Search Results for: Tom Wills

Tom Wills: books, plays, references in works of history, art work

What do we know of Tom Wills? Here are a few books and other works where he is depicted. Please add others.

Tom Wills and the 1868 Tour of England

Settle in. Grab a cuppa. Sean Gorman produced this wonderful chapter for the book “Australia: A Cricket Country,” edited by Christian Ryan. On Tom Wills and the incredible 1868 cricket tour of England. [Magnificent – Ed].

May 2 Anniversary: The Life and Impact of Tom Wills

Greg de Moore wrote a celebrated biography of the remarkable Australian character Tom Wills. Here Greg gives an overview of the life and impact of one of the most intriguing Australians.

An Open Letter to Tom Wills

Marius Cuming has written an open letter to Tom Wills.

New Tom Wills doco

Have a look at the trailer for the new Tom Wills video documentary. [Worth a look – Ed]

Notes on Tom Wills Paintings

By Richard Webber *The Predestination of Tom Wills (Acrylic on canvas, 84 x 60 inch) *Tom Wills Death Scene (Acrylic on canvas, 84 x 60 inch) Thomas Wentworth (Tom) Wills has been popularized as the iconic (heroic?) personality behind the inception of Australian Rules Football. The AFL ‘Tom Wills’ Round, an MCG statue, Geoffrey Blainey’s [Read more]

Book Review: Tom Wills

Title: Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall Author: Greg de Moore Publisher:  Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2008 $32.95 (pb) At the Adelaide Writers’ Week in 2006, an event internationally famous as part of Australia’s oldest Festival of Arts, I attended a literary dinner with around a dozen people of mixed sexes. The Modern [Read more]

Almanac Cricket: 2016 Mullagh-Wills Oration

John Holmes was one of the guests at the recent Mullagh-Wills Oration at the MCG. He reflects on what was an excellent event.

VAFA – B Section: Stocktake hotcake or draft your Wills

King George! III gives his mid-season assessment of the Roys as they make their way up the Section B ladder.

Wool Team: Nominations from Victoria (includes classic Tom Hawkins farm video)

The noms for the Victorian Wool Team are out. See who they are, and add your suggestions. Now how do we pick the team?
Does inventing the game (with a little help from his friends) make you a certainty (and skipper?) – Tom Wills
Does being Secretary of the National Wool Committee who coordinated the sale of wool to England during WWII get you a guernsey?
Does being able to class 4500 ewes in a day get you in?
Does winning the first Brownlow get you in?

The bottom of the record

This is a tribute to all the players who have played a senior VFL/AFL game wearing a guernsey number of 50 and above.  The players whose names appear just above the omnipresent Mr “Rushed” at the foot of the player list in the Record, and who have used (in some cases temporarily) a locker that [Read more]

At the bottom of the Record

This 10-part series is a tribute to all the players who have played a senior VFL/AFL game wearing a guernsey number of 50 and above.  The players whose names appear just above the omnipresent Mr “Rushed” at the foot of the player list in the Record, and who have used (in some cases temporarily) a [Read more]

Stereo Story: Phil Dimitriadis on drinking, demons and the song Soma Mou

Last week Phil Dimitridis wrote bravely about the demons of drink, the legacy of Tom Wills, and the importance of the band Weddings Parties Anything.

Here, in this Stereo Story, he once again opens up, this time focusing on a song called Soma Mou, by Notis Sfakianakis.

Almanac Book Review: ‘Line and Length – A History of the Geelong Cricket Club’

Roy Hay reviews a new book detailing the history of the Geelong Cricket Club

Almanac Books: Best Sports Books I Read This Year

Peter Baulderstone nominates and reviews the best sports books he read in 2023. Add your own suggestions for Almanacker’s reading lists.

Almanac Books: New and Recent Releases reviewed on the Footy Almanac

Looking for a gift for someone special at Christmas? Over the past year or so the Footy Almanac has reviewed many books and has compiled a list for your consideration. Perhaps that special gift is on the list.

Almanac Tribute: Vale Gillian Hibbins

Roy Hay pays tribute to his friend, historian and scholar, Gillian Hibbins, who died earlier this month.

Almanac History: Two football anniversaries – Pompey and the Socceroos

Historian Roy Hay reminds readers of two significant football anniversaries coming up this year featuring Albert ‘Pompey’ Austin, and Australia’s first international soccer match.

Almanac Football History – 1858 and all that: the origins of Australian Rules Football

In this extract from his publication on the economics and economic history of the football codes, Tim Harcourt finds that Aussie Rules Football really is ‘a game of our own’ and a social phenomenon that Australians can be truly proud of.

Almanac Football History: Aren’t we lucky we are not playing soccer?

Here’s an interesting tidbit by Roy Hay from the early decades of Australian Football in one of its original heartlands – Geelong. Could the 2020 AFL grand finalists have been less the Cats we know today and more like the Sunderland Blackcats?