-
I'll tell you a story -
About Jack a Nory;
-
And now my story's begun;
-
I'll tell you another
-
Of Jack and his brother,
-
And now my story is done.
..nominated by Simon Davies, UK
We are collecting the names of all famous Jacks and need your help to add to it.
This will form part of a wall display in our foyer, together with a large photo
of Jack Clarence.
This is our list so far:
Jack
Clarence
One of three esteemed gentlemen who developed the Betty's Bay area way back
when..
John F. Kennedy
Known as Jack, this United States President
was a famous friend of Marilyn Monroe and died far too young.
Jack Newark
A Private in the Royal East Kent
Regiment ("The Buffs"); 3rd Regiment of Foot;
1st British Army.
David's father is now 91 years old and
living near Brighton, England.
..nominated by Delboy Newark, Croatia
Jack Nicklaus
Also known as "The Golden Bear", he is one of the most successful
professional golfers of all time
Jack Nicholson
Versatile actor - sometimes scary and often funny
Jack and the Beanstalk
Boy who owned a cow and ultimately killed a giant
Jack Daniels
Put Lynchburg, Tennessee on the map
Jackass Penguin
Our neighbours at Stoney Point in Betty's Bay, whose proper name is the
African Penguin.
Jack and Jill
Characters from a nursery rhyme that was created when King Charles I of
England scaled down the 'jack' (a two-ounce measure of drink) so as to
collect higher sales taxes, the jill, by definition twice the size of the
jack, was automatically reduced also and 'came tumbling after
Jumpin Jack Flash
It's a gas.......so say Mick and the boys
Jack Frost
The personification of crisp, cold winter weather
Jack the Ripper
Victorian England's most notorious serial killer
Calico Jack
Captain John Rackham, an English pirate who popularised the 'Jolly Roger'
flag of a skull and two crossed cutlasses
Jack
Russell
A small terrier with a huge personality
Jack Russell
Rather good former England wicket keeper
Black Jack
... also known as 'twenty-one', 'vingt-et-un' and 'pontoon' is the most
widely played casino banking game in the world
Jack Charlton
Lesser and more violent brother of Bobby Charlton
Jack
Benny
one of the leading American entertainers of the 20th century
Jack of all trades, master of none
A figure of speech used in reference to a
generalist; a person that is competent with many skills but is not
outstanding in any particular one
..nominated by Monet Meyer, South Africa
Captain Jack Sparrow
Probably the most handsome pirate ever; a character in the movie 'Pirates
of the Caribbean' played by Johnny Depp!
..nominated by Freddie Stier, Greece
Jack Johnson
Jack Hody Johnson (born May 18, 1975) is a Hawaiian
singer-songwriter, musician, filmmaker, and surfer, known for his work in
the soft rock genre. He achieved commercial success after the release of his
debut album, Brushfire Fairytales in 2001. He has since released five more
albums and a number of EPs.
..nominated by Tertia de Kock, South Africa
Jack Sprat
'Jack Sprat could eat no fat
His wife could eat no lean
And so betwixt the two of them
They licked the platter clean'
The Jack Sprat alluded to in this English poem is reputed to be King Charles
I (1625-1649) and Henrietta Maria, his Queen (1609-1669). Apparently, when
King Charles declared war on Spain, parliament refused to finance him
(leaving him lean!) So his wife imposed an illegal war tax (to get some
fat!) after the angered King dissolved Parliament.
..nominated by Gil Adams, Luxembourg plus Clare & Chris Docking, South
Africa
Jack London
American Author - famous for writing Call of the
Wild, White Fang and Sea Wolf
..nominated by Sandra Faulkner, Northern Ireland and Freddie Stier, Greece
Jack in a box
Children's toy
..nominated by Tim Bracey, UK
Jack Lemmon
Academy Award Winning American Actor
..nominated by Stephen Usendorff, South Africa
Jack Kent Cooke
Famous Canadian entrepreneur who owned the
Washington Redskins American football team in the '70s and '80s winning the
Super Bowl in '83,'88 &'92.
..nominated by Rob Campbell, France
Jack White
Jack White (born John Anthony Gillis; July 9, 1975), often credited as Jack
White III, is an American musician, record producer and occasional actor,
best known as the guitarist and lead vocalist for The White Stripes.
..nominated by Cat de Jonge, UK
Jack Brabham (Sir John Arthur 'Jack' Brabham, AO, OBE)
An Australian former racing driver who was Formula
One champion in 1959, 1960 and 1966. He was a founder of the Brabham racing
team and race car constructor that bore his name,
..nominated by Peter Nettlefold, South Africa
Jack-o'-lantern
Sometimes also spelled Jack O'Lantern is typically a carved pumpkin. It is
associated chiefly with the holiday Halloween, and was named after the
phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs.
