Jay Jerilderie McRoach (born Piotr Olszewski, 12 May 1948 - 9 April 2024) [1] was an Australian writer, journalist and cannabis use activist. Also known as Peter Olszewski [1],... [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
McRoach was born in Poland into a German-Polish family and moved to Australia when he was one-year old. [1] He spent his childhood in Maryborough, Victoria where he began going by the name Peter rather than the Polish Piotr. [1]
In the 1960s and 1970s, McRoach was part of the Carlton Push, a group of artists, performers and intellectuals involved with theatres, publishing houses and other establishments in Carlton. [1]
McRoach was a admirer of American writer Hunter S. Thompson and accompanied the writer as his publicity director on a ten-day tour of Australia in 1976. [1] [3] [7] An account of the tour was later published by McRoach in his 1979 book Dozen Dopey Yarns. [2]
McRoach was a founder of the Australian Marijuana Party. [7] In the 1977 federal election, McRoach legally changed his name to JJ McRoach to run for the Australian Senate as a candidate for the party. [1] JJ was slang for a cannabis cigarette. However, McRoach explained that it stood for Jay, a reference to a joint, and Jerilderie, the Victorian town known for its association with Ned Kelly. [1] He received a total of 14,383 votes. [3]
McRoach reverted back to using the Olszewski name again later in his career. [3]