Ted 'Square' Kilmurray. Picture: WAFL.com.au

THE PASSING of Ted 'Square' Kilmurray on January 10, at the age of 90, leaves the football world poorer for the loss of one of the greats of the Indigenous Team of the Century that was named two decades ago.

Kilmurray, a champion of the WAFL with East Perth, was a long-time teammate of Legend of the game Polly Farmer, universally rated as the greatest Indigenous player football has seen.

Kilmurray and Farmer grew up together as children at Sister Kate's in Queens Park in Perth and their friendship that was formed playing football forged significant legacies. 

Born in Wiluna in 1934, Kilmurray's recollections coming to Sister Kate's were unknown as he was only six months old at the time. For Kilmurray, the entire experience at Sister Kate's was, in his words, "fabulous" given the love and care he experienced by the house nanny, May Holt.

Living in Perth in 1947 under the legal guardianship of the Aborigines Department as a 17-year-old meant Kilmurray faced the reality that all young Indigenous men and women did at the time to go into the workforce as farm labourers and domestic servants, respectively. But at the adjoining Kenwick Football Club, Kilmurray and Farmer would have their lives changed because of their ability to play football.  

Kilmurray's situation became so newsworthy that The Sunday Times asked their readers to lobby against Kilmurray being sent away. The response was so overwhelming the WA Aborigines Department relented. 

This prompted the vice president of the East Perth Football Club, George Sweetapple, to invite him down to the Royals to try out in 1953. The selectors could see Kilmurray had blistering pace, skill and ability to kick goals but he also loved the club and his teammates. He recalls:

"It was like a big family at East Perth and we had a young side with Johnnie Watts, Malcolm Brown, Syd Jackson and Malcolm Atwell just coming on."  

In 14 seasons at League level, Kilmurray would be part of three senior premierships and kick more than 400 goals from over 250 games, winning himself a spot in the Team of the Century as an interchange player.

Known as an expert exponent of the flick pass, Kilmurray could also lay some claim to the modern day 'snap'. Here, playing full-forward, Kilmurray, would meet the ball at speed, gather or mark it at full pace and keep running away from the goal and snap the ball back over his shoulder. So quick was Kilmurray out of the goal square he got the nickname 'Square'.    

The AFL Indigenous Australian Team of the Century: Ted Kilmurray can be seen in the back row wearing a gold striped tie. Picture: AFL Photos

In 1955 Kilmurray was picked to play his first state game against Victoria at the MCG but his biggest personal year came in 1958 where East Perth won the premiership and Kilmurray won the Sandover Medal by five votes from East Fremantle's Alan Preen. Kilmurray did experience racism on the field but lost his composure rarely, recalling: 

"There was an incident against West Perth I'd had enough of being called names. So in the middle of the ground I stopped and I just said 'alright I've had enough. Do you want to make anything of it?'"

Despite these incidents Kilmurray's recollections of his football life are positive and one where football opened the doors to life outside of the game.

"Football opened a lot of doors for me. When I got the Sandover Medal it opened a lot more. You'd go some place and you'd mention your name and then they'd start talking footy, it makes it a lot easier," he said.

Kilmurray is survived by his sister, two sons and two grandchildren after his wife Elsie passed away in 2022.

Record

1953-65
257 games
431 goals
Three matches WA
1956, 1958, 1959 WAFL premierships
1958 Sandover Medal
1958 Best and Fairest East Perth