..nominated by Peter Nettlefold, South Africa
Jack Jones
60's crooner, loved by Sue's Mum (proved by
poster on inside bedroom door when Sue was a kid)
..nominated by Sue Giddings, South Africa
Jack Jones
James Larkin Jones, CH, MBE, known as Jack Jones, was a British trade union
leader and General Secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union in
the 60's and 70's.
..nominated by Boris A Hound, Utopia
Jack Straw
John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946), most
commonly known as Jack Straw, is a senior British Labour Party politician.
On 28 June 2007 he was appointed to the offices of Lords High Chancellor of
Great Britain and Secretary of State for Justice.
..nominated by Peter Nettlefold, South Africa
Jack Palance
An American film actor of Ukrainian descent. With
his rugged facial features, Palance was best known to modern movie audiences
as both the characters of Curly and Duke in the two City Slickers movies,
the first for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, but
his career spanned half a century of film and television appearances. He
died in 2006,
..nominated by Hani Naiyesh, South Africa
Jack Dempsey
Known as the "Manassa Mauler", Jack was an American boxer who held the world
heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and punching
power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights
set financial and attendance records.
..nominated by Derek Newark, Croatia
Jackanory
Or Jack a Nory, Is a long-running BBC
children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in
reading. The show was first aired on 13 December 1965 and continued to be
broadcast until 24 March 1996.
The title of the show comes from an old English nursery rhyme first recorded
in a book in 1760.
I'll tell you a story
About Jack a Nory;
And now my story's begun;
I'll tell you another
Of Jack and his brother,
And now my story is done.
..nominated by Simon Davies, UK
Major Trevor Jack Thornton MC
Born in 1918 and known as Jack as his father was
also Trevor, Major Thornton won the Military Cross at Monte Cassino in Italy
during the Second World War. By profession he was a civil engineer and after
the war he built roads in the then Rhodesia, in the Congo and Malawi until
1971. He then farmed in Rhodesia / Zimbabwe until 1988. He died in Norfolk,
England in 2008 a few weeks before his 90th birthday
..nominated by his
son John Thornton, South Africa
Four Jacks and a Jill
Four Jacks and a Jill are a folk rock ensemble from South Africa. They had
originally formed without lead singer "Jill"
(Glenys Lynne) in 1964 under a different name. In South Africa, they had a
hit called "Timothy", and in 1968 they cracked the American charts, with the
tune "Master Jack. Their follow-up single, "Mr. Nico", peaked at #98 in
America; it was their last hit in the States, but the group continued to
score hits in their native country.
They have recently recorded and produced albums for a range of sing-a-long
educational story books for various South African charities.
..nominated by Andre Heiberg, South Africa
Jack, a dull boy
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is a
proverb. Its meaning is that without time off from work, a person becomes
bored and boring.
The sentiment expressed by this proverb was first recorded thousands of
years ago by the Egyptian sage Ptahhotep, who wrote in 2400 B.C.,
“One that reckons accounts all the day passes not a happy moment”
The more familiar modern saying appeared first in
James Howell's Proverbs in English, Italian, French and Spanish (1659).
..nominated by Andre Heiberg, South Africa
Jack of Diamonds, Hearts, Spades and Clubs
The playing card that we now know as Jack was once
called Knave, meaning a male servant of royalty. It is placed between the
10 and Queen in the pack ranking and is the lowest ‘court’ card, the others
being the Queen and King.
In 1864 Samuel Hart, an English card maker, published a deck using J instead
of Kn in the corners of the cards, as the abbreviation for Knave (Kn) and
King (K) was proving to be too similar and causing confusion when the cards
were held fan-like in one hand.
..nominated by Andre Heiberg, South Africa
Jack van der Schyff
A big, running fullback who played
provincial rugby for Griquas, Western Transvaal and Rhodesia.
His worst moment in rugby was captured in a photograph from in front of the
posts showing the kicker in the foreground turning away, his head bowed in
disappointment. In the photo the ball can be seen clearly to the left of the
posts....it is going to miss the uprights. As a result the British Lions won
the 1955 Ellis Park Test 23-22 and the kicker, Van der Schyff, faded from
history, never to wear the green and gold jersey again.
