Darby McCarthy was born Richard Lawrence McCarthy in a sandhills camp at Cunnamulla in Queensland, the son of Albert and Kate, who married at 13.He became one of Australia's best jockeys in the 1950s and '60s.He has done much to further the Aboriginal cause. Cathy Freeman said of him, "Darby influenced me and encouraged me to strive for excellence in all that I do and to persevere against all odds and for this I will forever be thankful ...