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What's in a Name

FIGHTER Magazine first appeared on the news stands of Australia in October, 1967. _Michael Ryan had come home to The Age after London. His brother said: There's a couple of good kids at the Stadium called Rose and Famechon.

Michael Ryan went along to watch them and saw a wave rising. He said to Age managing director Ranald Macdonald: There's a magazine in this. Six weeks later, they launched FIGHTER.

Lionel grinned on the first cover: ROSE TAKES ON THE WORLD.

Rose - Famechon - Dunlop. The first three cover men, our "Young Eagles." Rosey raced to World Champion at 19, and Fammo made it two the following new year.

Middle management told the board, "We'll never make a lot of money with this," So Ranald took Ryan's peppercorn dollar and gave him back the other fifty per cent of a name. Six months later, a New Zealand boxing buff, R E Jones, later the magnate Sir Robert Jones, revived FIGHTER.

Champions and challengers crossed the stage. Hector Thompson. Tony Mundine. Charkey Ramon. Jeff White. Manny Santos . Then arose Mattioli. Aczel. Ellis. Michael. Fenech. Great writers wrote. Ray Mitchell. Liam Rigney. Pat Connelly. Joe Post over the Tasman. Eddie Cool of New York . William Waters inTokyo.

During a business downturn co-publisher Bob Jones went to the sideline. Beverley la Franklin shared the next few years. But the magazine was, she wrote in her 300 page classic, FIGHTER Lady , "Ryan's baby." After the hill-n-dale history of 1967-1987, Ryan took 15 years off. The opiate of the ring lured him back to start a print FIGHTER magazine, published in September, October, November 2002. It sold badly and the operation was suspended.

Mike Ryan caught up on the 21st century. Cyber space age. An electronics magazine, FIGHTER Online would soon, he supposed, spread a glow across the horizon.

After Cassius failed his IQ test for the US Army, with a score near nought, he mumbled: "I never said I was the smartest - just the prettiest."

FIGHTER has always carried the prettiest reading.

Well-turned words are the carrack ship's cargo.

The emblem FC first sailed as the badge of Franklin Carrack Publishing. Franklin stood for Beverley Franklin Will and Carrack for Mike Carrack Ryan. Five years bursting with energy and advance for the magazine. You could see in that emblem, a small ship on sail with pennant flying. Carrack is a dictionary word, carrack carragh, "a ship of freight fitted to fight." A fighting cargo vessel. And franklin is a free one, a frank speaker. The pennant on that little ship of the early 1970s.

Down in Toorak Mrs Will is sailing her newspaper, Green Place into its 31st year.

The FC comes back into service as Fighter Communications.