Born in 1935 on Northgate St, opposite the site where a life-sized sculpture now stands in his honour, Findlay’s journey began in Mooroopna. In 1958, he left for England to pursue a motorcycle racing career, spending 15 years as a privateer before securing major victories. His persistence paid off when he won the prestigious Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.
Despite his international fame, Findlay’s legacy might have gone unrecognised in his home town if not for a group of loyal admirers, including Trevor Huggard, Noel Heenan, Mick Pettifer, Robert McLean and Kevin Simmonds.
The group campaigned tirelessly, raising funds through local councillors, politicians, motorsport industry figures and businesses to commission the statue that now stands in Mooroopna.
Mr McLean, one of the figures involved in both the statue project and the book, recalled the deep admiration the local motorcycle community had for Findlay.
“He was our hero,” Mr McLean said.
“I approached Jack once and said, ‘You should write a book.’
“He said he didn’t think anybody would be interested in it, you know?
“I said ‘Well, you might underestimate yourself.’
“Anyway, we met this French chap about eight years ago, and he’s written about 20 books.
“We approached him, and he wasn’t that keen originally, then we met him only a couple of months ago over there again.
“And he said he started, and that was it.
“He couldn’t stop.
“He just wrote the whole book, so now it’s been released in French, and then Leo and I are in the middle of getting it published in English.”
The biography, Une vie au Continental Circus, was released in September and highlights Findlay’s remarkable achievements, especially his ties to France, where he worked closely with Michelin. Mr McLean, along with his colleague Leo Darveniza, is now working on having the book translated into English to ensure Findlay’s story reaches a broader audience. The English version is expected to be published next year.
