Obituaries 1
ALEX CHISHOLM
Alexander Keith Chisholm was born in Melbourne on 12 July 1942 and grew up in the Northeastern suburbs.
He joined the VFL Reserve Grade as a field umpire in 1958 and in 1964 he was promoted to the VFL senior list.
While on the senior list he umpired 97 VCFL matches, 4 Metropolitan League matches and the 1967 South Melbourne Lightning Premiership at the Lake Oval. His only final was his final match, the 1970 Bairnsdale and District Preliminary Final with Paynesville defeating Wy Yung.
Alex passed away on 26 June 2010.
HUBERT CLARKE
Hubert Henry Clarke was born in Carlton on 16 April 1928 and grew up in Coburg.
Joining the VFL Reserve Grade in 1950 he was promoted to the senior list in 1953 and over the next four seasons umpired 50 VCFL, 3 VFL Second Eighteens and 1 Metropolitan League match. IN August 1954 Hubert officiated for three consecutive weeks in the VFL Second Eighteens competition at the Glenferrie and Junction Ovals and finally at Victoria Park. The following year was his most succesful VCFL year culminating with two finals, the Bass Valley Reserves First-Semi and the Gippsland League Reserves Second-Semi finals.
After leaving the VFL at the end of 1956 Hubert sat as a member of the Eastern Suburbs Football League Tribunal in 1957-58.
Hubert Clarke passed away on 30 August 2011.
GRAEME COCKS
Graeme Leonard Cocks’s time on the VFL senior list was very short, a single season resulting in seven VCFL matches and one Metropolitan League match.
Born on 4 February 1941 Graeme played football with the Glen Iris and South Caulfield Football Clubs before beginning an umpiring career with the VFL Reserve Grade in 1963. He was promoted to the senior list for the 1967 season and finished at the end of that year and eventually moved to NSW. Many years later he returned to umpriring in Sydney as a NSWAFL goal umpire from 1995-1999 and also a NSWAFL umpires observer in 1998-1999.
Graeme also contributed to football administration as President of the Sydney District Junior Football Association and Secretary/Treasurer of the Mt. Druitt Football Club. His service to the latter was recognised with Life Membership.
Aged 67, Graeme Cocks passed away in Sydney on 23 August 2008.
DONALD CRISP
A keen sportsman Donald Duncan Crisp played tennis, squash, basketball and table tennis as he was growing up in Reservoir.
Born on 25 September 1941 to Don and Ivy Crisp Don also played football at school but began umpring with the Preston District Junior Football League in 1961 and 1962, before moving onto the VFL Reserve Grade for four years, 1963-1966.
From 1967 to 1969 the toiled on the VFL senior list accummulating 50 VCFL, one Metropolitan League match and the 1967 South Melbourne Lightning Premiership.
Moving to Queensland in 1970, Don continued to contribute to umpiring by taking on the role of Observer and Chairman of Umpires Appointment Board of the Queensland Australian Football League from 1970-1973.
Donald Crisp passed away on 18 June 2011, aged 69.
ERNIE GILLETT
Ernie Gillett was a member of the VFLUA for a single season – 1959
Born Ernest Raymond Gillett in Subiaco, Western Australia on 19 February 1928 he grew up in the Perth suburb of Osborne Park WA.
A keen footballer he played with Osborne Park Amateur FC (Western Australian Amateur FA) and later, when in the RAAF, represented both Western Australia Victoria.
Beginning umpiring on the boundary with the West Ausralian National Football League in 1951 he did three seasons before transferring to Victoria where he joined the VFL Second Eighteens as a field umpire in 1958. The following year he was promoted to the senior list and completed 12 matches before another transfer took him out of Victoria.
In recent years he resided in Somerset, Tasmania, just north of Burnie, where he passed away on 2 December 2011
BARRIE LAWSON
Barrie’s involvement in professional athletics led him to umpiring.
Born on 19 March 1937 in North Melbourne, Barrie Donald Lawson grew up there and later in Footscray and Williamstown.
