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Farewell to former Mercury journalist David Stockdale, who has died at age 66
IT says something about his status as a local legend that former Mercury journalist David Stockdale was simply known as “Stockers”, even by those who had never met him.
Stockers, who died on Friday at age 66 after a long battle with illness, was at the forefront of Tasmanian sport journalism in the days — not so long ago — when Tasmanian football was almost as popular as the big league across Bass Strait, and Tasmanian cricket was the poor relation of the national scene.
How things have changed.
After starting his career at News Day in Melbourne in 1968, and a brief stint at the Adelaide Advertiser, Stockers joined the Mercury in 1974. They were the halcyon days of newspaper reporting when stories were banged out on typewriters in smoke-filled rooms and circular-dialled telephones rang constantly.
He retired 33 years and 800 footy matches later, having also covered Test cricket and international tennis — his three greatest sporting loves.
Even though he spent more than three decades in Tasmania, Stockers still counted one of his career highlights as covering Peter Hudson’s 100th goal against Footscray at VFL Park in 1969, and Doug Wade’s 100th, also against Footscray, at Kardinia Park in the same year.
Moving to Hobart also …