James Edward Melbourne (''c.'' 1876 – 13 December 1937) was the first

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians or Australian First Nations are people with familial heritage from, and membership in, the ethnic groups that lived in Australia before British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups: the Aboriginal peoples ...

to play senior

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 ...

in the Western Australian Football Association. Melbourne was orphaned at the age of four and spent his formative years in a

Middle Swan Middle or The Middle may refer to: * Centre (geometry), the point equally distant from the outer limits. Places * Middle (sheading), a subdivision of the Isle of Man * Middle Bay (disambiguation) * Middle Brook (disambiguation) * Middle Creek ...

orphanage An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...

before being put into the care of various businessmen in York. As a teenager, he was an accomplished

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

and spent time in prison for petty crimes (including stealing, cashing a cheque, passing

counterfeit To counterfeit means to imitate something authentic, with the intent to steal, destroy, or replace the original, for use in illegal transactions, or otherwise to deceive individuals into believing that the fake is of equal or greater value tha ...

coins, and escaping from a lock-up). Melbourne played his first game for West Perth against

East Fremantle East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

in the Western Australian Football Association on 2 June 1900 and was a member of their 1901 premiership side. He then moved to South Fremantle in 1902, playing four games, and then went to play for Subiaco in 1903 and 1904. In 1907, Melbourne played in the Collie Football Association, and then in the Bunbury Football Association until 1908. He was also a boxer and professional runner. In the later stages of his life he moved to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Victoria, and joined the Australian Imperial Force at the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. On 13 December 1937, Melbourne was murdered at his home in

South Melbourne, Victoria South Melbourne is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Port Phillip local government area. South Melbourne recorded a population of 11,548 at t ...

. At this time he is recorded as being married or living with Mary Edith Melbourne, a former war nurse. His landlord was convicted of Melbourne's manslaughter and sentenced to five years in prison. Melbourne is buried at

Springvale Botanical Cemetery The Springvale Botanical Cemetery is the largest crematorium and memorial park in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Springvale, in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne. History Originally known as The Necropolis Springvale, the cemetery co ...

in Melbourne. Since 2007, Melbourne's name has been perpetuated with the ''Jimmy Melbourne Cup'' being awarded to the winners of a game played between South Fremantle and Claremont during National Aboriginal Islander Day Observance Committee Week (known as ''NAIDOC Week''). These are the two WAFL clubs that have featured the most Aboriginal players.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Melbourne, Jimmy 1870s births 1937 deaths West Perth Football Club players South Fremantle Football Club players Subiaco Football Club players Indigenous Australian players of Australian rules football Australian rules footballers from Western Australia People from York, Western Australia Manslaughter victims Date of birth missing Australian military personnel of World War I People murdered in Victoria (state) Australian murder victims