He joined the VFL Reserve Grade as a field umpire in 1957 and in 1960 was promoted to the senior list. In only his second year he was appointed to two VCFL finals, both Reserves competitiions. By 1963 the finals were senior VCFL finals; that year they were in the Coreen, Tyrrell and Central Riverina leagues. In his final two years Barrie umpired eight finals and his only Grand Final, the 1964 Correen league.
In 1964 he was also appointed to a Tasmanian match and the South Western District and Northern Riverina inter-league match.
Barrie retired at the end of the 1965 season. During his final two years he held the office of Assistant Secretary of the VFL Umpires Association.
Barrie passed away on 23 June 2009.
ALAN NISBET
Alan Russell Nisbet was born in Bentleigh on 10 September 1928 and grew up in McKinnon. Most of his life was spent in the same area. A butcher by trade he had his own business but still managed to train and umpire for many years
He played football with Bentleigh Football Club in the Caulfield-Oakleigh Football League but also particpated in numerous other sports, including, tennis, ice skating, cycling, roller skating, dancing and swimming
Beginning umpiring with the VFL Reserve Grade in 1949 he was promoted to the Senior list in 1952 and in seven seasons accumulated 111 matches. The vast majority were VCFL home and away matches but there were also two VCFL finals- the 1953 Cohuna League Reserves Preliminary Final and his final match the Bass Valley-Wonthaggi League First Semi Final.
1953 was Alan’s most successful. He began and ended the year in the VFL Second Eighteens and was twice appointed to a Northwest Football Union matches at Burnie and Devonport as the visiting Melbourne umpire. Each of the following years until 1956 he umpired in the Seconds for a total of 28 matches
After leaving the VFL Alan umpired in the VFA, Oakleigh District Football League and the South East Suburban Churches competition..
Alan passed away on 31 March 2012.
BRUCE WYLIE
Bruce Fricker Wylie was born in South Melbourne on 11 April 1934 and grew up in Albert Park. He played football in the Essendon District Football league with West Brunswick and in summer turned out for Port Melbourne in the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association.
Aged 30 he joined the VFL senior list in 1964 after six seasons on the VFL Reserve Grade. In six seasons on the senior list he compiled a record comprising 94 VCFL and 4 Metropolitan matches.
Following his VFL career he moved onto the East Suburban Churches Football Association (1970-73), the South East Suburban Football League (1973-77) and, as a goal umpire, the Victorian Amateur Football Association (1986-89). For two years he served as Vice-president of the South East Suburban Football League Umpires’ Association.
Bruce passed away 2 June 2010.
ALBY HAMID
Albert George Hamid was born on 19 April 1928 and spent his early years in Footscray where he played football for Victor Social. He took up umpiring aged 22 when he joined the VFL Reserve Grade as a field umpire in 1950.
He spent five seasons on the Reserve Grade list before being promoted to the seniors in 1955.
During his ten years as a VFL umpire he traveled all across Victoria and Southern NSW with his contemporaries. While he never made it to the VFL Reserve Grade competition he regularly umpired country finals every year from 1956 until his retirement in 1964. His most successful season was 1957 when he umpired finals in the Barellan, Alberton and Glenelg District leagues and finished the season with Grand Finals in the South Gippsland and North Central Football Leagues at Leongatha and Charlton respectively.
After completing ten seasons in 1964 Alby was rewarded with Life Membership of the Association at the 1965 Annual General Meeting. He retired from umpiring at the same time but for nine years drove umpires to Northern District Football League.
Alby passed away on 5 October 2007.
COLIN READ
Colin Read umpired with the VFL seiior list from 1957-1962. Of the 88 matches to which he was appointed his only two finals were both Reserve Grade Preliminary Finals in the Southern Mallee League. Both were at Beulah and both resulted in wins for Woomelang-Lascelles Reserves.
Colin James Read was born in Maffra on 12 September 1933 at Maffra and grew up there before moving to Melbourne. He played football for Sale Football Club and Caulfield in the VFA before taking up umpiring as a boundary umpire with the VFL Reserve Grade in 1952.
Transferring to the field in 1954 he was promoted to the VFL senior list in 1957. Following his time with the VFL he moved onto the Victorian Amateur Football Association from 1963-1968.
Colin passed away on 12 September 2011.