View source for Marjorie Jackson-Nelson

== Early life ==
Jackson was born Marjorie Jackson on 13 September 1931 in [[Coffs Harbour]], New South Wales. Her parents are William Alfred and Mary (née Robinson) Jackson. Her father was a toolmaker and after the commencement of World War II, he moved to [[Lithgow, New South Wales|Lithgow]] to work at a factory manufacturing rifles. The family initially planned to remain in Coffs Harbour but as the war continued, they moved to Lithgow.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-05-14 |title=Marjorie Jackson's journey from Queen of Athletics to Queen's Governor of South Australia |url=https://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2022/05/15/sports/marjorie-jackson%E2%80%99s-journey-queen-athletics-queen%E2%80%99s-governor-south-australia |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=Sunday Observer |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Melbourne |first=National Foundation for Australian Women and The University of |title=Jackson-Nelson, Marjorie - Woman - The Australian Women's Register |url=https://www.womenaustralia.info/biogs/AWE0350b.htm |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=www.womenaustralia.info |language=en-gb}}</ref> Her mother was hospitalised when Jackson was thirteen and she became responsible for running the household.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2007-07-15 |title=Marjorie Jackson wins top Olympic Order |url=https://www.smh.com.au/sport/marjorie-jackson-wins-top-olympic-order-20070716-gdqmia.html |access-date=2023-09-25 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref>

While in school, Jackson began to win local races and was nicknamed [[Bernborough]] after the race horse. She travelled to Sydney for the national championships when she was fifteen, where she won every race that she entered. After joining the South Sydney Athletics Club, she was invited to compete in the [[Australian Athletics Championships|1947–48 Athletics Championships]], which served as trials for the [[1948 Summer Olympics]]. During the race, she stayed in the [[starting blocks]] while the rest of the runners began the race, believing that they had [[False start|started before the gun]]; as a result, she missed selection for the Olympics.<ref name=":0" />

Jackson began to work as a typist but she continued to train as an athlete. She ran on the Lithgow Oval until the town built her a [[cinder track]] and her father bought her [[track spikes]] and built her a set of starting blocks. Jackson trained at night, and her coach, Jim Monaghan, would use his car headlights to light the track.<ref name=":0" />