Ronald James Barassi (24 October 1913 – 30 July 1941) was an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

er who played for the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football competition in Australia operated by the Australian Football League (AFL) as a second-tier, regional, semi-professional competition. It includes teams from clubs based in east ...

(VFL). He was the father of

Hall of Famer A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actual halls or muse ...

Ron Barassi Jr. At the height of his football career, he enlisted in the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was killed during the

Siege of Tobruk The siege of Tobruk () took place between 10 April and 27 November 1941, during the Western Desert campaign (1940–1943) of the World War II, Second World War. An Allies of World War II, Allied force, consisting mostly of the 9th Division ...

Biography

Barassi's grandfather was Swiss of Italian speaking background who migrated to the

Colony of Victoria The Colony of Victoria was a historical administrative division in Australia that existed from 1851 until 1901, when it federated with other colonies to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Situated in the southeastern corner of the Australian ...

in the 1850/60s. The family group settled in areas such as Guildford, Castlemaine, and Daylesford. He initially played for the

Castlemaine Football Club The Castlemaine Football Netball Club, nicknamed '' The Magpies'', is an Australian rules football and netball club based in Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia and is currently a member of the Bendigo Football League. The club is notable for sever ...

, becoming a rover and made his debut for the Melbourne Football Club in

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

. His final VFL match was the Melbourne Football Club's victorious 1940 grand final in which he started as the 19th man. He joined the army soon after the 1940 VFL season, like many other footballers from the Melbourne Football Club. Serving in the military campaign in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, he was killed in action at Tobruk in 1941, the first VFL footballer to die in the conflict. He was buried at the Tobruk War Cemetery in Libya, alongside other Commonwealth servicemen.

Footnotes

References

Main, J. & Allen, D., "Barassi (snr), Ron", pp. 214–220 in Main, J. & Allen, D., ''Fallen – The Ultimate Heroes: Footballers Who Never Returned From War'', Crown Content, (Melbourne), 2002.

External links

*
Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour: Ronald James Barassi (VX45220)

DemonWiki profile

1932 - Castlemaine FC & Maryborough FC team photos. Barassi second from right, front row1933 - Castlemaine FC & Kyneton FC team photos
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barassi Sr, Ron 1913 births 1941 deaths Sportspeople from Castlemaine, Victoria Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Australian people of Italian descent Sportspeople of Italian descent Melbourne Football Club players Castlemaine Football Club players Australian Army personnel of World War II Australian military personnel killed in World War II Melbourne Football Club premiership players VFL/AFL premiership players Military personnel from Victoria (state) Australian people of Swiss-Italian descent 20th-century Australian sportsmen

Biography

See also

Footnotes

References

External links