Dick Eason

Dick Eason
Born
Richard Thomas Eason

(1913-11-20)20 November 1913
Geelong, Victoria
Died13 November 1979(1979-11-13) (aged 65)
Sandringham, Victoria
Military career
AllegianceAustralia
Branch
Citizen Military Forces
Second Australian Imperial Force
Service years
1937–1968
Rank
Brigadier
Commands22nd Field Regiment (1954–57)
Conflicts
AwardsMilitary Cross
Efficiency Decoration
Australian rules football career
Personal information
Original team Footscray TSOB (VAFA)
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 71 kg (157 lb)
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1935–37 Footscray 25 (21)
1937 Essendon 2 (0)
Total 27 (21)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1937.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Brigadier Richard Thomas Eason, MC, ED (20 November 1913 – 13 November 1979) was a senior Australian Army officer and an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Family

The son of Alexander 'Alec' Eason (1889–1956) and Sarah Isabel "Sadie" Eason (1885–1950), née Huggett, Richard Thomas Eason was born in Geelong on 20 November 1913. His father, Alec, and his uncle, William Eason (1882–1957), were both VFL players and VFL coaches.

Eason married Mary Hemingway in 1939. They had three children.

Football

Having trained with Footscray in the 1934 pre-season, Eason was cleared to Footscray from the Footscray Technical School Old Boys Football Club in the Victorian Amateur Football Association on 26 April 1935.

One of four players granted a "surprise clearance" from Footscray on 22 June 1937, Eason was granted a permit by the VFL to transfer to Essendon on 23 June 1937. He played in a number of Second XVIII matches for Essendon, and played in two First XVIII matches: against Melbourne, at the MCG, on 17 July 1937, and in the last home-and-away match of the 1937 season, against South Melbourne, at the Lake Oval, on 28 August 1937, as a replacement for the injured Elton Plummer.

Eason received a permit to return to play for the Footscray TSOB Football Club in the VAFA on 24 April 1939.

Military service

Eason enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force in November 1939 and served in Libya, Greece, Crete and later Papua New Guinea during the Second World War. He was awarded the Military Cross for "outstanding courage and coolness" at Arohemi, near Wewak, in East Sepik Province, New Guinea, on 5 March 1945 when he went within 50 metres of the enemy to bring artillery fire to bear. He fought in a grenade battle against Japanese troops for 12 hours, during which 11 of his escort party were killed or wounded.

After the war Eason went on to become a brigadier in Citizen Military Forces.

Country Fire Authority

On 1 September 1965 he was appointed for a five-year term as the first permanent Chairman of the Country Fire Authority, and was re-appointed, for a second five-year term, on 1 September 1970.

Death

He died at Sandringham, Victoria on 13 November 1979.

Notes

  1. ↑ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 250. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  2. ↑ Goal Posts at Home, The Herald, (Friday, 23 March 1934), p.13.
  3. ↑ 'Forward', "Last-Minute Football Transfers", The Age, (Saturday, 27 April 1935), p.11.
  4. ↑ Surprise Clearance, The Argus, Wednesday, 23 June 1937), p.18.
  5. ↑ Should Appear for permits: Weber Cleared, The Argus, (Thursday, 24 June 1937), p.12.
  6. ↑ Charges Dismissed: Seconds Investigation, The Argus, (Wednesday, 4 August 1937), p.20.
  7. ↑ Note that Maplestone (1996, pp.401, 478), mistakenly, has Eason only playing one First XVIII match: against Footscray, at Windy Hill, on 10 July 1937. The contemporary newspaper records clearly show that Eason played in the Seconds, rather than the Firsts, against Footscray (League Seconds, The Age, (Monday, 12 July 1937), p.16) and, as well, twice in the Firsts, against Melbourne (Walsh, F., "Essendon Worry Redlegs But Fail at Finish", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 17 July 1937), p.4), and South Melbourne (Coombes, H., "South Shoot Poorly But Hold Dons", The Sporting Globe, (Saturday, 28 August 1937), p.3).
  8. ↑ Amateurs Back Again: Heavy Permit List, The Age, (Tuesday, 25 April 1939), p.4.
  9. ↑ MC for Coolness and Courage, The Argus, (Thursday, 26 July 1945), p.3.
  10. ↑ "Military Cross: Captain Richard Thomas Eason, VX998", Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No.149, (Thursday, 2 August 1945), p.1656.
  11. ↑ Mr McKell Presents War Honours, The Argus, (Tuesday, 21 October 1947), p.6.
  12. ↑ Cullen (2015), p.306.
  13. ↑ He was placed upon the Retired List on 3 December 1968: Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, No.13, (Thursday, 13 February 1969), p.969.
  14. ↑ Appointments: Chief Secretary's Department: Chairman of the Country Fire Authority, Victoria Government Gazette, No.69, (Wednesday, 25 August 1965), p.2648.
  15. ↑ Appointments: Chief Secretary's Department: Chairman of the Country Fire Authority, Victoria Government Gazette, No.78, (Wednesday, 19 August 1970), p.2841.
  16. ↑ Deaths: Eason, The Age, (Thursday, 15 November 1979), p.34.

References