John Raymond Gillam (1909 – 23 March 1998) was a professional

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 112 ...

footballer in the Australian competition the

New South Wales Rugby League The New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) is the governing body of rugby league in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and is a member of the Australian Rugby League Commission. It was formed in Sydney on 8 August 1907 and was ...

(NSWRL).

Playing career

Gillam began his career in the lower Grades at

Glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...

before moving to the

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 ...

club, he only appeared in a few first grade matches at Easts in 1931 but was a member of that club's 3rd grade winning side in 1930. Gillam, the brother-in-law of

Sir Donald Bradman Sir Donald George Bradman, (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 has bee ...

, also played for North Sydney for two seasons in 1934–1935 and Western Suburbs for two seasons between 1935–1936 before retiring. Gillam died on 23 March 1998, aged 88.Sydney Morning Herald; Death Notice 24/3/98

References

*''The Encyclopedia Of Rugby League Players''; Alan Whiticker & Glen Hudson 1909 births 1998 deaths Australian rugby league players Sydney Roosters players Place of birth missing Western Suburbs Magpies players North Sydney Bears players Rugby league players from New South Wales Rugby league second-rows {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-stub