Evan Green (journalist)

Evan Clifford Symons Green (21 May 1930 – 16 March 1996) was an Australian motoring publicist, journalist, TV commentator and novelist. He was also a rally driver with international recognition. He wrote many articles about himself and his experiences while rally driving.

Early life
He was born in the Sydney suburb of in New South Wales, Australia. His first novel, Alice to Nowhere, was produced by Brendon Lumney into a two-part television mini-series in 1986 directed by John Power. The film starred John Waters as Johnny Parson, Steve Jacobs as Dave Mitchell and Rosey Jones as Barbara Dean.

Motor racing
As a leading motoring journalist and being very well spoken, Green was a television commentator and interviewer for the Seven Network and was well known for his commentary at the Bathurst 1000 motor race from the 1960s until his last Bathurst race as commentator in 1983. Green would continue doing motor racing commentary both in Australia and New Zealand until 1987.

Evan Green was also a rally driver of international fame, competing in such events as the Round Australia Trial and the London-Sydney Marathon.

Selected works

 * Journeys with Gelignite Jack (1967), Angus & Robertson. Also in a new edition Hit the Road, Jack (1991), Pan Macmillan. The story of a tough outback journey undertaken for Castrol, in which his life-long friend and fellow rally driver Jack Murray figures prominently.
 * Dust and Glory (1990), Macmillan. A novel whose action takes place in the fictitious 1956 Redex Trial (the last Redex Reliability Trial was in 1955). Several real-life characters appear, notably "Gelignite Jack", and Jack Davey, who in the book longs to be taken seriously as a rally driver rather than for his celebrity. Green himself is thinly disguised as journalist Harley "Norton" Alexander.

His other novels include: Adam's Empire, Kalinda, Bet Your life, On Borrowed Time, Clancy's Crossing and A Bootfull of Right Arms - covering his adventures during the 1974 London—Sahara—Munich World Cup Rally in an Australian Leyland P76 V8.

Family
Green's son Gavin served two stints as editor of the British motoring magazine Car.