Oral history – Doug Corker

Born in Victoria Park in 1931 to English migrant parents, Doug Corker was the youngest of four sons, with brothers Roy, Norman and Harry. Following his father's death in 1946, Doug had to leave school to get a job. Early employers were Gliddon & Coy Ltd, Elder Smiths and the Public Works Department.

Doug first played junior baseball as a teenager for Victoria Park Baseball Club at Colombo Street Reserve (Raphael Park) when baseball was a winter sport in Western Australia. He played as a first baseman or pitcher on grounds which included Midland Oval, the Ozone, Langley Park, Richmond Park, Attadale and Leederville Oval.

In 1948 Doug joined the Naval Reserve for two years and in 1951 enlisted in the Navy for six years. While serving on HMAS Sydney as a telephone operator in 1953, the aircraft carrier transported a large contingent of Australians and New Zealanders to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in England. The 'Sydney' was one of 365 ships that took part in the Coronation Spithead Review by the newly-crowned Queen.

In 1954 Doug married Commonwealth Bank clerk Rose and they moved to a new home in Thornlie. Following his discharge from the navy in 1957, Doug continued playing baseball for Victoria Park. He was also involved in forming the Thornlie baseball team in 1960. That team was part of the South Suburban Baseball League which competed in the Country Week Carnivals during the 1960s; with Doug serving as secretary of the League until it folded.

In 1970 Doug was elected president of the Victoria Park Baseball Club and served as club secretary during the 1980s. He was then offered, and accepted, the position of secretary of the West Australian Baseball League, which he fulfilled for 18 years until 1998. During that time, Doug played a significant role in seeing Parry Field Baseball Park become a reality. He also instigated the formation of the Claxton Shield Club in 1998.

As historian and keeper of Western Australian baseball memorabilia, Doug, and his daughter Jane, have been compiling a definitive history of the sport in this State.

Rose Corker became part of the baseball story when she wanted to learn more about the sport. She learnt how to score the game and became so proficient that she was scoring for interstate Claxton Shield games as well as international games in Australia. In 1983 she was elected president of the National Scorers Association and three years later, in 1986, formed the West Australian Baseball Scorers and Statisticians Association. Rose ran training sessions for scorers and served as president of the WA association from 1986‒1992 and again in 2004.