Ballarat, we have listened.
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After posting yesterday’s list of famous people from Ballarat, there was an outcry for people who were clear omissions.
We will remind you the original list was compiled from a Wikipedia page and that there was always the intention of adding those who we felt should be included.
So, we have listened to your feedback, and taken a bit of editorial licence to formulate a list of who should make the Wikipedia page.
Who else should be on?
Michelle Payne ( 29 September 1985 – present)
Michelle Payne shot to fame when she became the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup on board Prince of Penzance last year.
Part of a proud Ballarat family, she has since become a national celebrity.
Stevie Payne
The brother to Michelle who shot to equal fame last year after the Melbourne Cup.
The strapper for Melbourne Cup-winning horse Prince of Penzance, Stevie joins his sister as an obvious person who should’ve been on the list.
Bill Hunter (27 February 1940 – 21 May 2011)
William John “Bill” Hunter was an Australian actor of film, stage and television, who was also prominent as a voice-over artist. He appeared in more than 60 films and won two AFI Awards.
Born and bred in Ballarat, his parents were the publicans of a number of venues, including the North Star (now Seymours) and the Miller’s Arms.
William Dunstan VC (2 March 1895 – 8 March 1957)
William Dunstan VC was a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that can be awarded to members of the British and Commonwealth armed forces.
He was born in Ballarat.
Marie Collier (16 April 1927 – 8 December 1971)
Marie Elizabeth Collier was an Australian operatic soprano who was born in Ballarat before reaching fame in Melbourne and Sydney.
She died in London at the age of 44, in an accident in which she fell to her death from an open window.
David “Radio Dave” Gamble (1974-2003)
For those around Ballarat in the 1990s and early 2000s, Radio Dave was a familiar face in the CBD.
Although a somewhat troubled character, Radio Dave was often spotted along Sturt Street with has trademark mobile radio pumping his favourite music.
He died at age 39 in 2003.
The Mavis’s
If you existed in Ballarat in the 1990s then it was near-impossible not to know The Mavis’s.
The band was composed of Matt Thomas (guitar, vocals), his sister Becky Thomas (vocals), Nick Gill (guitar), Andrea Vendy (drums), and Josh Alexander (bass guitar). They are best known for their 1998 synth-driven single "Cry", which appeared on the Triple J Hottest 100 for 1998.
Dr Michelle McIntosh
Dr McIntosh helped crated an inhaled version of the drug oxytocin, which prevents excessive bleeding after childbirth.
She attended St Thomas More Primary School and Loreto College.
James Valentine
James Matthew Valentine is a journalist that has become a popular name with the ABC in radio and television.
He was born in Ballarat and attended Ballarat Grammar School.
Robyn Maher (6 October 1959 – present)
Robyn Maher (nee Gull) is three-time Olympian and member of the national women's team that won the bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2006, Maher was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.
Shayne Reese (15 September 1982 – present)
Shayne Reese is one of just two Ballarat Olympic gold medalists (alongside Russell Mark).
In 2008, she was part of the qualifying team in the 4 x 100m freestyle. However, she did not swim in the final for Australia, but was still awarded an Olympic gold medal.
She has since opened the Shayne Reese Swimming academy in Delacombe.
Ben Northey (1970 – present)
Ben Northey is an Australian conductor, musician and arranger. He has been appointed Chief Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra in New Zealand, commencing in 2015. He is also the Associate Conductor of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.
He was born and raised in Ballarat, attending Ballarat Clarendon College.
Jared Tallent (17 October 1984 – present)
From Newlyn, Tallent has had an outstanding racewalking career.
Tallent finished third in the 20 km walk at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing to claim his first Olympic medal. He received a silver medal for finishing second in the 50 km walk a week later, becoming the first Australian to win two athletic medals in the same Olympics since 1972 and the first male Australian to do so in 102 years.
Is currently fighting to be awarded gold for the 2008 Olympics after the Russian gold emdal winner was found to be guilty of drug cheating.
Ted Lovett (15 February 1942 – present)
Ted Lovett has been a staunch advocate for indigenous rights in Ballarat.
Lovett played two games for Fitzroy in the 1963 VFL season, on a permit. He finished the year back at North Ballarat and won the first of two Henderson Medal, the other coming in 1965.
Is still commonly seen spotted at North Ballarat games today.
Susan Crennan (born 1 July 1945)
Susan Maree Crennan AC QC is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy.
She was born in Ballarat and attended St Columbas Primary School.