Thomas Joseph Bellew (30 January 1922 – 26 June 2001) was an Australian

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 ...

administrator. He was educated at Marcellin College Randwick, and was Dux of the college in 1938. Having had a long career as a grade referee, he became the Code's pre-eminent expert on the rules before serving as a Vice President of 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 ...

from 1974 to 1983. He was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors in 1983 and remained in that position until 1986. He was also a long-serving director of the

Australian Rugby League The Australian Rugby League Commission (ARL), formerly the Australian Rugby Football League known as the Australian Rugby League is an Australian rugby league football competition operator. It was founded in 1986 as the Australian Rugby Footbal ...

from 1983 to 1997. In 1986 he was awarded the

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in recognition of service to the sport and for public service. He was also the chairman of the

Gold Coast Chargers The Gold Coast Chargers were a professional rugby league club which played in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership from New South Wales Rugby League season 1988, 1988 to New South Wales Rugby League season 1994, 1994, the Australian Ru ...

from 1996 to 1998 and the inaugural chairman of the

Metropolitan Cup The Ron Massey Cup (formerly known as the Bundaberg Red Cup and Jim Beam Cup) is a semi-professional development level rugby league competition in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, run jointly by the New South Wales Rugby League (NSWRL) and th ...

. His youngest son, Geoffrey Bellew, is a Justice of the Supreme Court of NSW Masters, Roy (27 June 2001)
"Final wish granted to selfless contributor"
''

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

'', p. 25

References

External links

''User Guide to the International Laws of Rugby League''
(the updated version of Tom Bellew's original ''Explanatory Notes on the Laws of the Game'' with a brief tribute to Bellew) 1922 births 2001 deaths Australian rugby league administrators Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Australian rugby league referees Gold Coast Chargers {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1920s-stub