| George Bower | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | George Buxton Bower | ||
| Date of birth | 18 June 1884 | ||
| Place of birth | South Melbourne, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 5 February 1964 (aged 79) | ||
| Place of death | Brighton, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | Leopold[1] | ||
| Height | 175 cm (5 ft 9 in) | ||
| Weight | 75 kg (165 lb) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1909–1914 | South Melbourne | 75 (11) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1914. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
George Buxton Bower (18 June 1884 – 5 February 1964)[2] was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
Family[edit]
His older brother, Harold Carlyle Bower (1878–1954) also played for South Melbourne.[3]
Football[edit]
South Melbourne (VFL)[edit]
Bower made his debut in round one, 1909, against Geelong, at Corio Oval on 1 May 1909.[1]
He was a member of a premiership team in his very first season, playing as a centreman in the 1909 VFL Grand Final.[4] In 1912, South Melbourne made another grand final, but Bower didn't play as he had received a four-week suspension in the semi-final, for striking Essendon's Fred Baring.[5]
He played his last senior match, against Geelong, on 2 May 1914,[2] in which he was one of the best on the ground.[6]
Training Units Team (AIF)[edit]
While serving overseas he played for the (losing) Australian Training Units team in the famous "Pioneer Exhibition Game" of Australian Rules football, held in London, in October 1916. A news film was taken at the match.[8][9]
Military service[edit]
Bower's career ended when he enlisted in the First AIF; he served overseas with the 13th Light Horse Regiment[10]
See also[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ The Argus, "Club Gossip", 11 June 1909, p. 9
- ^ "australianfootball.com".
- ^ Holmesby & Main (2007).
- ^ Football Final, The Argus, (Saturday, 2 October 1909), p.17; Football Premiership, The Age, (Monday, 4 October 1909), p.8; Observer, "South Melbourne Wins", The Age, (Monday, 4 October 1909), p.6.
- ^ The Argus, "Bower Disqualified For Final", 19 September 1912, p. 7
- ^ South's Superior System, The Argus, (Monday, 4 May 1914), p.6.
- ^ Detail of Organised by Australian Olympic swimmer Lieutenant Frank Beaurepaire, etc., in the collection of the Australian War Memorial (Accession number: H16688).
- ^ The original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916) on YouTube
- ^ The 2019 remastered and colourised version of the original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916), remastered and colourised version (2019) on YouTube
- ^ Service Record.
References[edit]
- Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007), The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers, BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-920910-78-5
- Richardson, N. (2016) The Game of Their Lives, Pan Macmillan Australia: Sydney. ISBN 9781743536667
- Photographs: second from left, front row, in File:1909_South_Melbourne_Football_Club.jpg, centre of second row, at Group portrait of officers of the 60th Battalion (C01871), collection of the Australian War Memorial; and third from left, back row, in Group portrait of officers of the 60th Battalion (E01426), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- Pioneer Exhibition Game Australian Football: in aid of British and French Red Cross Societies: 3rd Australian Division v. Australian Training Units at Queen's Club, West Kensington, on Saturday, October 28th, 1916, at 3pm, Wightman & Co., (London), 1919.
- Melbourne (8.5) Beat Geelong (6.3), The Age, (Monday, 3 May 1909), p.5.
- Club Gossip, The Argus, (Friday, 11 June 1909), p.9.
- South Melbourne Going Strong, The Argus, (Monday, 14 June 1909), p.5.
- Football, The Mercury, (Wednesday, 6 October 1909), p.8.
- Football, The (Adelaide) Register, (Monday, 11 October 1909), p.5.
- Observer, "South Melbourne Wins", The Argus, (Monday, 4 October 1909), p.6.
- St.Kilda's Form, The Argus, (Monday, 6 September 1909), p.5.
- Second Semi-Final, The Argus, (Monday, 20 September 1909), p.6.
- Fighting for a Final, The Argus, (Monday 27 September 1909), p.6.
- South Melbourne's Superiority, The Argus, (Monday, 27 April 1914), p.6.
- Presentations to Footballers, The Argus, (Wednesday, 13 October 1915), p.10.
- First World War Embarkation Roll: Private George Buxton Bower (1446), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- First World War Nominal Roll: Lieutenant George Buxton Bower (1446), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
- First World War Service Record: Lieutenant George Buxton Bower (1446), National Archives of Australia.
External links[edit]
- George Bower's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- George Bower at AustralianFootball.com