Biography
Born: 1 September 1929
Died: 4 June 2024
Grave Location: Lawn K, Row 19, Grave 26C
Achievements
Nicknamed “Mr Cricket” in literature on Australia’s greatest country cricketers, Rex Hollioake MBE OAM served a decorated career in Ballarat cricket both on and off the pitch.
His cricketing career began at the Railways club in 1945 when he was 16. At the Mt Clear Cricket Club, he played more than 300 A Grade matches, and he also represented Ballarat and Country Victoria against international touring teams.
He received great acclaim as a quick bowler including from England captain Len Hutton. Hollioake served as president of the Ballarat Cricket Association from 1975 to 2003, and a highlight of his tenure as the 1992 Cricket World Cup match between England and India played at the Eastern Oval.
He helped found the Ballarat Sports Foundation in the 1990s and established the Rex Hollioake Youth Development Trust to support Ballarat sportspeople with scholarships.
Among his honours, Hollioake was named a life member of the BCA in the late 1990s, the first “Legend” of the BCA’s Hall of Fame in 2017, and was awarded Member of the British Empire in 1976 and an Order of Australia medal in 2005. Wendouree’s Hollioake Park Sporting Complex is named in his honour.
Did you Know?
Rex Hume Hollioake (1 September 1929 – 04 June 2024) was a prominent local government and community figure, as well as a champion Ballarat and Victorian country cricket fast bowler and later, administrator.
His contribution in many fields was twice recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours when he was made a Member of the British Empire in 1976 and presented with an Order of Australia Medal in 2005 for his service to the community. Other accolades bestowed on him included an Honorary Doctorate by Federation University in 2014, being inducted into the Ballarat Sports Hall of Fame and becoming the first Ballarat Cricket Association Hall of Fame member to be elevated to the status of “Legend” after distinguished playing and administrative careers.
Rex died at the age of 94, and was buried in Lawn K, a lawn location known for its beautiful garden beds and mature plantings of conifers, crepe myrtles, and colourful shrubs. His memorial is marked with a bronze open book design for the plaque. The facing page has been left blank. His wife Marion’s parents Reginald and Myrtle Davis are also interred at this location.
Open books sometimes refer to the quotation from the Book of Revelation 20:11-15 (KJV): ‘And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.’ An open book is also sometimes referred to as the Book of Life, as it contains everything that the deceased has done throughout their life.
