Jack Loney

Jack Kenneth Loney (21 October 1925 – 13 February 1995) was an amateur Australian marine historian who published over one hundred books and numerous newspaper and magazine articles. He was a schoolteacher and principal until his retirement. He became interested in maritime history after preparing several general history booklets covering the Otway region of western Victoria, Australia.

Personal life

Loney lived throughout his life in Portarlington, Victoria with his wife Padge. He had two children, Peter and Sally.

Jack Loney Award

Loney was an inaugural and long-standing member of the Victorian Governments Historic Shipwrecks Advisory Committee (HSAC);^[1] the Victorian government decreed a perpetual memorial award - called the Jack Loney Award - for outstanding contribution to maritime history in recognition of Loney's contribution to the preservation of Australia's shipwreck and maritime heritage. The Award is made only as occasion demands, with the recipient chosen by the Victorian Historic Shipwrecks Advisory Committee to the Heritage Council. Winners have included:

• 1998: Peter Stone, in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the preservation of Australia's maritime heritage through his community role as a maritime and dive adventure writer, lobbyist, publisher and photographer.
• 2000: Terry Arnott, in recognition of his services to Victoria’s maritime heritage at the Australian Institute for Maritime Archaeology (AIMA) and Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology (ASHA).^[2]
• 2004: Peter Ronald, the former Victorian Heritage Council member and Victorian Historic Shipwrecks Advisory Committee Chairman, for long-standing contribution to the protection of Victoria's historic shipwrecks and as an advocate of maritime heritage in the state.^[3]
• 2009: Dr Leonie Foster, for her groundbreaking research, long-standing committee membership, and mentoring of maritime heritage professionals in Australia.^[4]
• 2010: Peter Taylor ^[5]

Bibliography

Australian shipwrecks series

As an amateur maritime historian he took over the writing and publishing of the most comprehensive reference series of books on maritime disasters in Australia from Charles Bateson the Australian Shipwrecks series.

• Australian shipwrecks Vol. 1 1622–1850 By Charles Bateson. Sydney. Reed, 1972 910.4530994 BAT
• Australian shipwrecks Vol. 2 1851–1871 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Sydney. Reed, 1980 910.4530994 LON
• Australian shipwrecks Vol. 3 1871–1900 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Geelong Vic: List Publishing, 1982 910.4530994 LON
• Australian shipwrecks Vol. 4 1901–1986 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Portarlington Vic. Marine History Publications, 1987 910.4530994 LON
• Australian shipwrecks Vol. 5 Update 1986 By Loney, J. K. (Jack Kenneth), 1925–1995. Portarlington Vic. Marine History Publications, 1991 910.4530994 LON

Other works

A small selection of his many other books and smaller booklets includes:

• An era at Port Phillip Heads: 1830–1900
• Australian sea stories
• Bay steamers and coastal ferries
• Ben Boyd's ships
• Early shipping in the Port of Geelong
• Famous wrecks
• The Loch Ard disaster
• The mahogany ship
• Mysteries of the Bass Strait triangle
• Otway and its coast in retrospect
• Ships and seamen off the south coast
• Shipwrecks along the Great Ocean Road
• Shipwreck strait: an illustrated history of major shipwrecks, collisions, fires and strandings in Bass Strait from 1797
• Victims of the Corsair rock
• Victorian shipwrecks; all wrecks in Victorian waters and Bass Strait, including King Island and the Kent group
• Victoria's West Coast steamers
• Wreck - 1891 and other maritime memories
• Wreck of the Fiji
• Wreck of the ship Eric The Red
• Wrecks on the New South Wales coast
• Wrecks on the Queensland coast, 1791-1992 : includes Great Barrier Reef, Coral Sea, Torres Strait, Gulf of Carpentaria
• Wrecks on the South Australian coast: including Kangaroo Island
• Wrecks on Victoria's south west coast; a survey of incidents from the Victorian-South Australian border to Lady Bay, including Portland, Port Fairy, and Warrnambool
• Wrecks on the Western Australian coast: and Northern Territory
• Wrecks in Australian waters : an illustrated survey of shipwrecks, fires, collisions and strandings on the Australian coast from 1629
• Wreckers, smugglers and pirates in South Eastern Australian waters
• Wrecks in the Rip
• Wrecks along the Gippsland coast
• Wrecks on King Island

References