Herbert Harry "Jim" Handby

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(1 September 1903 – 2 October 1991) 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 in the

South Australian National Football League The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's sports governing body, governing body for the sport. ...

(SANFL) in the 1920s and 1930s, achieving several honours in recognition of his playing skills. He was later a federal Liberal politician and businessman. Born Herbert Harry Handby in

Adelaide, South Australia Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, Handby was invariably referred to simply as 'Jim'. Handby enjoyed a league football career at two SANFL clubs, achieving his greatest honours while featuring prominently in the development of the young Glenelg club. Handby commenced his career with South Adelaide in 1922. Although not a classically brilliant player, he displayed great perseverance and all round effectiveness. He was quickly recognised as one of the best defenders in South Australia, and in 1923 Handby made his debut at state-level football. Altogether he represented

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

29 times during his career. Handby joined Glenelg in 1925, and on debut featured prominently in the club's first ever win (breaking a 56-game losing streak). Handby won Glenelg's club champion award in 1925 and 1929. He won the SANFL's

Magarey Medal The Magarey Medal is an Australian rules football honour awarded annually since 1898 to the fairest and most brilliant player in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL), as judged by field umpires. The award was created by Willi ...

in 1928 as the fairest and most brilliant player in the competition. He was Glenelg's captain-

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...

in 1926 and 1927 but then relinquished this role until 1930, when he started a further three-year period as captain-coach. The best result he achieved as a coach was 6th (in an 8 team competition) in 1931. After leaving football he became a

publican The (Latin ; Greek τελώνης ''telōnēs'') were public contractors in the Roman Republic and Empire. In their official capacity, they often supplied the Roman legions and military, managed the collection of port duties, and oversaw pub ...

and company director before being elected to

Glenelg Council The City of Holdfast Bay is a local government area in the south-western coastal suburbs of Adelaide, South Australia. History The council was formed on 1 January 1997, when the City of Glenelg and City of Brighton councils were amalgamated ...

, and he served in the military from 1942 to 1945. In 1949, he was elected to the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. ...

as the Liberal member for the new seat of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, defeating

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

member for Boothby

Thomas Sheehy Thomas Neil Sheehy (19 May 1899 – 23 September 1984) was a Labor member of the Australian House of Representatives from 1943 to 1949, representing the Division of Boothby, South Australia. Sheehy defeated Boothby incumbent Grenfell Price at ...

for the notionally Labor seat. He was defeated in 1951 by Labor's

Pat Galvin Patrick Galvin (30 March 1911 – 24 September 1980) was an Australian politician. Biography Born in Quorn, South Australia, he was educated at Rostrevor College. Galvin was an engineer by profession, but became involved in the trade unio ...

and returned to his business career. He died in 1991.

Footnotes

External links

SANFL Hall of Fame
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Handby, Jim 1903 births 1991 deaths Australian rules footballers from South Australia South Adelaide Football Club players Glenelg Football Club players Glenelg Football Club coaches Magarey Medal winners South Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australian sportsperson-politicians Liberal Party of Australia members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Kingston Members of the Australian House of Representatives Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian MPs 1949–1951

See also

Footnotes

External links