One of five children born to Victor and Phyllis McCarthy, he grew up on "Glenaholm", a citrus and poultry farm just out of Pietermaritzburg, where his mother bred a famous line of Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs.
Her eldest son, Cuan McCarthy, became one of South Africa's best fast-bowlers and distinguished himself in Test matches against England.
This was best seen against the 1951 South Africans, who fielded Cuan McCarthy, the fastest bowler in the world at the time.
Joseph McCarthy | Cormac McCarthy | Eugene McCarthy | Paul McCarthy | McCarthy | Jenny McCarthy | Andrew McCarthy | Mary McCarthy | Mary McCarthy (author) | John McCarthy | Shawna McCarthy | Nobu McCarthy | Mick McCarthy | Melissa McCarthy | Gerard McCarthy | Carolyn McCarthy | Andrew C. McCarthy | Pete McCarthy | Nick McCarthy | Neil McCarthy (actor) | Neil McCarthy | McCarthy (surname) | McCarthy, Alaska | Liam McCarthy Cup | Brandon McCarthy | J. Thomas McCarthy | Joseph McCarthy (lyricist) | John McCarthy (journalist) | Helen McCarthy | Cuan McCarthy |