Carl Willis (Australian sportsman)

Carl Bleakley Willis (24 March 1893 – 12 May 1930) was an Australian sportsman who played Australian rules football with South Melbourne and University in the Victorian Football League (VFL) as well as first-class cricket for Victoria.

Not to be confused with Carl Willis.
Carl Willis
Personal information
Full name Carl Bleackley Willis
Date of birth (1893-03-24)24 March 1893
Place of birth Daylesford, Victoria
Date of death 12 May 1930(1930-05-12) (aged 37)
Place of death Berrigan, New South Wales
Original team(s) Wesley College, Melbourne
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1912–14 University 46 (41)
1915, 1920–21 South Melbourne 29 (18)
Total 75 (59)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1921.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of Thomas Rupert Henry Willis (1860-1933),[1] and Mary Wilson Willis (1867-1949),[2] née Bleakley, Carl Bleakley Willis was born at Daylesford, Victoria on 24 March 1893.[3][4]

Education

Willis was educated at Wesley College, Melbourne, and the University of Melbourne, graduating with a Bachelor of Dental Science (BDSc) in December 1915.[5]

Football

University (VFL)

He was a regular player for University in 1912, his first season.[6]

Tribunal

He was suspended for four weeks after being reported by a steward for punching Fred Hanson in the match against St Kilda, at the M.C.G. on 18 May 1912.[7][8][9][10]

It was the first time in VFL history that a player had been suspended by a steward; and Willis was the only University player to be suspended during the club's VFL existence.[11]

South Melbourne (VFL)

He was cleared from University to South Melbourne in the 1915 pre-season.[12]

He captained South Melbourne in the 1921 season.

The Third Australian Divisional Team: 28 October 1916.[13] Carl Willis is the third player from right, back row.

Pioneer Exhibition Game" (London, October 1916)

He played for the (winning) Third Australian Divisional team in the famous "Pioneer Exhibition Game" of Australian Rules football, held in London, on Saturday, 28 October 1916. A news film was taken at the match.[14][15]

Military service

He enlisted in November 1915 and served as a dentist with the Australian Army Medical Corps Dental Detail.

He served if France in late 1916, but was gassed, hospitalised and returned to England, taking charge of a dental unit on Salisbury Plain.[16] He rose to the rank of captain in July 1918.[17]

The Australian Imperial Forces cricket team in London in 1919
(Carl Willis middle row, 4th from left)

Cricket

His cricket career, which began in 1913–14, continued after he retired as a footballer. Willis represented the Australian Imperial Forces team in 1918 and 1919, and Victoria from 1914 to 1928. He was selected to tour New Zealand in 1920–21 with the Australian team but was unavailable.[18]

Dentist

He practised dentistry in the Melbourne suburb of Malvern until 1929, when he moved to Numurkah in northern Victoria and then to Tocumwal in New South Wales.[19]

Death

He died of pneumonia on 12 May 1930 in Berrigan, New South Wales,[20] and was buried at the Melbourne General Cemetery on 14 May 1930.[21]

See also

Footnotes
  1. Deaths: Willis, The Argus, (Friday, 15 September 1933), p. 1.
  2. Death: Willis, The (Mount Gambier) Border Watch, (Saturday, 5 November 1949), p. 4.
  3. Births: Willis, The Argus, (Tuesday, 11 April 1893), p. 1.
  4. Births: Willis, The Australasian, (Saturday, 15 April 1893), p. 46.
  5. University of Melbourne: Degrees Conferred, The Argus, (Friday, 24 December 1915), p. 5.
  6. The University Team, The Leader, (Saturday, 4 May 1912), p. 29.
  7. Growden (2019), p. 121.
  8. Rough Football: University Player Reported, The Argus, (Tuesday, 21 May 1912), p. 7.
  9. Rough Football: University Player Disqualified, The Argus, (Thursday, 23 May 1912), p. 5.
  10. Late Sporting News: Football League: University Player Disqualified, The Age, (Thursday, 23 May 1912), p. 8.
  11. Richardson (2016), p. 51.
  12. Migration of Players, The Winner, (Wednesday, 21 April 1915), p. 6.
  13. Detail of Organised by Australian Olympic swimmer Lieutenant Frank Beaurepaire, etc., in the collection of the Australian War Memorial (Accession number: H16689).
  14. The original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916) on YouTube
  15. The 2019 remastered and colourised version of the original newsreel: Australian Football (Pathé Newsreel, 1916), remastered and colourised version (2019) on YouTube
  16. Growden (2019), p. 127.
  17. "St George's Church Malvern" (PDF). storage.cloversites. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  18. "The Australian Team". Evening Post. CI (26): 3. 31 January 1921. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  19. Obituary: Mr. Carl Willis, The Jerilderie Herald and Urana Advertiser, (Thursday, 15 May 1930), p. 3.
  20. "Death of Carl Willis". The Australasian: 24. 17 May 1930. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  21. Carl Willis Buried, The Herald, (Wednesday, 14 May 1930), p. 5.

References
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