Soccer nice Invoice Dempsey was a star of this yr’s Corridor of Fame award ceremony, telling the fascinating story of his Simpson Medal.
Key factors:
- Invoice Dempsey was inducted into the AFL Corridor of Fame on Tuesday night
- He delighted the gang with a narrative about his Simpson Medal which he received for best-on-ground within the 1969 WAFL grand last
- The medal was misplaced throughout Cyclone Tracy earlier than being discovered once more years later
An icon in Perth, the 80-year-old lit up the room at Crown Melbourne after being inducted into the Australian Soccer Corridor of Fame on Tuesday evening.
The athletic ruckman performed 343 video games throughout 17 dominant WAFL seasons for West Perth.
He would return dwelling to Darwin in summer season to star in 10 NTFL campaigns for his beloved Buffaloes.
Arguably Dempsey’s most interesting hour as a participant was the 1969 WAFL grand last as he mixed with the legendary Graham “Polly” Farmer in main West Perth to premiership glory.
Dempsey was awarded the Simpson Medal as best-on-ground for his dominant efficiency.
Nonetheless, his medal was misplaced through the devastation of Cyclone Tracy which hit Darwin in 1974.
Dempsey mentioned he was in a position to have a duplicate made for him, along with his mom proudly, however incorrectly, telling buddies about her son successful the “Simpson Desert Medal”.
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On Tuesday, Dempsey recalled the weird chain of occasions that led to his beloved medal being returned to him.
Gold prospectors discovered the unique medal within the Simpson Desert a few years later, which was sufficient proof for Dempsey’s mom to really feel vindicated.
“She instructed me, ‘Thanks for bringing it again,'” Dempsey mentioned in his speech.
“She mentioned, ‘What’s Andamooka?’ and I mentioned, ‘It is within the Simpson Desert.’
“She goes, ‘Foolish boy, I instructed you it was the Simpson Desert Medal.'”
A member of the Stolen Generations, Dempsey survived super hardship as a baby to change into a soccer nice within the Northern Territory and Western Australia.
He was considered one of eight folks to be inducted into the Corridor of Fame on Tuesday.
Port Adelaide nice Russell Ebert was the thirty second member of the Corridor of Fame to be elevated to the standing of Legend.
AAP/ABC
