Rupert Theodore "Rufus" Naylor (14 August 1882 – 25 September 1939) was an Australian sporting entrepreneur and gambler. Naylor was born at Chippendale in

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to labourer Henry John Naylor and Susannah, ''née'' Phillips. He was educated at

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and left school at the age of twelve to work as a miner. By the time he was seventeen he was a licensed bookmaker, moving to the

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n goldfields in 1906. He travelled to

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in 1908 with a number of athletes and in 1909 organised a

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event between Jack Donaldson,

Arthur Postle Arthur Benjamin Postle (8 March 1881 – 21 April 1965) was an Australian professional athlete, one of the country's most renowned sprinters in the early twentieth century.Phillips (2000) pp. 5–6. Born in Queensland and becoming a professional ...

and Charles Holway; his business expanded to include a stadium and a cinema chain. From 1913 to 1917 he was in

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managing African Theatres Trust Ltd. He subsequently returned to South Africa to run a weekly newspaper, ''Life, Sports and Drama'' (LSD) and expanded his business to

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. He was elected to Johannesburg Municipal Council in 1919 and was acquitted of bribery accusations later that year. Naylor sojourned in

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before returning to

in 1925. He continued his sporting and gambling interests until 1930, when he ran a scam to sell "shares" in lottery tickets. Having left the industry he began publishing ''Racing Reflections'' and broadcast "Racing Revelations" on the radio station 2KY. He ran unsuccessfully as an

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candidate for the seat of

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in the 1934 federal election and was banned from registered racecourses later that year having allegedly given false information to the

Australian Jockey Club Australian Turf Club (ATC) owns and operates thoroughbred racing, events and hospitality venues across Sydney, Australia. The ATC came into being on 7 February 2011 when the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) and the Sydney Turf Club (STC) merged. The ...

's committee. He successfully challenged the ruling in the

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but the Jockey Club appealed to the Privy Council to have their ban upheld. Naylor's battle against the establishment made him a minor hero among the working classes. He died at his home on Centennial Park in 1939, and left his body for research to

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Naylor, Rufus 1882 births 1939 deaths