Kevin Yow Yeh
Encyclopedia
Kevin Yow Yeh was an Australia
n rugby league
player for the Balmain Tigers
in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
competition, his position of choice was on the wing. His great-nephew is current Brisbane Broncos
player Jharal Yow Yeh
.
Yow Yeh began his career in Gladstone, and played for the Redcliffe Dolphins
. In 1964 Yow Yeh was named the Redcliffe club's player of the year and in 1965 Redcliffe defeated Valleys at Lang Park to win the Brisbane Rugby League grand final. He was then sold to the Balmain Tigers
along with fellow Redcliffe player Arthur Beetson
for a fee of 1,500 pounds each. According to Beetson in his autobiography Yow Yeh was of Aboriginal and South Sea Islander descent. His nickname was "Rab" or "Rabbie".
His highlight for Balmain came in his debut season when he appeared in the grand final team against the St. George Dragons
, a game which they eventually lost. Kevin only played two seasons for the club and because he could never fully adjust to city life he left Balmain at the end of the 1967 season to return home.
Arthur Beetson wrote of Yow Yeh: "he couldn't live with the white man, a hatred inspired by the attitudes of some. It virtually killed him". Yow Yeh's suffering manifested as alcoholism. He died in the watchhouse at Mackay
Jail on June 27, 1975, supposedly of a heart attack. Beetson has "always been suspicious" about the circumstances and considers it "another Aboriginal death in custody" where the true real story will never be revealed.
He is of Vanuatu
an descent.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
player for the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership
New South Wales Rugby League premiership
The New South Wales Rugby League premiership was the first rugby league football club competition established in Australia. Run by the New South Wales Rugby League from 1908 until 1994, the premiership was the state's and later the country's elite rugby league competition...
competition, his position of choice was on the wing. His great-nephew is current Brisbane Broncos
Brisbane Broncos
The Brisbane Broncos are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the city of Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland. Founded in 1988, the Broncos play in Australasia's elite competition, the National Rugby League premiership. They have won six premierships and two...
player Jharal Yow Yeh
Jharal Yow Yeh
Jharal Yow Yeh is an Australian professional rugby league footballer for the Brisbane Broncos of the National Rugby League...
.
Yow Yeh began his career in Gladstone, and played for the Redcliffe Dolphins
Redcliffe Dolphins
The Redcliffe Dolphins are a rugby league team from the city of Redcliffe in Queensland, Australia. The Redcliffe Dolphins were founded in 1947, accepted into the Brisbane Rugby League premiership in 1960, and since 1996 have played in the Queensland Cup....
. In 1964 Yow Yeh was named the Redcliffe club's player of the year and in 1965 Redcliffe defeated Valleys at Lang Park to win the Brisbane Rugby League grand final. He was then sold to the Balmain Tigers
Balmain Tigers
The Balmain Tigers are a rugby league football club based in the inner-western Sydney suburb of Balmain. They were a founding member of the New South Wales Rugby League and one of the most successful in the history of the premiership, with eleven titles...
along with fellow Redcliffe player Arthur Beetson
Arthur Beetson
Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson, OAM , was an Australian rugby league footballer and coach. He represented Australia and Queensland from 1964 to 1981. His position was at prop. Beetson became the first Indigenous Australian to captain his country in any sport. and is frequently cited as the best...
for a fee of 1,500 pounds each. According to Beetson in his autobiography Yow Yeh was of Aboriginal and South Sea Islander descent. His nickname was "Rab" or "Rabbie".
His highlight for Balmain came in his debut season when he appeared in the grand final team against the St. George Dragons
St. George Dragons
The St George Dragons was an Australian Rugby league football club in St George, Sydney, New South Wales that played in Australia's top-level Rugby league competition from New South Wales Rugby Football League in 1921 until 1998; in 1999 they formed a joint venture with the Illawarra Steelers,...
, a game which they eventually lost. Kevin only played two seasons for the club and because he could never fully adjust to city life he left Balmain at the end of the 1967 season to return home.
Arthur Beetson wrote of Yow Yeh: "he couldn't live with the white man, a hatred inspired by the attitudes of some. It virtually killed him". Yow Yeh's suffering manifested as alcoholism. He died in the watchhouse at Mackay
Mackay, Queensland
Mackay is a city on the eastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about north of Brisbane, on the Pioneer River. Mackay is nicknamed the sugar capital of Australia because its region produces more than a third of Australia's cane sugar....
Jail on June 27, 1975, supposedly of a heart attack. Beetson has "always been suspicious" about the circumstances and considers it "another Aboriginal death in custody" where the true real story will never be revealed.
He is of Vanuatu
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
an descent.
Point scoring summary
| Games | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | 9 | - | - | 27 |
Matches played
| Team | Matches | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Balmain Tigers | 41 | 1966–1967 |