Billy Thomas (Australian footballer)
Encyclopedia
William Charles Gordon "Billy" Thomas (born 20 February 1902, in North Fremantle, Western Australia
; died 28 April 1968, in South Perth
, Western Australia
) was an Australian rules football
er for in the West Australian Football League
(WAFL)/Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and Kalgoorlie City
in the Goldfields Football Association
(GFA)/Goldfields Football League
(GFL). He was the winner of the 1929 Sandover Medal
, and later served as a coach and administrator at East Perth.
. Born in North Fremantle, he moved to Geraldton with his family at the age of six. In 1922, he made his debut for Railways Football Club in the Geraldton Football Association (GFA), captaining the side in 1924 before being transferred to Coolgardie due to his work as a telegraphist
. He played one-and-a-half seasons of football with Kalgoorlie City in the GFA/GFL before again being transferred, this time to the Perth GPO. Thomas was cleared to East Perth for the 1927 season, making his debut in round 3.
Thomas won the Guthrie Gold Medal in 1928 as East Perth's best and fairest
player. He won the Sandover Medal
in 1929, and again won the Guthrie Gold Medal in 1929, becoming the first player to win the award in consecutive years.
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
; died 28 April 1968, in South Perth
South Perth, Western Australia
South Perth is a residential suburb 3 kilometres south of the central business district of Perth, the capital of Western Australia, which adjoins the southern shore of Perth Water on the Swan River...
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
) was an Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er for in the West Australian Football League
West Australian Football League
The West Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The WAFL is the second-most popular in the state, behind the nation-wide Australian Football League...
(WAFL)/Western Australian National Football League (WANFL) and Kalgoorlie City
Kalgoorlie City Football Club
Kalgoorlie City Football Club is an Australian rules football club competing in the Goldfields Football League.The club is based at Sir Richard Moore Sports Complex in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia and was formed in 1895 as the Hannans Club, making it one of the oldest football clubs in country...
in the Goldfields Football Association
Goldfields Football League
The Goldfields Football League is a regional Australian football league based in the Kalgoorlie region, Western Australia. Originally founded in 1896 as Hannans District Football Association, the league enjoyed a seat and full voting rights on the Australian National Football Council until 1919...
(GFA)/Goldfields Football League
Goldfields Football League
The Goldfields Football League is a regional Australian football league based in the Kalgoorlie region, Western Australia. Originally founded in 1896 as Hannans District Football Association, the league enjoyed a seat and full voting rights on the Australian National Football Council until 1919...
(GFL). He was the winner of the 1929 Sandover Medal
Sandover Medal
The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League...
, and later served as a coach and administrator at East Perth.
Playing career
Thomas was the son of Jack Thomas, a former captain of the Fremantle Football Club and secretary of the North Fremantle Football ClubNorth Fremantle Football Club
The North Fremantle Football Club was an Australian rules football club which competed in the West Australian Football League from 1901 to 1915.North Fremantle started out in the First Rate Junior Association, the state's second tier competition...
. Born in North Fremantle, he moved to Geraldton with his family at the age of six. In 1922, he made his debut for Railways Football Club in the Geraldton Football Association (GFA), captaining the side in 1924 before being transferred to Coolgardie due to his work as a telegraphist
Telegraphist
Telegraphist is an operator who uses the morse code in order to communicate by land or radio lines. Telegraphists were indispensable at sea in the early day of Wireless Telegraphy. During the Great War the Royal Navy enlisted many volunteers as Telegraphists. Telegraphists are also called Telegraph...
. He played one-and-a-half seasons of football with Kalgoorlie City in the GFA/GFL before again being transferred, this time to the Perth GPO. Thomas was cleared to East Perth for the 1927 season, making his debut in round 3.
Thomas won the Guthrie Gold Medal in 1928 as East Perth's best and fairest
Best and Fairest
Best and Fairest is the term commonly used in Australian sport to describe the player adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition while not receiving a suspension for misconduct or breaching the rules during that season.In the...
player. He won the Sandover Medal
Sandover Medal
The Sandover Medal is an Australian rules football award, given annually since 1921 to the fairest and best player in the West Australian Football League...
in 1929, and again won the Guthrie Gold Medal in 1929, becoming the first player to win the award in consecutive years.