''World of Sport'' was an Australian sports program that was broadcast live by

HSV-7 HSV is a television station in Melbourne, Australia. It is part of the Seven Network, one of the three main commercial television networks in Australia, its first and oldest station. It launched in time for the 1956 Summer Olympic Games in Melb ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

from 1959 to 1987 on Sundays between 11am and 2pm. By the end of its run, the show was claimed as the world's longest running sports program.

History

A unique combination of talk, banter, highly informed commentary, invented and real sports, the program held a unique place in the sports-obsessed culture of Melbourne and made stars out of a number of ex-sportsman, particularly Australian rules footballers. The show premiered on Saturday 16 May 1959, less than three years after the debut of television in Australia. Sponsored by Westinghouse (a white goods manufacturer) it ran for two hours and was hosted by radio commentator Ron Casey. The sponsor turned down an opportunity to renew after a thirteen-week run, but Casey saw the opportunity inherent in the concept and enlisted the help of another well known radio presenter, "Uncle Doug" Elliott. The duo bought the concept, purchased air time on a Sunday and enlisted a new sponsor, Vealls, for 1960. Appearing on the show with Ron Casey were racing journalist Jack Elliott, professional footrunner Mike Williamson, Publican and footballer

Ted Rippon Edward Charles Rippon (29 April 1914 – 12 December 1991) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon—and for St Kilda after World War II began to draw to a close—in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Family The son of ...

, boxing journalist Merv Williams, footballer and journalist Kevin Coghlan, broadcaster and member of the

Victorian Legislative Assembly The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria in Australia; the upper house being the Victorian Legislative Council. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The presidin ...

1960–1979 Doug Elliott, Victorian policeman and champion axeman Jack O'Toole, Geelong footballing champion Bob Davis, triple Brownlow medallist Bob Skilton, Collingwood Goalkicking Legend

Gordon Coventry Gordon Richard James Coventry (25 September 1901 – 7 November 1968) was a former Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL). Accorded "Legend" status in the Australian Footb ...

, actor, boxer and international boxing referee

Gus Mercurio Augustino Eugenio Mercurio (10 August 19287 December 2010) better known as Gus Mercurio, was an American-born Australian character actor who appeared in radio, television, and film. Early life Mercurio, the eldest child of Vincent A. Mercurio ...

(also the father of

Paul Mercurio Paul Joseph Mercurio (born 31 March 1963) is an Australian actor, dancer, TV presenter and politician. Mercurio is best known for his lead role in '' Strictly Ballroom'' 1992 and his role as a judge on TV series ''Dancing with the Stars''. H ...

), singer and racecaller "The Accurate One" Bill Collins, racing journalist

Rollo Roylance Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had ...

, Brownlow Medallist Neil Roberts, boxer and sports reporter and football commentator Peter Landy. One of the delights was seeing

Bruce Andrew Cyril Bruce Andrew (28 February 1908 – 6 June 1996) was an Australian rules footballer, who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) before becoming a football administrator and television commentator. He ...

, "whose hair was parted so emphatically down the centre that it was claimed he used a theodolite" (Ross, 1996, p220), judging the short and long kicking contests. Dyer in particular was known for some of his legendary one-liners, or "Dyerisms", such as: *"He's tuckled strongly by Tack." (referring to Michael Tuck) *"He sets himself for a high mark – actually, that was a low high mark" *"Bamblett made a great debut last week, and an even better one today." The show also featured woodchopping contests, contest involving sand and blue-metal shovelling, sheaf tossing, track-cycle sprint-racing on rollers (with world champion cyclist Sid Patterson taking on all comers), and a game of indoor football invented specifically for that show in that particular studio space. The show was also famous for having champion VFL footballers of the day appearing on the show to contest the Handball Competition, and receive prizes such as meat pies and hairdriers. A group involved in the Melbourne-based post-punk little band scene of the 1980s named themselves after the show.

Footnotes

References

* Ross, J. (ed), ''100 Years of Australian Football 1897–1996: The Complete Story of the AFL, All the Big Stories, All the Great Pictures, All the Champions, Every AFL Season Reported'', Viking, (Ringwood), 1996. {{ISBN, 0-670-86814-0 (especially Gordon, H., "When showbiz came to football", p. 220) Australian sports television series Seven Network original programming 1959 Australian television series debuts 1987 Australian television series endings 1960s Australian television series 1970s Australian television series Black-and-white Australian television shows History of Australian rules football

History

See also

Footnotes

References