Ferris Arthur Ashton (21 August 1926 – 29 January 2013) was an Australian

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 11 ...

footballer who represented his country in 8 test matches. Ferris was also a member of the

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister of ...

(RAN) during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

Club career

Ashton was born in Sydney,

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, and began his rugby league career playing with the Bondi United club at a junior level. In 1950 the burly forward began his senior career with

Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...

. A loyal clubman, Ashton played 87 matches for Easts in the years (1950–56),http://www.stats.rleague.com/rl/scorers/players/Ferris_Ashton.html captaining the side in many of those years and has now been made a life member of the club. In 1951 he played for NSW before gaining selection for Australia the following year in the series against New Zealand. Ashton made a stunning debut giving the final pass for three tries. At the years end he was selected for the 1952/53 Kangaroo Tour. On tour he played in twenty-two matches including five tests. His final test appearance was in 1953 when he was Australias' sole try scorer in the side that was defeated by New Zealand.

War service

During the Second World War, Ferris served on board the destroyer and served with the British Fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Ferris was also a very good boxer, taught by Major Francis O'Connor, having been undefeated in 19 amateur fights. He beat the best of the U.S. Navy when in Tokyo Harbour after the surrender. After the war, Ferris was on leave getting ready to go back to Japan when he slipped down some stairs, leading to a broken knee.

Representative, Coach and Family

In July '52 he was selected for the Kangaroo tour and spent the next 8 months in England and France. The boat took 6 weeks to get there and 7 to get back. Ferris made the test team to tour N.Z. in 1953 and played his last test. He is listed on the ''Australian Players Register'' as Kangaroo No.289. Ferris met Patty Brennan, Miss Bondi, in 1946 and married in 1950, Michael was born in 1951. Michelle was born in 1954, Kelly in 1955 and Greg in 1957. In 1953 the American All Stars toured Australia with Ferris partnering

Jack Gibson Jack Gibson may refer to: * Jack Gibson (rugby league) (1929–2008), Australian player and coach * Jack Stanley Gibson (1909–2005), Irish physician * Jack Gibson (ice hockey, born 1880) (1880–1955), ice hockey player and executive * Jack Gibs ...

in the second-row for NSW. He Captain-coached the Roosters in 1954 and finishing his career in 1957 when taking a job offer as safety manager for the

Snowy Mountains Scheme The Snowy Mountains Scheme or Snowy scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in south-east Australia. The Scheme consists of sixteen major dams; nine power stations; two pumping stations; and of tunnels, pipelines and aqueducts that ...

. Ferris moved his family back to Sydney in 1962 settling on the Northern Beaches at Allambie Heights.

Television personality

A former first grade cricketer with Waverley, Ashton was a wicketkeeper/batsman with 106 not out his highest score. He was a regular on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

rugby league television program 'Controversy Corner' with

Rex Mossop Rex Peers "Moose" Mossop (18 February 1928 – 17 June 2011) was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s – a dual-code international, and an Australian television personality from 1964 un ...

, Alan Clarkson,

Col Pearce Colin Frederick Pearce (1917 – 10 June 2004) was an Australian rugby league referee. He is one of the most widely known and widely respected referees in the history of rugby league. Pearce, born in Newtown, New South Wales, was originally mor ...

and Noel Kelly discussing pertinent Rugby League matters. The show ran for 19 years.

"From early days i was the keenest of
Eastern Suburbs Eastern Suburbs may refer to: Places *Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), India *Eastern Suburbs (Sydney), Australia **Eastern Suburbs railway line, Sydney, Australia Sports clubs ;Association football *Eastern Suburbs AFC, Auckland, New Zealand * Eastern ...
fans. Many, many times I sat on the hill at the
sports ground A pitch or a sports ground is an outdoor playing area for various sports. The term ''pitch'' is most commonly used in British English, while the comparable term in American and Canadian English is playing field or sports field. For most sports t ...
and SCG and watched Easts in their red, white and blue. When I look back now I'm very, very proud of the fact that I never played with another club. They were my club."

- Ferris Ashton.

Accolades

On 24 October 2000, Ashton was awarded the

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

for his rugby league achievements. The Ashton-Collier Medal is awarded to the 'man of the match' on the annual Anzac Day clash between

Sydney Roosters The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional Rugby League Football Club based in the Eastern Suburbs (Sydney) and parts of inner Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL) competition. The Roosters have won fifteen Ne ...

and

St George Illawarra Dragons The St. George Illawarra Dragons is an Australian professional rugby league football club, representing both the Illawarra and St George, Sydney, St George regions of New South Wales. The club has competed in the National Rugby League since NR ...

, and the medal is co-named in the honour of Ferris Ashton and Bill Collier. Ferris Ashton died on 29 January 2013.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, Ferris 1926 births 2013 deaths Australian rugby league coaches Australian rugby league players Australia national rugby league team players New South Wales rugby league team players Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II Rugby league players from Sydney Rugby league second-rows Sydney Roosters coaches Sydney Roosters players Sydney Roosters captains