Derek Ballantine

Derek Ballantine is a retired journalist who worked in newspapers and on radio in a career spanning 40 years.

Starting with daily newspapers in Sydney, he later became a feature writer for The Sun in Melbourne before moving to the Sunday Press and then The Herald, an afternoon daily, where he wrote the On The Spot column.

He has also written for international newspapers and for several years hosted a current affairs program on 3AW. Before retiring, Derek was assistant editor of the Sunday Herald Sun in Melbourne, which saw him undertake many overseas assignments.

Derek's retirement has involved breeding horses and he is the author of The Horse in Australia and co-editor and compiler of the Australasian Book of Thoroughbred Racing.