Bill Collins (racecaller)

William Henry "Bill" Collins OAM (1928 – 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, USA, 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 in the musical comedy program "Sunny Side Up".

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 it's 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 features the "Bill Collins Mile".

Resources

* [http://www.racingmuseum.com.au/hof/inductees/willcollins.htm "Inductees", Champions: Australian Racing Museum and Hall of Fame]
* [http://horseracingmagazine.com/ManageArticle.asp?C=230&A=8689 "Horse Racing Personalities", Horse Racing Magazine]
* [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bcollins/general/famous/william.htm Collins family history]