Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall
Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall
Publisher : Allen & Unwin | ISBN : 1741754992 | Jan-2008 | Pages : 342 | PDF | 5.13 MB
Publisher : Allen & Unwin | ISBN : 1741754992 | Jan-2008 | Pages : 342 | PDF | 5.13 MB
Great sporting prowess and a battle with alcohol. A charmer and a rogue. A visionary who seemed bereft of insight into himself. First-hand experience of racial tension. This could be a contemporary story, but it's 150 years old. It's the narrative of the life of Tom Wills, one of the most important sportsmen in the history of this country - he was a cricketer of international repute and creator of Australian Rules football in 1858. But Wills' story goes way beyond sport to become important social history. Sent to Rugby School at 14, he returned as a self-sufficient worldly young man. His father was killed by Aborigines in Queensland yet Wills went on to coach Aboriginal cricketers who became the first Australian cricket team to tour England. He was outspoken in the press on many social and political issues. So much success, yet he took his own life at 44, stabbing himself in the heart. He was destitute. The sporting achievements of Tom Wills are well documented, but the real Wills has remained elusive until now. De Moore brings this extraordinary man to life.