..nominated by Andre Heiberg, South Africa
Brown Jack
Brown Jack (1924–1948) was a thoroughbred racehorse
that raced over hurdles and then on the flat. He was a "stayer" – a horse
specialising in longer races. He won the second Cheltenham Champion Hurdle
in 1928, but his main claim to fame was winning the Queen Alexandra Stakes –
the longest race in the flat racing calendar – for six years running, from
1929 to 1934. His repeated victories made him one of the most popular
racehorses in the history of British racing
..nominated by Andre Heiberg, South Africa
Half-Jack
A 2 oz measure of liquid sustenance not much used these days, but can still
be heard being ordered in the communities of the Western Cape, when
life may not be going quite to plan
..nominated by David Smith, South Africa
Jack Kerouac
Jean Louis ‘Jack’ Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. Alongside
William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, he is considered a pioneer of the
Beat Generation, and a literary iconoclast. Kerouac is held as an important
writer both for his spontaneous style and for his content which consistently
dealt with such topics as jazz, promiscuity, Buddhism, drugs, poverty, and
travel. Disenchanted with mainstream America and never having gotten over
the death of his older brother when he was four years old, Kerouac lost his
battle to alcoholism and died at the age of 47 in 1969
..nominated by Wynand du Plessis, South Africa
Jack Cohen
Founder of Jack's Paint 'Your Community Paint Store'. Now located in most
provinces of South Africa, the original store was established in 1948 by
Jack Cohen. Jack originally worked as a paint consultant for a major paint
manufacturer and through his training and years of experience he decided to
open his own store. The business is underpinned by a philosophy of offering
the community a quality service, affordable paint and competent advice.
..nominated by Kevin Mattheys, South Africa
Bruce Jack
Chief Wine Maker at Flagstone Winery in the Western Cape. Flagstone is a
small but frequently awarded winery with a selection of wines built around
Bruce's philosophy of hand-crafted wine-making.
..nominated by (TBA)
Jack Skellington
Jack is the lead character in the Disney film Tim
Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas', he is the "Pumpkin King" of
Halloween and lives in a fictional world based solely on the holiday called
Halloween. His usual appearance is a skeleton dressed in a black pin-striped
suit and a bow tie resembling a bat, but there are some points in which he
dresses as a scarecrow with a pumpkin for a head. His name is a pun on
skeleton.
..nominated by Marysa, South Africa
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce (born
1943) is a Scottish musician, composer and singer. He is known as an
electric bass guitarist and has been referred to as a "world-class pioneer
in his main instrument; a composer of some of the most endurable and
recognisable rock songs of our time; an accomplished classical, jazz and
Latin musician and one of popular music's most distinctive and evocative
voices."
He was famous
as the vocalist, main composer and bass guitarist for the 1960s rock band
Cream, and has worked constantly since then with some of the great names in
the music world. In 2009 Bruce performed at the 50th Anniversary of Ronnie
Scott's Club in London. After garnering good reviews three further dates at
the club were added in March 2010.
..nominated by Neil Bernasconi, South Africa & UK
Jack Kramer
John Albert Kramer , born in 1921 was an American tennis player of the
1940s. A World Number 1 player for a number of years, he is a possible
candidate for the title of the greatest tennis player of all time. He was
considered the father and the leading promoter of the professional tennis
tours. He was a relentless advocate for the establishment of Open Tennis
between amateur and professional players.
...nominated by Paul Laver, UK
C.S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis was an
Irish-born British novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic,
essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist.
He is well known for his fictional work, especially The Screwtape
Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Space Trilogy.
Throughout his life, Lewis was
known to his family and friends as "Jack"—a nickname he coined for
himself at the age of four after the beloved neighbourhood dog Jacksie
died.
..nominated by Lionel M Roode, South Africa
Lt Colonel F. Chater Jack
A Major in the Royal Artillery during the early 1940's he was the commanding
officer of the 19th Battery. As related in the first of Spike Milligan's war
autobiographies "Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall", Major Jack was
a much respected leader by his men and Spike writes he was "one who I would
have followed anywhere"
..nominated by Shaheed Chapple, South Africa
Captain Jack Harkness
Fictional character played by John Barrowman in the TV series 'Dr. Who' and
its spin-off 'Torchwood'. Jack begins as
a time traveller and former con-man from the 51st century and is the first
openly non-heterosexual character in the history of televised Doctor Who.
.. nominated by Stephen Danks, UK
Jack Dee
James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and
writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.
..nominated by Stephen Danks, UK
Jack LaLanne
Francois Henri "Jack" LaLanne (born in 1914) was an American fitness,
exercise, and nutritional expert and motivational speaker who is sometimes
called "the godfather of fitness" and the "first fitness superhero".
