Rolly Tasker

{{Short description|Australian sailor (1926–2012)}}

{{Distinguish|text=Roly Tasker, an Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2014}}

{{Use Australian English|date=February 2014}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Rolly Tasker

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| full_name = Rolland Leslie Tasker

| birth_date = 21 March 1926

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| death_date = {{death date and age|2012|6|22|1926|3|21|df=yes}}

| death_place = Perth, Western Australia

| nationality = Australian

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| years_active = 1953–2005

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{{MedalSport | Men's sailing }}

{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}

{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games}}

{{MedalSilver | 1956 Melbourne | 12 Square meter Sharpie }}

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Rolland Leslie "Rolly" Tasker AM (21 March 1926{{spaced ndash}}22 June 2012){{cite web |last1=Wilcocks |first1=Lana |last2=Morison |first2=Alan |date=22 June 2012 |url=http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-aussie-sailing-legend-rolly-tasker-dies-16196/ |title=Phuket and Aussie sailing legend Rolly Tasker dies at 86 |website=phuketwan.com}} was an Australian sailor who won Australia's first Olympic sailing medal, at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne.{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Rolly Tasker |url=http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ta/rolly-tasker-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161204015806/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ta/rolly-tasker-1.html |archive-date=2016-12-04}} He and Malcolm (Huck) Scott won a silver medal in their 12m² Sharpie after the New Zealander Peter Mander failed to disqualify himself and Rolly had not officially protested.W.A. Hall of Champions inductee booklet. (2006) Published by the Western Australian Institute of Sport{{cite web |url=http://corporate.olympics.com.au/sports.cfm?SportID=19 |title=Australia and Olympic sailing |website=corporate.olympics.com.au}} In 1958 Tasker won the Flying Dutchman World Championship.{{cite web |url=http://www.australiansailingteam.com.au/?Page=21827&MenuID=Our_Story%2F13474%2F21825 |title=The History of Sailing in the Olympics |website=australiansailingteam.com.au}}

From 1969 to 1985 Tasker dominated ocean racing in Western Australia with five sister yachts all called Siska. In the 1978 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Siska IV was denied official starter status on a technicality. Tasker started five minutes ahead of the fleet and crossed the finish line 20 hours ahead of line honours winner Apollo.{{cite web |url=https://sahof.org.au/hall-of-fame-member/rolly-tasker/ |title=Sport Australia Hall of Fame |website=sahof.org.au}}{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=MDQ-9Oe3GGUC&dat=19790101&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |title=Siska 'wins' but the champagne's for Apollo |work=The Age |date=1 January 1979 |page=15}} He won numerous other ocean racing events in his career including taking line honours and first place in the Queen Victoria Cup off Cowes, England. He competed in the disastrous 1979 Fastnet race, finishing third across the line.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110575258 |title=Small yachts suffer most in 'freak' Fastnet storm |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=53 |issue=16,032 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=16 August 1979 |accessdate=7 March 2018 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia}} In the Parmelia Yacht Race from Plymouth to Fremantle in 1979, he finished second in the line honours race, and was the fastest yacht for each of the two legs.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110969491 |title=SAILING Independent Endeavour first home in Parmelia |newspaper=The Canberra Times |volume=54 |issue=16,130 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=23 November 1979 |accessdate=7 March 2018 |page=17 |via=National Library of Australia}}

Tasker was inducted into the Western Australian Hall of Champions in 1986 and the Sport Australian Hall of Fame in 1996. He became a Member of the Order of Australia in 2006 for his services to sailing.

He operated a sail-making business based in Phuket, Thailand called Rolly Tasker Sails.{{cite web |url=http://www.rollytasker.com/ |title=Rolly Tasker Sails |website=rollytasker.com}}

In April 2008 Tasker opened the Australian Sailing Museum in Mandurah, Western Australia, with exhibits of the America's Cup races from 1851 and famous sailors from Australian sailing competitions. Twelve lifelike icons of the sailing world form part of the display, along with over 200 model yacht fleet class examples on a scale 1" to the foot.

His biography, [http://nla.gov.au/anbd.bib-an42405989 Sailing to the Moon] was published in 2008. It is written by Roland Perry and describes Tasker's extensive sailing and business activities.{{cite news |last1=Irving |first1=Mark |title=Tributes to yachting legend Rolly Tasker |url=https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/14019868/tributes-to-yachting-legend-rolly-tasker/ |accessdate=6 March 2018 |work=The West Australian |date=23 June 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120624034840/https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/14019868/tributes-to-yachting-legend-rolly-tasker/ |archivedate=24 June 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all}}

In 2017, he was an inaugural inductee in the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame.{{cite web |url=https://sailinghalloffame.org.au/inductee/rolly-tasker-am/ |title=Sailing icon, Rolly Tasker, to be inducted into the Australian Sailing Hall of Fame |last= |first= |date= |website=Australian Sailing Hall of Fame website |archive-url= |archive-date= |accessdate=2 November 2017}}