LIAM PHILLIPS
FOR decades, William “Bill” Kerr told
stories to his kids about his days playing
football for Gawler Central in the 1920s
and ’30s, but it wasn’t until recently that
his son, Dean, decided to have a dig
around and see what he could find.
Dean got in contact with Gawler Central
Football Club president Damian Brook in
hope of finding any information he could
about his father, who at 109, is the second-
oldest living person in Australia.
After digging through the 1930s archives
with no luck, Brook stumbled upon a 1928
B-grade premiership photo featuring a
16-year-old Bill Kerr in his deep V-neck
playing jumper.
“The chance of finding him in a photo was
remarkable considering the limited photos
we have during this period,” Brook said.
“After we found it, I made contact with
Dean again and asked him if it was possible
to meet with him, and he subsequently set up
a time for me to meet at Bill’s nursing home
near the city.
“I presented Bill and his family with a
framed copy of the 1928 premiership team,
which they were thrilled with.”
The 109-year-old showed some impressive
memory as well, uncovering another
layer of Gawler Central history as he recalled
the time he had a brush with the SANFL.
“Bill said he remembered training at
Gawler Oval, and was adamant that he always
played in the back line,” Brook said.
“He was extremely proud of his playing
days at Gawler Central and particularly his
best-and-fairest award, and had mentioned
this to his family many times over his lifetime.
“Eventually he left Gawler Central to go
run a bakery in Port Lincoln, and it was at
this time he was asked to play at South Adelaide,
but was unable to take up the offer.
“A mate of his from Gawler Central, Frank
Tully, was also asked and took up the offer.
After a bit of research, I have since found
that Frank ended up playing for, and captaining
both South Adelaide and South Australia
in 1935 and 1936, he was named in South
Adelaide’s ‘Greatest Ever Team’ and was
inducted into the SANFL Hall of Fame in
2002.
“The fact that Bill mentioned Frank was
an incredible bonus for us, as we may never
have known one of the all-time greats of the
SANFL hailed from our club.”
While plenty has changed since those
days, plenty also hasn’t, with Bill saying
he recalls social beers after the game before
kicking on at the local hotel.
While it was a time-consuming project,
Brook said it was a valued trip through history
to provide the oldest living Tiger with
another great memory courtesy of the Gawler
Central Football Club.
“Like many others at the club, I am extremely
proud of our 132 year heritage, but
this chance encounter really put it into perspective
for me,” he said.
“It was an absolute privilege to be able to
meet with Bill on behalf of the club and chat
to him about what it may have been like at
Gawler Central some 93 years ago.”