George Buxton Bower (18 June 1884 – 5 February 1964) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played with South Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).

Family

His older brother, Harold Carlyle Bower (1878–1954) also played for South Melbourne.

Football

South Melbourne (VFL)

Bower made his debut in round one, 1909, against

Geelong Geelong ( ) (Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon River, ...

, at Corio Oval on 1 May 190

He was a member of a premiership team in his very first season, playing as a centreman in the

1909 VFL Grand Final The 1909 VFL Grand Final was an Australian rules football game contested between the Carlton Football Club and South Melbourne Football Club, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne on 2 October 1909. It was the 12th annual Grand Fin ...

. In 1912, South Melbourne made another grand final, but Bower didn't play as he had received a four-week suspension in the semi final, for striking Essendon's

Fred Baring Frederick Albert Baring (15 December 1890 – 10 December 1961) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the early 1900s. In 1997 he was named at fullback in Essendon's official ...

. He played his last senior match, against Geelong, on 2 May 191

in which he was one of the best on the ground.

Training Units Team (AIF)

While serving overseas he played for the (losing) Australian Training Units team in the famous 1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game, "Pioneer Exhibition Game" of Australian Rules football, held in London, in October 1916. A news film was taken at the match.

Military service

Bower's career ended when he enlisted in the First AIF; he served overseas with the

13th Light Horse Regiment The 13th Light Horse Regiment was a mounted infantry regiment of the Australian Army during the First World War. The regiment was raised in March 1915, and eventually assigned as the mounted regiment for the Australian Corps. During the war the re ...

Service Record.

Footnotes

References

* Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007), ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers'', BAS Publishing. * Richardson, N. (2016) ''The Game of Their Lives'', Pan Macmillan Australia: Sydney. * Photographs: second from left, front row, in :File:1909_South_Melbourne_Football_Club.jpg, centre of second row, a
Group portrait of officers of the 60th Battalion (C01871), collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''
and third from left, back row, i
Group portrait of officers of the 60th Battalion (E01426), collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.

''Pioneer Exhibition Game Australian Football: in aid of British and French Red Cross Societies: 3rd Australian Division v. Australian Training Units at Queen's Club, West Kensington, on Saturday, October 28th, 1916, at 3pm'', Wightman & Co., (London), 1919.

Melbourne (8.5) Beat Geelong (6.3), ''The Age'', (Monday, 3 May 1909), p.5.

Club Gossip, ''The Argus'', (Friday, 11 June 1909), p.9.

South Melbourne Going Strong, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 14 June 1909), p.5.

Football, ''The Mercury'', (Wednesday, 6 October 1909), p.8.

Football, ''The (Adelaide) Register'', (Monday, 11 October 1909), p.5.

Observer, "South Melbourne Wins", ''The Argus'', (Monday, 4 October 1909), p.6.

St.Kilda's Form, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 6 September 1909), p.5.

Second Semi-Final, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 20 September 1909), p.6.

Fighting for a Final, ''The Argus'', (Monday 27 September 1909), p.6.

South Melbourne's Superiority, ''The Argus'', (Monday, 27 April 1914), p.6.

Presentations to Footballers, ''The Argus'', (Wednesday, 13 October 1915), p.10.

First World War Embarkation Roll: Private George Buxton Bower (1446), collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.

First World War Nominal Roll: Lieutenant George Buxton Bower (1446), collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.

First World War Service Record: Lieutenant George Buxton Bower (1446), ''National Archives of Australia''.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bower, George 1884 births Australian rules footballers from Melbourne Sydney Swans players Sydney Swans Premiership players Participants in "Pioneer Exhibition Game" (London, 28 October 1916) Leopold Football Club (MJFA) players Australian military personnel of World War I 1964 deaths One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players People from South Melbourne Military personnel from Melbourne