Terry O’Connor, who was chairman of the Association more than 50 years ago, has been unwell recently and is staying at the retirement home supported by the Journalists’ Charity in Dorking, Surrey.
Terry O’Connor, the Association’s chairman in 1961, interviewed here by John Inverdale at a past SJA Sports Awards event
O’Connor is the only surviving founder member of the Rugby Writers’ Club.
Adam Hathaway, the Rugby Writers’ chairman, said: “Our colleague Ian Todd visited Terry on Monday and reported that if any of his old sparring partners from tours or any other members wanted to visit, call or send messages it would not be a problem.”
Having served in the RAF during the Second World War, during O’Connor’s journalism career, he covered athletics, boxing and swimming, as well as rugby, and he worked at the Olympics from the London Games of 1948 – the year he joined what was then Sports Writers’ Association – until 1988.
The former rugby correspondent of the Daily Mail – he was chairman of the Rugby Writers’ Club from 1970 to 1973, its president from 1988 to 1994 and is one of a handful of life members – O’Connor covered 11 Lions tours in his 50-year spell covering the game.
The contact details for the home are:
Pickering House
Ridgeway Road
Dorking
Surrey
RH4 3AY
