William Leitch (footballer)
William Douglas Leitch[1] (16 December 1863 – 24 May 1943[2] ), born in Hobart to Scottish immigrants John Leitch and Jean McCrone, was a Tasmanian footballer, businessman and sports administrator.[3] Leitch was an employee and later board of directors member of Henry Jones's IXL jam manufacturing business;[3] taking his first job at the company at the age of only ten and working there until his death, he gave almost seventy years continuous service.[4]
In his youth Leitch was a highly regarded Australian rules football player at the Railway Football Club.[5] In later life he was a patron of Australian rules football in Tasmania, and was a long-time Tasmanian delegate to the Australian National Football Council.[6] The William Leitch Medal for the fairest and best player in the Tasmanian Australian National Football League was named in his honour.[3]
References
- "Birth Certificate of William Douglas Leitch". linctas.ent.sirsidynix.net.au. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- "Mr. William Leitch, Hobart". The Advocate. Tasmania. 25 May 1943. p. 2. Retrieved 29 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- "The Companion to Tasmanian History – William Douglas Leitch". The Companion to Tasmanian History. University of Tasmania. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- "Mr William Leitch's record". The Mercury. CLVII (22, 540). Hobart, TAS. 26 February 1943. p. 5. Retrieved 29 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- Reynolds, John. "Australian Dictionary of Biography – Jones, Sir Henry (1862–1926)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Australian National University. Retrieved 11 October 2013.
- "Football Official Dies". The News. 40 (6, 184). Adelaide. 25 May 1943. p. 6. Retrieved 29 May 2017 – via National Library of Australia.