World of Sport was an Australian sports program that was broadcast live by HSV 7 in Melbourne from 1959 to 1987 on Sundays between 11am and 2pm. By the end of its run, the show was claimed as the world's longest running sports program.

A unique combination of talk, banter, highly informed commentary, invented and real sports, the program held a unique place in the sports-obsessed culture of Melbourne and made stars out of a number of ex-sportsman, particularly Australian rules footballers.

The show premiered on Saturday 16 May 1959, less than three years after the debut of television in Australia.

Sponsored by Westinghouse (a white goods manufacturer) it ran for two hours and was hosted by radio commentator Ron Casey. The sponsor turned down an opportunity to renew after a thirteen week run, but Casey saw the opportunity inherent in the concept and enlisted the help of another well known radio presenter, "Uncle Doug" Elliott.

The duo bought the concept, purchased air time on a Sunday and enlisted a new sponsor, Vealls, for 1960.

The show was produced by Gordon Bennett,Directed by Dick Jones and Michael Barnett, and it screened on Sunday mornings at 11am, and was one of the best sports shows of its era, featuring the witty banter of Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 legends Jack Dyer

Jack Dyer

John Raymond Dyer Sr. OAM , always known as Jack Dyer, was one of the colossal figures of Australian rules football during two distinct careers, firstly as a player and coach of the Richmond Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1931 and 1952, and later in the broadcast media for...

 and Lou Richards

Lou Richards

Lewis Thomas Charles "Lou" Richards is a retired Australian rules footballer, who played 250 games with the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League between 1941 and 1955...

, who exchanged barbs, but were the best of mates off-set .

Also appearing on the show with Ron Casey were racing journalist Jack Elliot, professional footrunner Mike Williamson

Mike Williamson (broadcaster)

Mike Williamson OAM is a former Australian television broadcaster.Williamson was a well-performed professional runner. Having been banned from professional foot-running for "running dead", he turned his efforts towards acting as a sports commentator of Australian rules football matches in the...

, Publican and footballer Ted Rippon

Ted Rippon

Edward C. "Ted" Rippon was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon prior to his World War II service for St Kilda after the war in the VFL....

, boxing journalist Merv Williams, footballer and journalist Kevin Coghlan

Kevin Coghlan (footballer)

Kevin "Skeeter" Coghlan is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood and Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League ....

, broadcaster and member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly

Victorian Legislative Assembly

The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...

 1960–1979 Doug Elliott, Victorian policeman and champion axeman Jack O'Toole, Geelong footballing champion Bob Davis, triple Brownlow medallist Bob Skilton

Bob Skilton

Robert John "Bob" Skilton was an Australian rules football player who played as a rover for South Melbourne and Victoria between 1956 and 1971....

, Collingwood Goalkicking Legend Gordon Coventry

Gordon Coventry

Gordon "Nuts" Coventry was an Australian rules footballer who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League . With 1,299 goals over 18 seasons, Coventry remains one of the greatest full forwards the game has ever seen...

,
actor, boxer and international boxing referee Gus Mercurio

Gus Mercurio

Augustino Eugenio "Gus" Mercurio was an American-born Australian character actor who appeared on both film and television.-Early life :...

 (also the father of Paul Mercurio

Paul Mercurio

Paul Joseph Mercurio is an Australian actor, dancer and TV presenter. Mercurio is well-known for his lead role in Baz Luhrmann's Strictly Ballroom . His father was the character actor Gus Mercurio.- Biography :...

), singer and racecaller "The Accurate One" Bill Collins

Bill Collins (racecaller)

William Henry "Bill" Collins OAM was an Australian racecaller 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...

, racing journalist Rollo Roylance, Brownlow Medallist Neil Roberts

Neil Roberts

Neil E. Roberts is a former Australian rules footballer in the VFL.Roberts played with St Kilda on the forward line initially but later excelled as a centre half back, winning the Brownlow medal in 1958. Captained the side from 1959 to 1962 before retiring at 29 years of age and commencing a...

, boxer Gus Mercurio

Gus Mercurio

Augustino Eugenio "Gus" Mercurio was an American-born Australian character actor who appeared on both film and television.-Early life :...

, and sports reporter and football commentator Peter Landy

Peter Landy

Peter Landy is an Australian television presenter.Beginning his career in the early 1960s - after attending the Jesuit Xavier College - he started with Radio 3UL, Warragul co-ordinating horse racing and football broadcasts. He later moved to 3UZ Melbourne reporting and presenting news. In 1967 he...

. One of the delights was seeing Bruce Andrew

Bruce Andrew

Cyril Bruce Andrew was an Australian rules footballer, who played for Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League before becoming a football administrator and television commentator....

, "whose hair was parted so emphatically down the centre that it was claimed he used a theodolite" (Ross, 1996, p220), judging the short and long kicking contests.

Dyer in particular was known for some of his legendary one-liners, or "Dyerisms", such as:

• "He's tuckled strongly by Tack." (referring to Michael Tuck
  Michael Tuck
  Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....
  
  )
• "He sets himself for a high mark – actually, that was a low high mark"
• "Bamblett made a great debut last week, and an even better one today."

The show also featured woodchopping contests, contest involving sand and blue-metal shovelling, sheaf tossing, track-cycle sprint-racing on rollers (with world champion cyclist Sid Patterson

Sid Patterson

Sid Patterson was a world champion amateur and professional track cyclist from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. While a teenager, Patterson won every Victorian and Australian title between 1,000 metres and ten miles...

 taking on all comers), and a game of indoor football invented specifically for that show in that particular studio space. The show was also famous for having champion VFL

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

footballers of the day appearing on the show to contest the Handball Competition, and receive prizes such as meat pies and hairdriers.