Jimmy Melbourne

James Edward Melbourne (c. 1876 – 13 December 1937) was the first Indigenous Australian to play senior Australian rules football in a major Australian football league.[1]

Jimmy Melbourne
Personal information
Full name James Edward Melbourne
Date of birth c. 1876
Place of birth York, Western Australia
Date of death 13 December 1937
Place of death South Melbourne, Victoria
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1900–1901 West Perth 22 (5)
1902 South Fremantle 4
1903–1904 Subiaco
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1904.
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Melbourne was orphaned at the age of four and spent his formative years in a Middle Swan orphanage before being put into the care of various businessmen in York.[1] As a teenager, he was an accomplished jockey and spent time in prison for petty crimes (including stealing, cashing a cheque, passing counterfeit coins, and escaping from a lock-up).[1]

Melbourne played his first game for West Perth against East Fremantle in the Western Australian Football Association (WAFL) on 2 June 1900 and was a member of their 1901 premiership side.[2] He then moved to South Fremantle in 1902,[3] playing four games,[4] and then went to play for Subiaco in 1903 and 1904. In 1907, Melbourne played in the Collie Football Association, and then in the Bunbury Football Association until 1908. He was also a boxer and professional runner.[5] In the later stages of his life he moved to Melbourne, Victoria, and joined the Australian Imperial Force at the outbreak of World War I.[1]

On 13 December 1937, Melbourne was murdered at his home in South Melbourne, Victoria.[6][7] At this time he is recorded as being married or living with Mary Edith Melbourne, a former war nurse.[8] His landlord was convicted of Melbourne's manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison.[9] Melbourne is buried at Springvale Botanical Cemetery in Melbourne.[10]

Since 2007, Melbourne's name has been perpetuated with the Jimmy Melbourne Cup being awarded to the winners of a game played between South Fremantle and Claremont during National Aboriginal Islander Day Observance Committee Week (known as NAIDOC Week).[11] These are the two WAFL clubs that have featured the most Aboriginal players.[3]

References
  1. Wilson, Ray (5 September 2009). "Hunting the ghost of greased lightning". The West Australian. West Australian Newspapers Limited. p. 24.
  2. "WAFL Premierships". Sporting Pulse. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  3. "South Fremantle Bulldogs announce Aboriginal team of century". The West Australian. West Australian Newspapers Limited. 3 July 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  4. South Fremantle Football Club Indigenous League Players Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  5. "Battered with axe". The Age. 13 December 1937. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  6. "Battered to death". Canberra Times. 13 December 1937. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  7. "Aborigine's Death". Canberra Times. 14 December 1937. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  8. The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Friday 24 December 1937 p 10 Article
  9. "Gaol for five years". The Age. 18 February 1938. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
  10. "James Edward Melbourne". Southern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust.
  11. "WAFL NAIDOC game heads non-AFL weekend in Perth". WAFL. 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 13 March 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2009.
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