Neville James Way (16 March 1924 – 13 June 2018) was an Australian surgeon who also played

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 ...

with St Kilda 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 Norwood in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport. Originally formed as the ...

(SANFL). Way grew up in the Western Australian goldfields and played football for Boulder City in the local league. In 1942, at the age of 18, he enlisted with 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 ...

and was sent to in Victoria for training. During his time in Victoria, Way played eight VFL games for St Kilda, before discharging from the Navy at the year's end. While he studied at the

University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

during the 1940s, Way was one of the leading centre half-forwards of the SANFL, playing with Norwood. He was the leading goal-kicker at Norwood in 1945 with 39 goals and again in 1947 when he kicked 49 goals. The runner-up in the 1947

Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willia ...

count, Way also enjoyed team success, participating in Norwood's 1946 and 1950 premiership winning teams. He made a total of nine interstate appearances for South Australia, some of which came in the 1947 Hobart Carnival. Seven of his 19 interstate goals were kicked in South Australia's win over the VFL in 1945. He went on to have a medical career, starting out at

Royal Adelaide Hospital The Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), colloquially known by its initials or pronounced as "the Rah", is South Australia's largest hospital, owned by the state government as part of Australia's public health care system. The RAH provides tertiary hea ...

. In 1953 he moved to England for two years and qualified as a

Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England The Royal College of Surgeons of England (RCS England) is an independent professional body and registered charity that promotes and advances standards of surgical care for patients, and regulates surgery and dentistry in England and Wales. The ...

. When he came back to Australia he joined the

Royal Perth Hospital Royal Perth Hospital (RPH) is a 450-bed adult and teaching hospital located on the northeastern edge of the central business district of Perth, Western Australia. History The hospital traces its history back to the first colonial hospital, whi ...

where he worked as a general surgeon until his retirement in 1989.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Way, Neville 1924 births 2018 deaths Australian rules footballers from Western Australia St Kilda Football Club players Norwood Football Club players Boulder City Football Club players Australian surgeons University of Adelaide alumni People from Boulder, Western Australia Royal Australian Navy personnel of World War II