Gerald Edmund "Gerry" Bahen (17 February 1929 – 24 April 2012[1]) was a businessman and Australian rules football player and administrator who played for the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and the South Fremantle Football Club in the Western Australian National Football League (WANFL), as well as representing Western Australia in three interstate matches. After the conclusion of his playing career, Bahen became involved in the entertainment and hospitality areas, also serving as a committeeman and vice-president of the South Fremantle Football Club.
| Gerry Bahen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Gerald Edmund Bahen | ||
| Date of birth | 17 February 1929 | ||
| Place of birth | Wembley, Western Australia | ||
| Date of death | 24 April 2012 (aged 83) | ||
| Place of death | Perth, Western Australia | ||
| Original team(s) | Aquinas College | ||
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Weight | 83 kg (183 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1951 | North Melbourne | 8 (1) | |
| 1952–1956 | South Fremantle | 69 (11) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1954 | Western Australia | 3 (0) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1956. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Career
editBahen was born at Kiama Hospital, in Wembley, Western Australia, on 17 February 1929, to Clem and Eva (née Beard) Bahen, and grew up in Claremont.[2] His father played 158 games for the Subiaco Football Club, and was later a noted businessman as managing director of C. M. Bahen, Ltd. Bahen attended Aquinas College, and played nine reserves games for South Fremantle in 1949 before moving to Melbourne for his job. There, he began playing with the Mentone Football Club in the Federal Football League, before being recruited by the North Melbourne Football Club in the Victorian Football League (VFL), with which he played eight games in the 1951 season before returning to Western Australia, where he began playing in South Fremantle's senior team.[3] Bahen won premierships with South Fremantle in 1952, 1953, and 1954. Playing mainly off a half-back flank, he finished fourth in the Sandover Medal as the fairest and best player in the league in 1954, and also played at centre half-back in Western Australia's interstate game against Victoria. Bahen retired at the end of the 1956 season to concentrate on business interests.[4]
With his wife, Adrian, with whom he later had four children, Bahen took over the running of the P&O Hotel in Fremantle. He later joined the television station TVW as Film Manager in 1961, and later returned to the network to serve as Concessions and Bar Manager at the Perth Entertainment Centre from 1974 to 1977.[5] Bahen remained involved with the South Fremantle Football Club, serving on the club's committee and for a short period as vice-president, as well as organising the Gerry Bahen Classic, an annual fundraising classic.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Burial record". Metropolitan Cemetery Board. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
- ^ FAMILY NOTICES. – The West Australian. Published 19 February 1929. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ Where Are They Now?: Gerry Bahen – FootyGoss. Published 23 April 2011. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ Vale Gerry Bahen – FootyGoss. Published 26 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ Tribute to Gerry Bahen (1929 – 2012) – WA TV History. Published 30 April 2012. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
- ^ 2010 Gerry Bahen Classic Archived 18 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine – South Fremantle Football Club. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
External links
edit- Gerry Bahen's playing statistics from AFL Tables