Lester Kelly Explained

Lester Kelly
Fullname:	Lester Hamilton Kelly
Birth Date:	14 February 1892
Birth Place:	Moonta, South Australia
Death Place:	Brighton, Victoria
Originalteam:	Wesley College
Position:	Half-back
Guernsey:	1912: 12, 1913: 9, 1914: 17
Statsend:	1914
Years1:	1912–14
Games Goals1:	40 (0)

Lester Hamilton Kelly (14 February 1892 – 6 January 1958)^[1] was an Australian rules footballer who played with the Melbourne University Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL).^[2]

Family

The son of Rev. Robert Kelly, and Mary Kelly, née Steer, Lester Hamilton Kelly was born at Moonta, South Australia on 14 February 1892.He married Christina Maude Howard in 1916.

Education

Educated at Wesley College, and the University of Melbourne, he was an outstanding athlete, and was the first Australian schoolboy to high-jump six feet.^[3]

At the Wesley College Sports on 21 October 1910, Kelly won the Open shot put (32 ft 10in), the open long jump (20 ft 8½in), the open 220 yards (23 1/5 secs.), and was second ("by inches") in the open 100 yards.^[4]

Football

All of the 40 games he played with University resulted in losses. Kelly played the most games without recording a win of all players in the history of the Victorian Football League.

Military service

He enlisted in the First AIF on 17 August 1914.^[5]

Schoolmaster

On his return to Australia, he was a member of the teaching staff at Wesley College.^[6]

Death

He died on 6 January 1958.^{[7] [8]}

References

• Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.
• World War One Embarkation Roll: Second Lieutenant Lester Hamilton Kelly, collection of the Australian War Memorial.
• World War One Service Record: Captain Lester Hamilton Kelly, National Archives of Australia.
• World War One Nominal Roll: Captain Lester Hamilton Kelly, collection of the Australian War Memorial.
• Great in Sport, Great in War, The Winner, (Wednesday, 22 November 1916), p.6.
• Recent Fighting Described by Prominent Footballers, The Winner, (Wednesday, 22 November 1916), p.6.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Lester Kelly - Player Bio. Australian Football. 11 December 2014.
2. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article198130787 The University Team, The Leader, (Saturday, 4 May 1912), p.29.
3. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article242218059 A Champion Athlete, (Thursday, 30 March 1911), p.2.
4. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article179906299 Wesley College Sports, The Age, (Saturday, 322 October 1910), p.16.
5. Web site: Lester Hamilton KELLY . The AIF Project.
6. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article244081310 Athletic Master Throws Pursuer, The Herald, (Friday, 10 August 1928), p.3.
7. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=DkwRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dJUDAAAAIBAJ&pg=7008%2C695413 Deaths: Kelly, The Age, (Tuesday, 7 January 1958), p.10.
8. http://wesleycollege.contentdm.oclc.org/utils/getdownloaditem/collection/p15336cdi/id/20626/filename/20627.pdf/mapsto/pdf/type/compoundobject/cpdtype/monograph/show/20626 Obituaries: L.H. Kelly, Wesley College Chronicle, No.272, May 1958), p.48.