John Robertson (Australian footballer, born 1892)

For the Hawthorn and Richmond player, see John Robertson (Australian footballer, born 1940).

John William Robertson (15 July 1892 – 8 September 1982) was an Australian rules football player for Port Adelaide. His career was cut short due to World War I and the injuries obtained in the conflict.

John Robertson
Personal information
Full name	John William Robertson
Date of birth	(1892-07-15)15 July 1892
Place of birth	Semaphore South, South Australia
Date of death	8 September 1982(1982-09-08) (aged 90)[1]
Place of death	Plenty, Victoria
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Weight	77 kg (170 lb)
Position(s)	Centre half-back
Playing career
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1912–1915	Port Adelaide	59
1919–1920	Port Adelaide	3
Total		62
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
1914	South Australia	5
Career highlights
Referee Newspaper Medal – South Australia's best player (1914) 2× Championship of Australia (1913, 1914) 2× Port Adelaide premiership player (1913, 1914) Port Adelaide captain (1920)
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Family

The son of John George Robertson (1868-), and Elizabeth Lucy Robertson (1865-1940), née Tuttle,^[3] John William Robertson was born in Semaphore South, South Australia on 15 July 1892.

He married Ruby Mary Emily Kelsey (1895-1975) in 1919. They had one child: a daughter, Joan Mary Robertson (born 1921).

Football

Port Adelaide (SAFL)

Robertson made his South Australian National Football League (SANFL) senior debut for Port Adelaide Football Club in 1912.^[4][5]

Interstate football

He quickly became a leading player in South Australia and was chosen for the South Australian squad for the 1914 ANFC Carnival, held in Sydney.

The best player from each state in the carnival was awarded a gold medal — known as the Referee Medal (after the sporting newspaper The Referee — and Robertson was awarded the South Australian gold medal.^[6]

Military service

He enlisted in the First AIF, and served overseas in France during World War One; and was wounded in action.^{[7][8][9][10]} He returned to Australia on the S.S. Swakopmund on 29 July 1919.^[11][12]

Death

He died at his residence at Plenty, Victoria on 8 September 1982.^[13]

See also

• 1914 Sydney Carnival
• 1916 Pioneer Exhibition Game