Likely Herman "Like" McBrien (7 December 1892 – 22 December 1956) was a leading
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 ...
administrator in the
Victorian Football League
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
(VFL) and a
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
n politician.
Early life
Likely McBrien was born on 7 December 1892 in
South Melbourne
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 ...
and educated at Middle Park Central School. In 1906, he commenced work as a messenger for ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' newspaper.
Public life
McBrien served in
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 ...
in a clerical capacity while based in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. Following his discharge from the services in 1917, he resumed work at ''The Age'', becoming assistant circulation manager and advertising manager. In 1922, McBrien became secretary of the Authorised News Agents' Association of Victoria, a position he held for seven years.
McBrien was an avid sportsman with a variety of interests. He played
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
and
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
, and later
golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
and
bowls
Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
, and was a prominent
rower
Rowing, sometimes called crew in the United States, is the sport of racing boats using oars. It differs from paddling sports in that rowing oars are attached to the boat using oarlocks, while paddles are not connected to the boat. Rowing is ...
. However,
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 ...
was the passion of McBrien's life. From 1909 to 1911 he was a player and treasurer of the
Leopold Football Club
The Leopold Football Club was an Australian rules football club that competed in junior competitions in Melbourne from the late 1890s until 1924. The club was affiliated with Victorian Football League senior club .
Despite its name, the club wa ...
, which later became the
South Melbourne Football Club's second eighteen.
Roles and positions
McBrien was a qualified accountant, and a
fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of the International Institute of Accountants and of the
Institute of Commerce in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. In addition, he was a director of Disher & McBrien Pty Ltd.
McBrien held many public posts: chairman of the
Edith Cavell Fund Trust, the Homes for Aged and Infirm Society, and the
Yarra Bend National Park Trust; honorary treasurer of the
Travellers' Aid Society and of the Victorian Anti-Sweating and Industrial Improvement League; executive-member of the Playgrounds and Recreation Association of Victoria; and trustee of the
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
branch of the
.
Political career
McBrien was elected to the
Victorian Legislative Council
The Victorian Legislative Council (VLC) is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Victoria, Australia, the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit at Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Co ...
in 1943 as an independent member for the province of
Melbourne North. He served as
Commissioner of Public Works
The Walsh Act is a legislation in the U.S. state of New Jersey that permits municipalities to adopt a non-partisan commission form of government. The legislation was signed by Governor of New Jersey Woodrow Wilson on April 25, 1911. The commissi ...
and
Vice-President of the Board of Land and Works in
Ian MacFarlan
Ian Macfarlan (born John Robert Macfarlan; 21 November 1881 – 19 March 1964) was the Deputy Leader of the Australian Liberal Party in the Australian state of Victoria during 1945. He was briefly commissioned as the 35th Premier of Victor ...
's short-lived ministry in 1945. One of his chief commitments was to campaign for the rehabilitation of returned servicemen. In 1949, McBrien was defeated in the elections for the Legislative Council.
Football administration
McBrien was a committee member of South Melbourne Football Club from 1912 and secretary from 1922 to 1928. He then became secretary of the VFL in 1929, holding the position for more than a quarter-century until his death in 1956.
McBrien was instrumental in the VFL buying its first head office, Harrison House, in
Spring Street, Melbourne
Spring Street is a major street in the central business district of Melbourne, Australia. It runs roughly north-south and is the easternmost street in the original 1837 Hoddle Grid.
Spring Street is famous as the traditional seat of the Gove ...
, in 1929. He played a leading role in negotiations with the
Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadiu ...
(MCG) Trustees, which led to finals being played at the MCG. He also campaigned strongly (but unsuccessfully) for the amalgamation of the VFL and the
Victorian Football Association
The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...
.
McBrien recruited other key administrators of the VFL, including
Eric McCutchan and
Jack Hamilton.
Personal life
On 16 July 1919, McBrien married Madge Margaret Summers at St Luke's Anglican Church, South Melbourne. His peculiar first name was inspired by Sir John Likely, a
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...
politician based in the
Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
.
Death
McBrien died of cerebral thrombosis on 22 December 1956 and was survived by his wife, daughter and son.
Honours
McBrien was appointed
OBE in 1950. He was inducted to the
Australian Football Hall of Fame
The Australian Football Hall of Fame was established in 1996, the Centenary year of the Australian Football League, to help recognise the contributions made to the sport of Australian rules football by players, umpires, media personalities, coa ...
in 1996.
References
*
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online EditionAustralian Football Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:McBrien, Likely
Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees
Victoria (state) state politicians
VFL/AFL administrators
Leopold Football Club (MJFA) players
Sydney Swans administrators
1892 births
1956 deaths
Deaths from cerebral thrombosis
20th-century Australian politicians
People from South Melbourne
Politicians from Melbourne
Australian accountants
Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire
Members of the Victorian Legislative Council
Vice-Presidents of the Board of Land and Works
Ministers for Public Works (Victoria)