Claude Gordon Corbett (1885–1944) was an Australian sporting journalist and was the sporting editor for

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

's ''Sun'' newspaper in the early twentieth century.

Early life

Claude Corbett was born in

Waterloo, New South Wales Waterloo is an Southern Sydney, inner southern suburb of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Waterloo is located three kilometres (1.9 mi) south of the Sydney central business district and is part of the Local government in Australia, loca ...

in 1885 and was the son of another noted Sydney journalist, William Francis Corbett. He also played first-grade rugby for

St George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the R ...

, Newtown and Eastern Suburbs. His career in

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

began at The Evening News as a copyboy in 1899, aged 14.

Sports journalist

He was initially a journalist at

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

in 1911. During his career he covered three Kangaroo Tours to England. He was managing director of

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

, The Referee and the Arrow and was the leading Rugby League and Cricket journalist of his era. Colbert joined

The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...

and

The Sun-Herald ''The Sun-Herald'' is an Australian newspaper published in tabloid or compact format on Sundays in Sydney by Nine Entertainment. It is the Sunday counterpart of the ''Sydney Morning Herald''. In the six months to September 2005, ''The Sun-H ...

as the Sports Director in 1923, and retained that position until his death in 1944. He was, for many years, a resident of Ocean Street,

Bondi Beach, New South Wales Bondi Beach () is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of ...

. As a journalist he was involved in the

Bodyline Bodyline, also known as fast leg theory bowling, was a cricketing tactic devised by the English cricket team for their English cricket team in Australia in 1932–33, 1932–33 Ashes tour of Australia. It was designed to combat the extraordinar ...

controversy, and was responsible for reporting the story of

Bill Woodfull William Maldon Woodfull (22 August 1897 – 11 August 1965) was an Australian cricketer of the 1920s and 1930s. He captained both Victorian Bushrangers, Victoria and Australian cricket team, Australia, and was best known for his dignified and ...

's confrontation with

Pelham Warner Sir Pelham Francis Warner, (2 October 1873 – 30 January 1963), affectionately and better known as Plum Warner or "the Grand Old Man" of English cricket, was a Test cricketer and cricket administrator. He was knighted for services to sport ...

which was leaked during the third Test. A memorial trophy awarded at Anglo-Australian Test matches held in Australia is named after him. His brother, Harold Corbett also played for Eastern Suburbs and later died on the Western Front during World War I. Claude's grandson was the esteemed Australian journalist Peter Harvey.

Death

Claude Corbett died of cancer on 12 December 1944, age 59. His funeral was very well attended and he was buried at

Waverley Cemetery The Waverley Cemetery is a Heritage register, heritage-listed cemetery on top of the cliffs at Bronte, New South Wales, Bronte in the eastern suburbs of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Opened in 1877 and built by R. Watkins (cemetery lodge, ...

Accolades

Noted Australian poet,

Kenneth Slessor Kenneth Adolphe Slessor (27 March 190130 June 1971) was an Australian poet, journalist and official war correspondent in World War II. He was one of Australia's leading poets, notable particularly for the absorption of modernist influences int ...

, wrote of Claude Corbett: "he not only has a specialist's knowledge, but also had a crisp, magnetic style that fascinated readers." The Claude Corbett Shield was presented at Sydney Rugby League Tests between Australia and England commemorates his memory. Claude Corbett was also a life member of the New South Wales Rugby League (

NSWRFL The New South Wales Rugby League Ltd (NSWRL) is an Australian rugby league football competition operator in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission.It was registered on 21 ...

). Corbett Place, in the Canberra suburb of Gilmore, is named jointly in his and his father's honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corbett, Claude 1885 births Australian rugby league journalists 1944 deaths Australian rugby league commentators Journalists from Sydney Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees