Dick Eason

For rower, see Richard Edward Eason.

Dick Eason
Personal information
Full name	Richard Thomas Eason
Date of birth	(1913-11-20)20 November 1913
Place of birth	Geelong, Victoria
Date of death	13 November 1979(1979-11-13) (aged 65)
Place of death	Sandringham, Victoria
Original team(s)	Footscray TSOB (VAFA)
Height	178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	71 kg (157 lb)
Playing career^1
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

Richard Thomas Eason MC (20 November 1913 – 13 November 1979) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray and Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]

Family

The son of Alexander Eason (1889–1956), and Sarah Isabel "Sadie" Eason (1885–1950), née Huggett, Richard Thomas Eason was born at Geelong on 20 November 1913.

His father, Alec, and his uncle, William Eason (1882–1957), were both VFL players and VFL coaches.

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

Football

Footscray (VFL)

Having trained with Footscray in the 1934 pre-season,[2] he was cleared to Footscray from the Footscray Technical School Old Boys Football Club in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) on 26 April 1935.[3]

Essendon (VFL)

One of four players granted a "surprise clearance" from Footscray on 22 June 1937,[4] Eason was granted a permit by the VFL to transfer to Essendon on 23 June 1937.[5]

He played in a number of Second XVIII matches for Essendon,[6] 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.[7]

Footscray TSOB (VAFA)

He received a permit to return to play for the Footscray TSOB Football Club in the VAFA on 24 April 1939.[8]

Military service

Eason enlisted in the 2nd AIF in November 1939 and served in Libya, Greece, Crete and later Papua New Guinea during World War II.

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.[9][10][11]

After the war he went on to become a Brigadier in Australian Army Reserve.[12][13]

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,[14] and was re-appointed, for a second five-year term, on 1 September 1970.[15]

Death

He died at Sandringham, Victoria on 13 November 1979.[16]

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

• Cullen, Barbara (2015). Harder than Football: League Players at War. Richmond, Victoria: Slattery Media Group. ISBN 978-0-992379-14-8.
• Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
• Maplestone, M., Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996, Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996. ISBN 0-9591740-2-8
• World War Two Nominal Roll: Captain Richard Thomas Eason (352005/VX998), Department of Veterans' Affairs.
• Military Cross: Captain R T Eason, 2/2 Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, collection of the Australian War Memorial.

External links

• Dick Eason's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Dick Eason at AustralianFootball.com