The death of Ralph Robertson
The sorrow felt when the news came through on Saturday to the various football grounds that Lieutenant Ralph Robertson had been killed at the French front, while on active service, will be general in all the states of Australia. Lieutenant Ralph Robertson was 37 years of age.
Born in England, he came to Victoria with his parents (whom he lost about four years ago) when but two years old. He came into prominence as a junior footballer with the South Beach team (St. Kilda), and after his second year with that team was selected to play with the St. Kilda League team, being but 17 years old. St. Kilda was captained by Jim Smith (an all-round athlete), for whose abilities Robertson always had reverent memory. Robertson’s ability as a footballer, even at that early age, may be gauged by the fact that from thence on he held a place in the selected team each week.
He came to Sydney in 1902 to take up the position of country representative for the firm of John Darling and Co., wheat merchants. The Australian game was not then being played in Sydney, and his love for football led him into the ranks of Fitzroy Club (City and Suburban Rugby Union), wherein he had as playing associates Fred and Snowy Baker, Salmon, E. Mandible, and others, who later went on became shining lights in the palmy days of the Rugby Union game.
On the revival of the Australian game in Sydney in 1903, Ralph Robertson lost no time in returning to his old love, and joining East Sydney Club, he was elected captain and led the team to premiership that season. He played with East Sydney till 1908, when he transferred to North Sydney [aka North Shore], whom he captained from 1909 to 1914. He captained the N.S.W. representative team in the carnival games of 1908 (Melbourne), 1911 (Adelaide), and 1914 (Sydney).
The declaration of war against Germany preceded by one day the opening of the carnival matches in Sydney. Before the carnival was brought to an end, Ralph Robertson had gone into camp for active service. He was awarded the gold medal presented by the proprietors of The Referee as the best player on the New South Wales side.
He went to Rabaul with the Australian Contingent, and returned a bit shattered in health, but a month or two in the Riverina district brought thorough recuperation. “Keep the game going because there will be some who cannot go” he remarked to the writer during the course of a long and interesting conversation after his return from Rabaul. He then expressed his intention of going to England and re-enlist, which he subsequently did. There he became attached to the Royal Flying Corps.
In letters he sent to ‘Old Timer’, of The Referee, and others, he always had a word for the game he loved so well, and remembrances to those associated with it. One of nature’s noblemen, and Australia’s gifted footballers, hath laid down his life for others.
AWM Commemorative Roll
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