During his career, he came to believe that the country's overall health
depended on the health of its population, writing that "physical culture and
nutrition — is the salvation of America."
..nominated by Darlene Walker
Jack Lord
John Joseph Patrick Ryan is best known by his stage name Jack Lord. He was
an American television, film, and Broadway actor and widely remembered for
his starring role as Steve McGarrett in the American television program
Hawaii Five-O from 1968 to 1980. His famous catch-phrase was 'Book him Danno!'
..nominated by Jeff Perilloux
Jack Black
Thomas Jacob "Jack" Black is an American comedian, actor and musician.
He makes up one half of the comedy and satirical rock duo Tenacious D. His
acting career is extensive, starring primarily as bumbling, cocky, but
internally self-conscious outsiders in comedy films.
..nominated by Cori
Jack Parr
Jack was an author, American radio and television
comedian and talk show host, best known for his stint as host of The Tonight
Show from 1957 to 1962
..nominated by Jennifer R
Jackie Paper
Puff, the Magic Dragon" is a song written by
Leonard Lipton and Peter Yarrow, and made popular by Yarrow's group Peter,
Paul and Mary in a 1963 recording. The song achieved great popularity.
The lyrics tell a story of the ageless dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie
Paper, a little boy who grows up and loses interest in the imaginary
adventures of childhood and leaves Puff alone and depressed
..nominated by Dan
Dr. Jack Shephard
A fictional character and protagonist of the ABC television series Lost
played by Matthew Fox. Lost follows the journey of the survivors of Oceanic
Airlines flight 815 on a mysterious island and their attempts to survive and
escape, slowly uncovering more of the much broader island history of which
they are a part.
..nominated by Lori K Martins
Jack Dawson
Fictional character in the film Titanic, played by
Leonardo di Caprio. Within the film, Jack is portrayed as a penniless man
from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin who has toured various parts of the world. He
wins two tickets onto the RMS Titanic in a poker game and travels as a
third-class passenger with his friend Fabrizio. He is attracted to Rose at
first sight and meets her when she attempts to throw herself off the stern
of the ship. This enables him to mix with the first-class passengers for a
night... and the rest is Oscar winning cinema.
..nominated by Shawna
Jack Tripper
A fictional character on the sitcoms Three's
Company and Three's a Crowd, based upon the character, Robin Tripp from the
UK TV series Man About the House and Robin's Nest. Jack was played by John
Ritter.
..nominated by Paul Brown
Jack Swigert
John Leonard "Jack" Swigert, Jr. was a NASA
astronaut, one of the 24 persons who have flown to the Moon. Swigert
was one of three astronauts aboard the ill-fated Apollo 13 moon mission,
which was launched on April 11, 1970. Swigert was the astronaut who made the
famous dramatic announcement, "Houston, we've had a problem here". After
leaving NASA, he was elected to the United States House of Representatives,
but died before being sworn in.
..nominated by a bloke called Jack
Jack Davenport
An English actor, best known for his roles in the
television series This Life, Coupling and as James Norrington in the Pirates
of the Caribbean series. He has also appeared in many other Hollywood films
such as The Talented Mr. Ripley. More recently, Davenport was part of the
ensemble cast of characters in the drama series FlashForward and Smash
..nominated by the man himself (awesome)
Jack McGurn
"Machine Gun" Jack McGurn (1902 – 1936), born
Vincenzo Antonio Gibaldi, was an Italian-American mobster and key member of
Al Capone's Chicago Outfit.
Born in Licata, Sicily his family emigrated to the USA when he was a boy.
McGurn grew up in the Chicago slums where he later took up a career in
boxing as a teenager and changed his name to "Battling" Jack McGurn because
boxers with Irish names got the better bookings.
As a youth, McGurn did not run in gang circles. However, when his father was
assassinated by gang extortionists in 1923, he methodically avenged his
father's death by killing the three hit-men responsible. This ruthless
efficiency provided his introduction to Al Capone in late 1923. He was
famous for leaving coins in his victims' hands.
Jack was allegedly involved in the planning of the St Valentine's Day
Massacre but was never brought to trial due to his ‘female blonde’ alibi.
.. nominated by Shakey Veirs
Jack Hawkins
Colonel John Edward "Jack" Hawkins CBE was an
English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s through the
1970s.
Although he had appeared in several films during the 1930s, it was only
after World War II that he began to build a successful career in the cinema
ceasing to appear on the stage after 1951. He often played stern but
sympathetic authority figures in films like Angels One Five, The Cruel
Sea(the film that made him a star) and The Long Arm
..nominated by David Lewsey