Vale: Ted Kilmurray by Les Everett

In 1997 I spoke to Ted Kilmurray for a story in the Sunday Football League Gazette. He loved chatting about his footy before he hit the big time. Ted died on 10 January 2025.

The love of football of one of WA’s greatest ever players Ted “Square” Kilmurray was developed during the 1930s and 1940s in the yard at Sister Kate’s Home in Queens Park. However, his playing days began and ended with two Sunday Football League clubs Maddington and Kenwick.

The middle part of Kilmurray’s career – between 1953 and 1966 – included 257 games for East Perth, four for WA, the 1958 Sandover Medal, three premiership teams for the Royals and a reputation as one of the most innovative and courageous players seen in WA.

Kilmurray started playing open-aged football with Kenwick in the South Suburban B grade in 1949 at the age of 15 with his friend, and fellow member of the Sister Kate’s family, Graham “Polly” Farmer. Kenwick won premierships in 1949 and 1950.

In 1951 Kenwick moved to the amateurs playing on Saturdays – Kilmurray and Farmer continued playing for the Royals: “We used to get belted every week,” Kilmurray recalled – but they also joined Maddington and played on Sundays.

“The standard was good in the South Suburban A grade,” Kilmurray said, “there was a mixture of young blokes like us playing with men up to about 35. I think it brought us along quicker. It certainly taught you to look after yourself.”

In 1952 Maddington, under coach Steve Jarvis, won the South Suburban premiership. Farmer won the club’s fairest and best award, Kilmurray was the runner-up and both were chosen in the competition’s combined team.

Kilmurray said Jarvis was a very good coach: “He saw the potential in Polly and brought us both along well.”

The star forward also recalled two of his team mates who he said were key members of the line-up: “Ron Biffen was an ideal centre-half-back who liked to run with the ball and Rudolph Dorotich, the father of Jon, was a tall full forward who was hard to move.”

While at Maddington, Kilmurray and Farmer attracted the attention of both Perth and East Perth and in 1953 both joined the Royals and began their glittering careers at the top level.

A knee injury ended Kilmurray’s time at East Perth in 1966 but he later played for and coached Kenwick. “I had a dicky knee but played 50 or 60 games. We didn’t win many but we were a good close mob and knew how to enjoy ourselves at the club after the beltings.”

Kenwick and East Perth, both the Royals, stayed close to Kilmurray’s heart. “I live in Royal Street  and we have black and blue tiles on our roof,” he said.

He was also impressed by the Kenwick team that was unbeaten in the Sunday Football League in 1996: “I would have like to have coached that team,” he mused, “when I was coach you could count the wins on the fingers of one hand.”