An Outstanding Contribution Acknowledged

The 6 July edition of the Hobart Mercury carried an article by James Bresnehan on Peter Cooley (svc 1946-53). The story focus on the fact that Peter had finally retired from his role as a contributor to the Mercury as either the Mercury’s harness racing columnist, or tips and odds expert for over 58 years. 

Along with pubs, horse racing is in the bloodline of the Cooley clan, so Peter didn’t stand a chance on either. Peter’s pedigree harks back to the 1830s when his great, great grandfather Charles Cooley helped found horse racing in the British penal colony of Van Diemen’s Land.

Peter was accounts manager for Tasmania Police and later helped his mum Vera run the family pub, the Theatre Royal Hotel and eventually became the licensee. He retired in 1988.  It was during his period at the hotel that he tried his hand at journalism.

The 88-year-old from Hobart is the state’s foremost authority on harness racing and one of Australia’s most knowledgeable aficionados.

He has won awards, been an administrator, was inducted into the Tasmanian Harness Hall of Fame in 2014, awarded the Order of Australia in 2016 for services to the industry and in acknowledgement of the books he has written about the sport.

Peter is pictured below with the Champions Cup which one of his forebears won with the gallopoer Swordsman at New Norfolk in 1850.

Peter chased that trophy for years and finally ran it down to a distant relative in Canberra.  He talked the relative into donating it to the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

“It was valued at $85,000 – it is one of the first cups made in Australia – and it’s on exhibition now at the Hobart Museum.”

Peter’s son, Paul also attended the College – 1984-89. On leaving school Paul gained a law degree at Utas and began to practise in 1995.

PAUL COOLEY  (SVC  1984-1989)

Paul’s professional life started as an attorney in Australia in 1995, acting in industrial relations matters for trade unions in the construction, forestry, mining and transport industries. He then worked for a very different type of clientele at one of Australia’s most high-profile employer labour law firms, where his clients were typically publicly listed or entrepreneur-owned companies seeking innovative solutions to labour law challenges. After a stint in the United Kingdom working with a Fleet Street firm, Paul returned to Australia and continued to advise on employment law issues, industrial relations and human resources. Marriage resulted in Paul relocating to South Africa in 2005, where he set up Workplace Strategies CC.

Paul was part of the St Virgil’s record-breaking Open Relay in 1989.  The team of Steve Wilson, the late Bruce Vermey, Paul Cooley and Simon Hollingsworth covered the lap in 43.3 sec.