'' (LSD) and expanded his business to

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. He was elected to Johannesburg Municipal Council in 1919 and was acquitted of bribery accusations later that year. Naylor sojourned in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

before returning to

in 1925. He continued his sporting and gambling interests until 1930, when he ran a scam to sell "shares" in lottery tickets. Having left the industry he began publishing ''Racing Reflections'' and broadcast "Racing Revelations" on the radio station 2KY. He ran unsuccessfully as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

candidate for the seat of

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in the 1934 federal election and was banned from registered racecourses later that year having allegedly given false information to the

Australian Jockey Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

's committee. He successfully challenged the ruling in the

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but the Jockey Club appealed to the

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to have their ban upheld. Naylor's battle against the establishment made him a minor hero among the working classes. He died at his home on Centennial Park in 1939, and left his body for research to

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital is a major hospital in Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at its current location since 1811. It first rece ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naylor, Rufus 1882 births 1939 deaths