Jay Jerilderie McRoach (born Piotr Olszewski, 12 May 1948 - 9 April 2024) [1] was an Australian writer, journalist and cannabis use activist. Also known as Peter Olszewski [1],... [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Life and career
McRoach was born in Poland into a German-Polish family and moved to Australia when he was one-year old. [1] He spent his childhood in Maryborough, Victoria where he began going by the name Peter rather than the Polish Piotr. [1]
In the 1960s and 1970s, McRoach was part of the Carlton Push, a group of artists, performers and intellectuals involved with theatres, publishing houses and other establishments in Carlton. [1]
McRoach was a admirer of American writer Hunter S. Thompson and accompanied the writer as his publicity director on a ten-day tour of Australia in 1976. [1] [3] [7] An account of the tour was later published by McRoach in his 1979 book Dozen Dopey Yarns. [2]
McRoach was a founder of the Australian Marijuana Party. [7] In the 1977 federal election, McRoach legally changed his name to JJ McRoach to run for the Australian Senate as a candidate for the party. [1] JJ was slang for a cannabis cigarette. However, McRoach explained that it stood for Jay, a reference to a joint, and Jerilderie, the Victorian town known for its association with Ned Kelly. [1] He received a total of 14,383 votes. [3]
McRoach reverted back to using the Olszewski name again later in his career. [3]
Bibliography
- Dozen Dopey Yarns: Tales from the pot prohibition (Australian Marijuana Party, 1979)
- A Salute to the Humble Yabby (Angus & Robertson, 1980) [1]
- Cheap Eats in Melbourne (1984) [6]
- Land of a Thousand Eyes: The Subtle Pleasures of Everyday Life in Myanmar (Crows Nest, 2005) [1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Langsam, David (2024-04-14). "Legendary JJ McRoach at the centre of 'the Carlton Push'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ a b Coupe, Stuart (2012). The Promoters: Inside stories from the Australian rock industry. Hachette Australia. ISBN 978-0-7336-2925-9.
- ^ a b c d Maloney, Shane; Grosz, Chris (July 2012). "JJ McRoach & Hunter S Thompson". The Monthly.
- ^ "Veteran journalist Peter Olszewski passes away - Khmer Times". 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ McGeady, Mark (February 2003). "Review: Writing Dissent, Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream". Media International Australia. 106 (1): 162–163. doi: 10.1177/1329878X0310600121. ISSN 1329-878X.
- ^ a b Who's Who of Australian Writers. D.W. Thorpe. 1991. p. 410. ISBN 978-0-909532-81-9.
- ^ a b Fuller, Amy Elisabeth, ed. (2008). "Olszewski, Peter 1948-". Contemporary Authors. Vol. 258. Gale eBooks. p. 267.
Jay Jerilderie McRoach (born Piotr Olszewski, 12 May 1948 - 9 April 2024) [1] was an Australian writer, journalist and cannabis use activist. Also known as Peter Olszewski [1],... [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Life and career
McRoach was born in Poland into a German-Polish family and moved to Australia when he was one-year old. [1] He spent his childhood in Maryborough, Victoria where he began going by the name Peter rather than the Polish Piotr. [1]
In the 1960s and 1970s, McRoach was part of the Carlton Push, a group of artists, performers and intellectuals involved with theatres, publishing houses and other establishments in Carlton. [1]
McRoach was a admirer of American writer Hunter S. Thompson and accompanied the writer as his publicity director on a ten-day tour of Australia in 1976. [1] [3] [7] An account of the tour was later published by McRoach in his 1979 book Dozen Dopey Yarns. [2]
McRoach was a founder of the Australian Marijuana Party. [7] In the 1977 federal election, McRoach legally changed his name to JJ McRoach to run for the Australian Senate as a candidate for the party. [1] JJ was slang for a cannabis cigarette. However, McRoach explained that it stood for Jay, a reference to a joint, and Jerilderie, the Victorian town known for its association with Ned Kelly. [1] He received a total of 14,383 votes. [3]
McRoach reverted back to using the Olszewski name again later in his career. [3]
Bibliography
- Dozen Dopey Yarns: Tales from the pot prohibition (Australian Marijuana Party, 1979)
- A Salute to the Humble Yabby (Angus & Robertson, 1980) [1]
- Cheap Eats in Melbourne (1984) [6]
- Land of a Thousand Eyes: The Subtle Pleasures of Everyday Life in Myanmar (Crows Nest, 2005) [1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Langsam, David (2024-04-14). "Legendary JJ McRoach at the centre of 'the Carlton Push'". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ a b Coupe, Stuart (2012). The Promoters: Inside stories from the Australian rock industry. Hachette Australia. ISBN 978-0-7336-2925-9.
- ^ a b c d Maloney, Shane; Grosz, Chris (July 2012). "JJ McRoach & Hunter S Thompson". The Monthly.
- ^ "Veteran journalist Peter Olszewski passes away - Khmer Times". 2024-04-10. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
- ^ McGeady, Mark (February 2003). "Review: Writing Dissent, Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream". Media International Australia. 106 (1): 162–163. doi: 10.1177/1329878X0310600121. ISSN 1329-878X.
- ^ a b Who's Who of Australian Writers. D.W. Thorpe. 1991. p. 410. ISBN 978-0-909532-81-9.
- ^ a b Fuller, Amy Elisabeth, ed. (2008). "Olszewski, Peter 1948-". Contemporary Authors. Vol. 258. Gale eBooks. p. 267.