Darby McCarthy

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Richard Laurence "Darby" McCarthy

Early life

McCarthy was born in a sandhills camp at

He became one of Australia's best jockeys in the 1950s and 60s, and did much to further the Aboriginal cause.

Olympian runner Cathy Freeman said of him:

Darby influenced me and encouraged me to strive for excellence in all that I do and to persevere against all odds and for this I will forever be thankful... We first met in Queensland when I was 15 and Darby and his family were kind enough to let me stay on weekends away from boarding school at Toowoomba. (quoted in Against all Odds)

McCarthy raced frequently in Brisbane, where his records include three Stradbrokes, the Brisbane Cup and the Doomben 10,000 before he moved to Sydney.

He won the 1969

McCarthy then went on to race in

McCarthy died on 6 May 2020, aged 76.[3]

References

• Callaway, Lauren (2004). Darby McCarthy: Against All Odds. Melbourne Books.
  ISBN 1-877096-15-6
  .
• Presnell, Max (18 June 2004). "The life and times of Darby McCarthy, a true master of the saddle". Sydney Morning Herald.
• Tatz, Colin (2000). Black Gold: The Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame. Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press.
  ISBN 0-85575-367-6
  .
• "Darby". Message Stick. ABC.

Further reading

• Maynard, John (1998). "Aboriginal stars of the pigskin".
  JSTOR 24046163
  .
• Maynard, John (11 May 2020). "Darby McCarthy: genius jockey who rode for princes was a trailblazer of Aboriginal history". The Guardian.
• Maynard, John (16 March 2021). "Jockeys: Mervyn Maynard and Darby McCarthy".
  Jumbunna Institute for Indigenous Education and Research
  .

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