Book reveals colourful side of wrestler dad (From Craven Herald)

Eastburn man writes book on wrestler dad Kid Callon

3:10pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in Leisure

An Eastburn man has put pen to paper to tell the extraordinary story of how his father achieved sporting prowess in the Far East, while at the same time being drawn into multi-million-dollar contraband crime.

The exploits of Derek Callon had remained untold for more than six decades. But now his son, also called Derek, has written a book – The Untamed White Savage – revealing his late father’s incredible past.

“He was an extremely successful sportsman and through his notoriety in the wrestling ring in the Far East, he came into contact with very powerful and corrupt people,” said Derek, 62, a textile consultant from Main Road, Eastburn. “He was a young man at the time and was lured into crime. He didn’t immediately know what he was getting involved in.”

Derek Snr was an 18-year-old foundry worker in Keighley when he was conscripted into the army in 1944, heading with his unit – the Royal Army Service Corps – to Singapore. He was present when Lord Louis Mountbatten accepted the surrender of the Japanese.

Having been taught by his father how to box, the young Derek was introduced to wrestling and, fighting under the name Kid Callon, had a meteoric rise to success.

But his life became interwoven with high-level smuggling and contraband activities. He spent three years in the Far East and on his return to the UK continued with the wrestling and had a spell playing for Keighley rugby league club in the 1950s. He died, aged 82, in 2008.

Son Derek, a Steeton-with-Eastburn parish councillor, said: “I found the story of his life fascinating. People may have known about his wrestling, but not his more colourful side.

“The idea for a book had been burning inside me for many years. I actually started writing it three years ago. I chose to forgive my dad for his wrongdoings and I would hope that were he here today, he would be proud of the book.

“He brought back three albums of photographs from his time in Singapore and I’ve included some of those in the book. I also went out there with my wife as part of my research and tried to retrace his steps.

“Writing this has been a tremendous experience and I’m pleased with the end result. Everyone in the family has been very supportive and the feedback has all been extremely positive.”

The Untamed White Savage, a 343-page paperback, is priced £9.99 and is being distributed by Troubador Publishing.

It is available from marketing@ troubador.co.uk, through Amazon and New Chapter book store, High Street, Skipton, Forget-Me-Not, Main Street, Cross Hills, Small Office Supplies, North Street, Keighley and Hartleys, Main Street, Haworth.