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Ronald William Clarke , born on February 21, 1937, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, was an Australian athlete, writer, and politician. He is best known for his role as the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. Clarke was educated at Melbourne High School and held Australian nationality and citizenship.
He was the sibling of Jack Clarke, an Australian footballer born in 1933. Ron Clarke's father was Tom Clarke. Clarke was in a partnership with Helen, and they had two children, Marcus and Monique. Monique passed away in 2009 due to breast cancer.
Throughout his life, Clarke received multiple awards, including Track & Field Athlete of the Year 1965, the 1965 Prix Du President by the French Sports Academy, Helms Award for Australasia in 1965, and ABC's Sportsman of the Year in 1965. He was also awarded the Track & Field News Male Athlete of the Year in 1965, BBC Sportsman of the Year – Overseas Personality in 1965, Victorian Father of the Year in 1982, and was an inaugural inductee into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. Additionally, Clarke was an inaugural inductee into the Athletics Australia Hall of Fame in 2000.
Ron Clarke passed away on June 17, 2015, in Southport, Queensland.
