Tom Wills: His Spectacular Rise and Tragic Fall

by Greg de Moore

This is the story of Tom Wills—flawed genius, sporting libertine, fearless leader, and agitator, and the man most often credited with creating the game we now know as Australian Rules football. Sent to the strict British Rugby School in 1850 at 14, Tom returned as a worldly young man whose cricket prowess quickly captured the hearts of Melburnians. But away from the adoring crowds, in the desolation of the Queensland outback, he experienced first-hand the devastating effects of racial tension when his father was murdered in the biggest massacre of Europeans by Aboriginal people. Yet five years later, Tom coached the first Aboriginal cricket team. Tom Wills lived hard and fast, challenging authority on and off the field. But when his physical talents began to fade, the psychological demons that alcohol and adrenaline had kept at bay surged to the fore, driving him to commit the most brutal of suicides. He was 44 and destitute. Greg de Moore has carefully pieced toge

Genres: Australia, Sports, History, Biography, Nonfiction

342 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘First wild man of Australian sport’

I visited the Bradman Museum a couple of years ago and was intrigued by references to Tom Wills. I bought Greg de Moore’s book to learn more about the man who coached the first Aboriginal cricket team and who is credited with bringing us Australian Rules football. The author, Greg de Moore, is a Sydney psychiatrist who became interested in Tom Wills’s story because of his interest in male suicide.

‘As I recorded what was known of Wills’ life, it became clear that there were many gaps in his history.’

I found the first two thirds of the book the most interesting: this was the story of Tom Wills’s life pieced together from family letters and other source material. It’s a fascinating biography of a man who was energetic, restless, skilled and clearly beset by psychological demons. Destitute, at the age of 44, Tom Wills took his own life. He fitted a lot into those 44 years, and this biography is worth reading by those interested in both Tom Wills’s contribution to Australian sport as well as those with an interest in mental health issues.

‘Sometimes a man who belongs to no one belongs to everyone.’

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Peter Langston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greg de Moore biography of Tom Wills lost its way in the final chapters. Where the first two thirds of the book maintained an interesting narrative gathered from source material such as family letters, the book read like de Moore had tired of the task toward the end. Then there was the odd inclusion, right at the end of the book, of an interview of a distant relative who said he knew nothing much of the book's subject, the family didn't discuss him and he was a stranger.
The first two thirds of the book told the story of a man who thrived in sports and found himself caught between the two conflicting worlds of being a professional or remaining a gentleman. He polarised opinion about him, with his great prowess in cricket and football, offset by his heavy drinking and temper. He was an elegant and constant correspondent to the newspapers.
de Moore, a psychiatrist, paints the portrait of a man gripped by consequences of unmedicated bipolar disorder, although he doesn't say as much in the book. He did, however, make that assumption when he appeared on "Conversations" on ABC radio.
Its an interesting read if you nothing of Tom Wills and a sympathetic reading of his life. The mental anguish that culminated in his death by suicide - plunging a pair of scissors into his heart three times - allows him such latitude.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the sporting history of Melbourne and Geelong.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it. A must for all Aussie rules lovers :)

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

An unexpected journey through the cricket annals of early Australian colonialism. A great insight into the M.C.C and life in and around Melbourne at that time.

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Tom Wills is fascinating. It's also rarely spoken about, probably because of his tragic end.

Anyone who is interested in the story of the inventor of Australian Rules Football, or who has an interest in the Victorian era, and cricket in general will enjoy this book. Tom had an incredible life and probably doesn't get enough credit for his Cricketing exploits, which made him probably the first great Australian cricketer, even if he's mainly remembered (in Victoria at least) as the inventor of Aussie rules.

Of course there's also the shocking incident of his father being murdered by vengeful Aborigines in what was the largest massacre of white settlers ever recorded (and many more Aborigines being murdered in reprisal). I never knew anything about this part of our history.

It's remarkable that so many of his letters survived. His descendants deserve credit for retaining these documents over all these years. Without them we'd just have snippets and guesswork.

I have a few problems with the way the book is written.

It's not helpful to have the foreword say "I decided to write this book because I found out that the inventor of Australian Rules Football committed suicide by stabbing himself in the heart with a pair of scissors".

This is not a good way to establish the narrative. It makes the story ultimately hopeless. Sure, his story was ultimately hopeless but you don't want to know it beforehand. It would be like having the opening crawl for The Empire Strikes Back say "Vader is Luke's Dad".

The other thing is there's not enough information about what else was happening in the world in the Victorian era. The Gold Rush is barely mentioned. Ned Kelly not at all. Eureka Stockade? Nope. Archer winning the first Melbourne Cup and the Loch Ard being wrecked at Port Campbell? Bourke and Wills (presumably no relation, but we're never told)?

Now to be fair, none of these Historic incidents have anything to do with Tom Wills, but they have a hell of a lot to do with Australian history and I think the book could really have done with painting a detailed background image of Victorian era Australia.

All we really got was some detail about the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Point Henry (but precious little about Geelong), Richmond Paddock, the Albert Ground in Sydney (wherever that is/was), and a little bit about Heidelberg (now a part of the northern suburbs of Melbourne) and barely anything at all about him being in Sydney and Queensland.

Interestingly there's no mention at all of "Marn Grook", the hypothesised Aboriginal inspiration of Australian Football (put forward by Martin Flannagan) until the afterword. While it's (inconveniently?) true that Marn Grook probably wasn't an inspiration for Aussie rules, it could have been addressed in the story.

Likewise the incredible accusation (dating from an 1895 Chicago Tribune article) that Wills set off to murder the Aborigines in revenge for his father is left to the Afterword, and is not even given the benefit of a copy/paste so the reader can see exactly what he was accused of (it can be easily googled and it's profoundly shocking on many levels).

There is a very defensive tone taken by the Author to absolve Wills of guilt and say "I see no eveidence that he did it", which completely ignores Will being fingered for it (in detail) in the 1895 article. It's true that the article is written 30 years after the fact and may well have "grown arms and legs" between 1861 and 1895 but it's a very strange defence that the Author takes, presumably because he doesn't want to offend Wills' ancestors who graciously provided him with information in the writing of the book.

The tone is way too defensive and to borrow a cricket metaphor, he could have pasted the 1895 article and then "played a straight bat" with the interpretation. Stating that he couldn't have been a murderer simply because in 1865 he was the first coach of an Aboriginal team doesn't really hold water.

I'll keep this on in the bookshelf but I think it could have been better. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging account of the troubled and troubling life of a colourful Australian character gifted in sporting competition but often caught short in matters both personal and professional. Thoroughly researched over many years, this lengthy undertaking has beneficially unearthed new information and images, providing a greater level of accuracy and insight that enhances the stories being told. Greg de Moore’s entertaining writing is neatly arranged within a timeline that is easy to understand, and his summary of known facts is logically constructed to form a biography that is intriguing and eventful, revealing the complex and ultimately tragic life of an irregular man.

[Vincenzo Tadeusz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this for its richness. It didn’t just give me a great insight into the mysterious figure of Tom Wills, but also to life in the latter half of the nineteenth century, the early days of Australian cricket, the formation of Australian rules football, Victorian-era Indigenous relations, class structures, and most importantly, the all-consuming nature of the rise and fall of the sportsman, and what the sportsman does when what they do becomes who they are. Phenomenally researched.

[Marcus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh 🥱

[Peter Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting tale of a remarkable figure in the history of Australian sport told with honesty.Now largely forgotten except by AFL and cricket enthusiasts.