Jack Davey
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Jack Andrew Davey was a New Zealand born star of Australian radio in the 1930s, '40s and '50s.
Born in February, 1910, and educated at King's College, Auckland, Jack was the son of Union Steam Ship Company Captain, Arthur Davey. After leaving school he worked in the haberdashery department of a large store, but left that job after a close friend and workmate died after falling down an open elevator well.
Jack next tried his hand at selling cars, and discovered a talent for sales, before moving to his next job, as an assistant stage manager in the theatre. That was also short-lived, and Davey's father, despairing of his son's future, took him to sea, in a final attempt to get him established in a career.
After being given the hardest, most unpleasant jobs aboard ship, Jack decided the life of a sailor was not for him. He arrived in Sydney Harbor in 1931, aboard his father's ship, and told him he had decided to stay in Australia.
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[edit] Early career
Jack Davey's real career began when he was hired by Sydney radio station 2GB, after auditioning as a singer. Almost destitute and wearing borrowed clothes, he was hired by station manager A.E. Bennett, to sing 3 times a week for 6 guineas (6 pounds 6 shillings).
His career continued at 2GB, the main station of the Macquarie Broadcasting Service, throughout the '30s and '40s. Jack Davey became Australia's highest paid and most popular radio performer of the time. A notorious gambler, those close to him say he often spent money more quickly than he could earn it. But Jack was always confident of his ability to earn ever increasing amounts to maintain his expensive lifestyle.
Davey gave up his singing career to tackle a string of game and talk shows for the nationwide Macquarie Network. Within 9 months of signing his initial contract with 2GB, he began hosting the station's breakfast session with his trademark greeting of "Hi Ho, Everybody".
His first quiz show, "That's What You Think", began on 2GB in 1934, and by 1935 Jack was taken off the breakfast shift, because he was more valuable to the station as a host of its primetime evening programs. At the same time he became the voice of Fox-Movietone newsreels, a position he held continuously for 25 years.
[edit] World War Two
By 1941 Davey was hosting three weekly programs on the Macquarie Network, "The Youth Show", "Star Parade" (later to become "Calling the Stars"), and "Rise and Shine" (an army quiz). Most shows were recorded before live audiences in Sydney, and distributed on disc to network stations. However Davey's popularity was such that listeners in Melbourne demanded to see the programs done "live". The Colgate-Palmolive production unit leased a theatre there, and played on Sunday nights to capacity houses.
Despite, or perhaps because, of the success of his programs, Davey decided to leave the production unit, believing he would be able to earn more money elsewhere. He joined the American Red Cross, as a field entertainer with the rank of Captain, taking shows to troops across Australia and the islands of the pacific.
[edit] Back to radio
As the war ended, Jack Davey moved back to radio, rejoining the Colgate-Palmolive production unit, which moved its programs to rival Sydney station 2UE in 1946. Jack remained there until his contract expired and then he returned to Macquarie in 1950.
He continued his radio work, producing multiple weekly quiz shows, talent quests and other entertainment programs. On top of that he was also doing his regular Fox-Movietone newsreel, and began diversifying into other businesses ranging from nightclubs to car auctions.
In May 1947, he married for the second time, to former Melbourne model, Diana Chase. The marriage ended in divorce in the mid-'50s.
[edit] The Redex and Ampol trials
Jack had had a love affair with cars for most of his life, and when the first Redex Reliability Trial (a round Australia rally) was announced, he was one of the first to enter. With co-driver Lou Moss, he took a Ford Customline on the marathon in 1953. But his health was already beginning to deteriorate, and doctors were called after he collapsed with heart problems, at the home of friends later that year.
Despite his health problems, Davey increased his radio work and also took part in the second Redex Trial in 1954. However that proved too much for him, and shortly after returning to Sydney he suffered a second collapse, and was admitted to St Luke's Hospital. Doctors told him he had to ease his workload, but even while he was in hospital he continued to write his newspaper column and do radio shows. His doctors succeeded in banning him from the 1955 Redex trial. Though he did take part in the Ampol round-Australia reliability trial in 1956, again driving a Ford Customline, and the 1957 and 1958 Ampol trials, driving Chryslers.
[edit] The later years
Ignoring his doctors' advice to ease his workload, Jack seemed to throw himself into work with even greater gusto. 1955 saw the introduction of a new show "Go for Greys", sponsored by the makers of Greys cigarettes. At the same time he was working on the "Ampol" show, "Give it a Go", and other programs for Brylcreem, Eno's and Dulux.
Davey's health began to suffer, and once again the Macquarie Network called in the doctors. Their advice was the same as it had always been -- a reduced workload and rest, something Jack wasn't about to agree to.
In 1957 he added television to his workload, with three regular programs for Sydney station ATN-7. Working on his radio programs all week, Jack spent his Saturdays on production of his TV programs. The workload grew even further in 1958, when 2GB reintroduced him to breakfast radio, in an attempt to counter the popularity of television. But for Jack Davey, time was running out.
X-Rays revealed a small cancer in his right lung, but Jack went on with his work, including a trip to the United States to look at advances in television. Further tests, several weeks later, revealed the cancer had grown, and Davey was moved to Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital for surgery.
He died on October the 14th 1959, with thousands of people attending his funeral at St Andrew's Cathedral in Sydney.
[edit] External links
- Audio of Davey (with a young John Howard) on the Give it a go radio quiz, (Real Audio at www.australianpolitics.com)
[edit] References
Wright, Lew. "The Jack Davey Story", Ure Smith, Sydney, 1961.
Walker, R.R. "The Magic Spark, 50 Years of Radio in Australia", The Hawthorn Press, 1973.
