Harry Equid

Henry Mervyn Equid (8 October 1923 – 2 April 1984) was an Australian rules footballer who played for Essendon in the Victorian Football League (VFL) during the 1940s.

Family

The son of Edward Equid (c.1877-1933), and Catherine Elsie May Equid (c.1885-1977), née McElhinney, Henry Mervyn Equid was born at Ouyen, Victoria on 8 October 1923.

He married Dorothy Helen Haley (1915-1989), née Love, later Mrs. Benjamin Omri Davies, in 1946.

Football

Equid began his VFL career after serving with the army in World War II and made his debut against North Melbourne, in the final game of the 1945 season, kicking three goals. In 1946 he continued where he had left off and started the season with a goalscoring sequence of three, three and seven. He finished the year with 35 goals, the last of which came from the half forward flank in Essendon's grand final win over Melbourne.

He was also used as a follower. After making just seven appearances in 1947, which included six goals against Footscray, Equid had his final season for Essendon in 1948 and played his last game in his club's losing grand final team.

He then went to the Victorian Football Association and captain-coached Coburg from 1949 until 1951, playing one further year with the club in 1952. He won the club's best and fairest award in 1949.

He was the captain-coach of the Kyneton Football Club in the Bendigo Football League in 1953, and he played with South Mildura in the Sunraysia Football League, and was the team's vice-captain, in 1954.

Place-kicks

Equid was one of the very few players of his era, and thus one of the last in the league's history, to favour the place kick over the punt kick when shooting for goal.

On 7 August 1949 (by then he was playing with Coburg), he took part in a goal-kicking competition conducted during the half-time break during a charity match between the Essendon District Football League and the Footscray District Football League. Each player had nine shots at goal from about 50 yards out: three from the left side of the goal, three from the right side of the goal, and three from straight in front. Using place-kicks, and competing against Footscray's Charlie Sutton, who kicked drop-kicks, and Essendon's John Coleman, who kicked punt kicks, Equid won the contest.Placed — and was Winner, ''The Herald'', (Monday, 8 August 1949), p.11.
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Notes

References

World War Two Nominal Roll: Gunner Henry Mervyn Equid (VX31003), ''Department of Veterans' Affairs''.

World War Two Service Record: Gunner Henry Mervyn Equid (VX31003), ''National Archives of Australia''.

Gunner H.M. Equid, 2/12 Field Regiment, Jumping 20 feet 1 inches in the Broad Jump Event during the 9 Division Gymkhana and Race Meeting held at Herberton Racecourse, Herberton, Queensland, 19 January 1945 (Photograph)
collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.

9th Australian Division Gymkhana (Film)
collection of the ''Australian War Memorial''.
* Holmesby, Russell and Main, Jim (2007). ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers''. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
* Maplestone, M., ''Flying Higher: History of the Essendon Football Club 1872–1996'', Essendon Football Club, (Melbourne), 1996.

External links

*

Essendon Football Club profile

Harry Equid, at ''The VFA Project''.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Equid, Harry
1923 births
1984 deaths
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state)
Australian Rules footballers: place kick exponents
Essendon Football Club players
Essendon Football Club premiership players
Coburg Football Club players
Coburg Football Club coaches
VFL/AFL premiership players