Bill Collins

William Henry Collins OAM (23 September 1928 – 14 June 1997) was an Australian racecaller and radio and television personality 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 internationally including the UK, US, South Africa, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. Collins died on 14 June 1997 from cancer. Radio and television broadcasting 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. He would later host the Saturday Night "Seven's Penthouse Club" along with Mary Hardy from 1970 until 1978, an unusual series which mixed Variety entertainment with Night Trotting . Bill called his last meeting at Caulfield in April 1988 Order of Australia In 1988, Collins received an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his services to the media as a broadcaster and journalist, 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.