Bill Collins (racecaller)

William Henry "Bill" Collins OAM (1928 – 14 June 1997) was an Australian 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.

Radio Broadcasting and television

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.

Order of Australia

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.

Legacy

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. [1] Moonee Valley Racecourse also featured the Bill Collins Mile for trotters, which is now run at Cranbourne.

Hobbies

Collins was a philatelist who amassed an excellent collection of the stamps of the Australian colonies, that is 1850 to 1913, when the Federal Government issued its first stamps.

References and resources

• Inductees, Champions: Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame
• Horse Racing Personalities, Horse Racing Magazine
• Collins family history