Walter Lindrum OBE (1898–1960), billiard player, was born into family of billiard champions in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia, where his father ran billiard rooms and a bookmaking business. In 1921 the family moved to Melbourne, where they were to operate the Lindrum billiard hall for decades. Walter and his brother were coached by their father, Frederick, who, according to Walter, was the best billiard player in the pre-World War 1 world. Walter’s brother Frederick, too, was brilliant at the game, but fate saw Walter emerge as the dominant player internationally. In 1929 he went to England, where he quickly established himself as the greatest the world had seen. He made his largest competitive break, of 4 137, in 1932. The 1930s were his peak years; he won the world billiards championship in 1933 and retained the title throughout the decade. In the 1940s, he abandoned competitive play. Apart from writing about billiards, in his later years he applied himself to raising funds for Melbourne charities. His much-visited grave in Melbourne General Cemetery is in the form of a billiards tabletop, complete with cue and balls.
