Jack Armstrong Jack Armstrong was one of the most influential players in Australian Football in Sydney since the Second World War.   His achievements:    Life Member l AFL (NSW-ACT) l NSW Australian National Football Umpires Assn l Newtown Australian Football Club (defunct) l South Sydney Australian Football Club (defunct) l Liverpool Australian Football Club (defunct) l Sydney AFL competition Best & Fairest Medal named after him. l In 2004 elevated to Sydney AFL’s Hall of Fame The Citation included: .  Jack played in 300 Sydney Club games, won best and fairest awards in each of the clubs he played with.  Represented NSW on five occasions and Sydney once.  He umpired 105 Sydney first grade games. He was more than one of the more colourful and unique characters in the Sydney Aussie Rules scene for almost 30 years from 1945-1975.   A native of Coolamon in country NSW, Jack came to Sydney after the Second World War, first for a holiday then to settle.  He was joined by his brothers and later his parents who settled in Erskineville, just a stones throw from Erskineville Oval the home ground of the strong Newtown Aussie Rules Club.   Remarkably enough, Jack played his first four years with the South Sydney after a chance meeting with South’s stalwart, Alby Young.   Jack’s rise to prominence as a footballer was founded on his sheer stamina and hard work.  He was never a flashy player but tough as teak.  He won Souths Best and Fairest Trophy in 1948 and represented the state in 1949.   After four years with South Sydney, Jack transferred to Newtown where his aggression was first noted, particularly in their 1950 premiership winning grand final where the Daily Telegraph commented ‘Central umpire, Bob Meyers twice cautioned Newtown ruckman, Jack Armstrong’.  He was later reported for charging in the match and suspended for four matches.   He won Newtown’s Best and Fairest in 1951 and was later appointed their captain-coach in 1953-4-5.   Despite his size, Jack played mostly as a ruckman.  He transferred to the Liverpool Club in 1956, again representing NSW against Queensland and then, from 1957 as captain-coach before returning the strong Newtown Club in 1960 also as captain-coach, taking them to the grand final in the same year.   Jack’s suffered from a chronic back problem and few knew that he played his final days wearing a back brace.  Because of his on-field behaviour it was difficult to work out if he missed more games through suspension or injury to his back. In 1961 Jack turned to umpiring and was a member of the senior panel in Sydney for four years, and on one occasion the field umpire in an interstate game.  As a finale, he umpired the 1964 grand final between St George and Western Suburbs.  In 1964 & ‘65 he was the umpires coach.   It looked like Jack had retired from all active involvement in football but in 1967 was recalled to the ranks of the struggling South Sydney Club as captain-coach.  A position he held for a further two years.   Jack maintained an active interest in Souths however in 1971 he was severely injured in a freak accident in Elizabeth Street Redfern when after pushing his cousin from the path of a stolen car, was pinned against a shopfront wall for some time.   After months of hospitalisation and a further 18 months recuperating, Jack eventually lost his leg.  But never lost his happy disposition and friendly manner, referring to friends and foe alike as, “me son”. Jack eventually was appointed Secretary-Manager of the Newtown Rules Club until its closure when he gained employment with the Liquorland Group, managing several bottle shops around Sydney until his retirement.   Jack was awarded life membership of the New South Wales Australian Football League and had a competition best and fairest medal named after him in his honour.   He was well respected by those he came in contact with and certainly on the football field where he had no fear and was a very courageous leader.   In 1961, the Sydney Morning Herald wrote of his first retirement from playing at age 36 in the following terms:   ”Former Newtown Australian Football Captain, Jack Armstrong has retired from playing and will umpire this season.   Armstrong impressed officials when he umpired his first game in a trial match last week.   After being captain of the Liverpool Club for three seasons, Armstrong returned to captain Newtown last year.  As a player, Armstrong’s hard and rough play made him unpopular at times.”   Reading from an article in the 1969 Sydney Football League Record:   Jack has been around of as long as some of the older fans can remember, and longer than many of the new crop thought possible, but for all the passing of time, he has altered little.   See Jack a couple of years ago – know him now.  And you should because he would be the writer’s yardstick of the typical Australian.   Slim, rawboned, possessor of an effective straight left and a firm handshake, Jack has a humorous eloquence and a healthy thirst.   Quick with a song at a club bar-b-que, his ability to move things along ensure a successful social event.  His willingness to sing far exceeds the vocal delivery and he once tied for last place on a TV un-talent quest for the “worst singer in Sydney”.   No stranger to the tribunal as a player, Jack today celebrates his right to return to football after a six weeks enforced ‘rest’ period.  This last occasion, he states, marked his twentieth visit to a judiciary, the most notable of which is when he claimed ‘insanity’ on the grounds that anyone playing football at his age must be insane.   But this is the man to pump new life through the veins of the South Sydney Club and the natural gift to effect every measure short of a heart transplant, inter alia. Source: Footystats Diary, History of Australian Football in Sydney, 1877-2009

Historical Photos of the Newtown Australian Football Club + Sydney University- these are the latest additions to our growing collection CLICK HERE

Here is an article on the Workers Online site about how the Newtown Swans began - CLICK HERE

Where it all began...if you have more photographs like these let me know so I can make a High Resolution copy for our archive. Brendan the Webmaster. The Auskick team 2001 The Auskick team 2001 Under 10's 2001

A Proud Red & White History There are strong historical reasons for the club’s choosing and being allowed play in the red and white. The history of Aussie Rules football in Newtown is a long one: the former Newtown Australian Football Club, (known as the Angels), were a foundation member of the (senior) NSW AFL and played in the Red & White of the old South Melbourne. In a history of more than a hundred years, (they folded in 1987), the Blood Stained Angels played in 37 grand finals, winning 19. Legendary players and identities over the years included Jim Phelan, Bub Phelan, Roger Duffy, Jack Armstrong and his son John Armstong, Dennis Aitken, Gordon Bowman, Ellis Noack, SamKekovich, boxing guru Johnny Lewis, Alan Joyce and many more. The old home ground was Erskineville Oval and there was a licensed Newtown Rules club on Cleveland Street. In 1996 a group of local footy fans started playing social footy games at Camperdown Oval, with large bins for point posts placed on either side of the rugby uprights. These ad hoc footy games continued at Picken Oval until 1998, when on 7th February the inaugural meeting of the Newtown Australian Football Club was held at the Newtown RSL, thereby formalising the social footy scene, with the added aim of promoting the game in the Newtown area. Originally this entity was for safer adult footy, but it was agreed that a major long term objective of the club was to promote junior football, and women's participation in football. In 1999 the club fielded its first Auskick teams and in 2000 we fielded an under 10 side for the first time! Now it is history being made.... The first Committee was Eddie Greenaway President, Neill Jones Vice President, Andrew Loveridge Treasurer with Jeffrey Thomas, John McGann, David Rathbone, Brad Newell, Michael Hosking, Jenny Howard and Amanda Weston. THE AUSTRALIAN GAME-Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday March 24 1903 The tenth club to play football under the Australian rules was formed at St George's Hall, Newtown on Friday night last (20th), and a strong team was got together, some 30 names being handed in as players.The club will commence practice at once in preparation for the ensuing season. The outlook for the league and Australian football in this State is most promising, and it is apparent that the game under Australian rules is going to fill a big place in the winter sports of the community,being everywhere taken on with great enthusiasm. The formation of further clubs is engaging the active attention of the league. For further information click here: Footystats