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George Johnston (Australian footballer)

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George Johnston
Personal information
Full name George Henry Johnston
Nickname(s) Cheerful
Date of birth 12 February 1877
Place of birth Sandridge, Victoria
Date of death 11 August 1945(1945-08-11) (aged 68)
Place of death Hobart, Tasmania
Original team(s) Albert Park
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1897 Carlton (VFL)   1 (0)
1899-1900 Prahran (VFA) 22 (2)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1900.
Career highlights

Inaugural team captain: Prahran (VFA) 1899.

Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

George Henry Johnston (12 February 1877 – 11 August 1945) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Carlton in its first-ever match (1897) in the Victorian Football League (VFL) competition,[1] and with Prahran in its first-ever match (1899) in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) competition.

Family

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The son of John Johnston (1836-1888),[2] and Susannah Johnston (1844-1914), née Knight,[3] George Henry Johnston was born in Sandridge, Victoria on 12 February 1877.[4]

He married Edith Florence Button (1873-1933) in 1900.[5] They had four children.[6]

Football

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Carlton (VFL)

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Recruited from the Albert Park Football Club, Johnston only played once for the Carlton Football Club: against Fitzroy, at the Brunswick Street Oval, on 8 May 1987, in the first-ever round of the new Victorian Football League (VFL) competition. Three weeks later he was cleared back to Albert Park.[7]

Prahran (VFA)

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Recruited from Albert Park, Johnston played in the first-ever match that Prahran played on its re-entry into the VFA — against Richmond, at Toorak Park, on 6 May 1899 — at full-back, and as the team's captain.[8][9][10] He played in 17 matches (scoring 1 goal) in 1899, and in 5 matches (scoring 1 goal) in 1900.[11]

Recognition

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He was a Life Member of both the Prahran Football Club and the Victorian Football Association.[12]

Military service

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He enlisted in the First AIF in November 1915. He served overseas, and was wounded in action twice: in 1917,[13] and in 1918.[14][6]

Death

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He died at the Repatriation General Hospital, Hobart, on 11 August 1945.[15]

Notes

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References

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  • Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2009). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (8th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-00-4.
  • First World War Embarkation Roll: 2nd Corporal George Henry Johnstone (sic) (1052), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
  • First World War Nominal Roll: Sergeant George Henry Johnston (1052), collection of the Australian War Memorial.
  • First World War Service Record: Sergeant George Henry Johnston (1052), collection of the National Archives of Australia.
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