BIO

Wartime competition 1942-1944
Norwood-North games: 2
Norwood-North goals: 0

Bob Jervis was a 19-year-old defender from St Peter’s College when he played two games for Norwood-North before enlisting in the Royal Australian Navy on 14 July 1942 and serving as a midshipman until 1944.

Bob, who had joined The Advertiser as a copy boy in 1941, became a cadet journalist after his war service and developed into an unusually versatile newspaperman with an enduring interest in football.

Born on 17 June 1924, he kicked two goals as a half-forward/ruckman in helping Saints beat Princes by two points, 14.19 to 13.23, in the 1940 intercollegiate match. A year later he was noted for long clearing kicks from centre half-back when Saints scored 15.17 to 13.14 for its fifth intercoll win in a row. As well, Bob was a useful cricketer and won his Leaving class Shakespeare prize.

Norwood-North struggled in 1942 and Bob was left with memories of two modest defeats, by Sturt-South, 15.10 to 11.16, and West-Glenelg, 12-17 to 10-15.

Bob was the scion of the Jervis journalistic family with widespread experience as a reporter, feature writer and sub-editor. Between 1960 and 1966, he was a television panellist on Football Report, an after-match resum of league football on Channel 7 in Adelaide. During 1965 he became one of the first to give kick-by-kick commentaries on league football.

In 1949 he represented The Sydney Morning Herald, The Argus and The Advertiser in Darwin, and from 1953 to 1955 worked in the London bureau of The Herald, Melbourne. Between 1966 and 1974 he was State Press relations officer for five Royal visits to South Australia. In 1982 he was awarded a gold honour badge of the Australian Journalists’ Association for “meritorious service” and in the 1985 Queen’s Birthday honours list was awarded the Order of Australia for services to journalism.  He completed his career as The Advertiser cadet counsellor.  Known as The Oracle, he wrote two books on journalism, News Sense and More News Sense. 

Bob Jervis married Betty Manuel and they had three children, Susan, James and Amanda.  Bob was 63 when he died on 5 January 1988. He is buried at Centennial Park Cemetery. 

P. Robins, G. Adams October 2026

* We thank the St Peter’s College Archivist Christina Moore for our picture and background information.