Wills & Harrison News
Tom Wills Round of AFL Footy
Geelong beat Demons by 116 points in this historical round of football...read more
Footy's flawed father (Tom Wills)
12th July 2008 - Saturday Herald Sun - pages 26 - 27 Article by Cheryl Critchley - ...no web link but a great article. Information based on the new book by Greg de Moore - Tom Wills, His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall (Allen and Unwin, $32.95)
Description
This is the story of Tom Wills ? flawed genius, sporting libertine, fearless leader and agitator, and the man most often credited with creating the game we now know as Australian Rules football.
Sent to the strict British Rugby School in 1850 at fourteen, Tom returned as a worldly young man whose cricket prowess quickly captured the hearts of Melburnians. But away from the adoring crowds, in the desolation of the Queensland outback, he experienced first-hand the devastating effects of racial tension when his father was murdered in the biggest massacre of Europeans by Aboriginal people. Yet five years later, Tom coached the first Aboriginal cricket team.
Tom Wills lived hard and fast, challenging authority on and off the field. But when his physical talents began to fade, the psychological demons that alcohol and adrenaline had kept at bay surged to the fore, driving him to commit the most brutal of suicides. He was forty-four and destitute.
Greg de Moore has carefully pieced together Tom's life, giving us an extraordinary portrait of the life and times of one of our first sporting heroes, a man who lived by his own rules and whose contribution to Australian history has endured for more than 150 years.
About Greg de Moore
Greg de Moore is a consultant psychiatrist at Sydney's Westmead Hospital and his study of Wills's life stems from his interest in male suicide. His ten years of research has unearthed original medical records, letters, text books and notes, previously believed to have been lost or destroyed. He lives in Sydney.
| ISBN: |
9781741754995 |
| Australian Pub.: |
July 2008 |
| Edition: |
1 |
| Publisher: |
Allen & Unwin |
| Imprint: |
Allen & Unwin |
| Subject: |
Biography: general |
| Edition Number: |
1 |
Fathers of football buried in Kew - 22 July 2008 - Story by James Dowling
http://www.leadernews.com.au/article/2008/07/22/39521_ppv_news.html
Aussie Rules Football - International Cup 2008
Nineteen teams are expected to compete...read more
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About Us
The Wills & Harrison brand was created to recognise the original fathers of Aussie Rules Football, to reflect on the historical significance of their vision, actions and persistence and to celebrate what has become the greatest spectator sport in Australia.
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What We Do
Wills & Harrison produce a range of clothing and other products for those with a passion for Australian Rules Football. The game itself follows the colonisation of Australia and has developed along with all Australians. In Australia footy is apart of our lives and a way of life. No Australian alive today has ever known life without football. The men Tom Wills & Henry Harrison are known as the fathers of Australian Rules Football and as a brand we reflect on those origins with quality products reminiscent of those early days.
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Wills & Harrison, Wills & Harrison Aussie Rules Since 1858, and Wills & Harrison Fathers of Australian Rules Football 1858 and the image of the footballer kicking are all registered (R) Trade Marks. All rights are reserved. |
