Although born in Adelaide, Jack Oliver grew up in Port Pirie where his father was a carpenter. He left school at the end of grade 6 and went to work with his father where he no doubt learnt wood working skills. In addition, he was a competent sportsman and also also excelled as a painter winning many art prizes for his oil and water colour paintings. He was one of a handful of motor cycle enthusiasts who formed the Port Pirie Motor Cycle Club in the early 1920’s and went on to ride in the speedway in Adelaide.
By the late 20’s the family had returned to Adelaide and Jack opened a Sports Store on Henley Beach Road at Mile End near the corner of South Road, with tennis and fishing equipment (which he had grown up to enjoy in Port Pirie) his two major sales lines.
Jack played tennis for the Goodwood Tennis Club while living in Adelaide.
With the onset of the depression in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, Jack was finding it difficulty to survive against the then 26 Tennis Racket Makers in Australia who would sell direct to the public at wholesale prices. (A clue for much research ahead)
And so, it was in the 1930’s Jack began “playing around” making his own rackets in his fathers carpenters shed at Grassmere Street at Grassmere (the now site of the K-Mart Complex on Anzac Highway at Kurralta Park).
The holes for the strings were drilled with a belly brace and bit, the rackets shaped with spoke shave and rasps and sprayed with the use of a Breager hand pump. The formers (what gave the rackets head shape) were of wood and the laminations which made up of the racket were all steam bent, wired to shape and left to dry before gluing.
At this stage his only outlet for these rackets was his own Sports Store located at Mile End.
In 1934 Jack married Marjory Gibbs and it was around this time that he bought at an engineering company’s bankruptcy sale a quantity of metal formers (racket head shape) and bands (to hold the laminations together). These had been ordered by a tennis racket maker who could not afford to pay for them at the time.
The Oliver tennis racquet company had begun.
By the mid 1930’s he was also making Table Tennis Bats and had bought a copying lathe (also at a bankruptcy sale) and started making Axe and other tool handles.
His early tennis rackets carried the name ‘Olivers’ which became just ‘Oliver’ by the late 1930’s (so anyone who has and ‘Olivers’ tennis racket knows its one of Jacks first Tennis Rackets). Jack at this time had purchased his fathers carpentry building and had commenced manufacturing tennis rackets full time.
By the late 1930’s Jack had established sales outlets for his tennis rackets in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth and had commenced exporting to Taylor’s (later to become Lord and Taylor) in New York. Post war, investment in new buildings at Grassmere and equipment led to a capacity five times greater than pre-war. Export sales had blossomed to include many European countries as well as Canada/ USA. Much of the equipment had been designed and built by Oliver company in house to ensure uniformity. It was mentioned that there were 78 processes required to construct and finish a racquet.
A Perth based department store (Boans later to become a Myer Store) who bought Jack’s rackets had registered the Trade Mark ‘Blue Bird’ which Jack purchased from them and thus the ‘ Blue Bird’ became the flagship model of the Oliver range of Tennis Rackets. The “Bluebird” model was named in honour of the 1930’s speed record holder, Malcolm Campbell’s famous car.
Wooden sporting goods manufacturing lasted 50 years until in 1984 the company could no longer justify local production as metal and graphite racquets produced in Asia began to dominate. In the mid 1970’s the factory was producing 50,000 + racquets a year, which by 1984 had fallen to fewer than 5,000.
Key highlights for Oliver included Frank Sedgman winning Wimbledon in 1952 playing with an Oliver racquet and you will today still find examples of his signature models. In addition, another key Australian player to have a signature Oliver racquet was Mal Anderson.
By the time Oliver’s had made the decision to close all of the other major Australian makers had already ceased manufacturing here, making them the last. Indeed, much of Slazenger’s equipment went to Oliver’s when they closed their Sydney operation.
Despite the decline in Wood racquet production, the Oliver name did continue on with various metal and graphite models and they also were also involved with a merge/takeover of the local ARCO stainless Steel racquet business. (See Arco heading). Today Oliver squash racquets are still sold under a license agreement predominantly in Europe.
Jack’s son’s Bob and David were actively involved in the business and we have been fortunate enough to contact Bob who has kindly supplied the above information.
The Oliver business was sold to a US Firm in 1974 called ATO from Ohio. Sales were reported at the time of $17 million.
Tournament Model c late 1930-s 1940’s
The Frank Sedgman Bluebird Model c 1949 1950 (Frank used Oliver to win Australian and Wimbledon Championships.
Frank Sedgman Professional Model
The Frank Sedgman Bluebird 30th anniversary model
Aluminium Tie Breaker model, identical to Rawlings (USA) models including the John Newcombe signature version.
