Tom Banks (Australian rules footballer)


Thomas Banks, was an Australian rules footballer who played 171 games with Fitzroy in the VFA, and in the VFL.

Family

The son of Jordan Henry Banks, and Sarah Jane Henry, née McMullen, Thomas Banks was born on the Maryborough goldfields, His father, Jordan Henry Banks, was once an American slave:
His brother James Albert "Darky" Banks played football and cricket for many years in Western Australia.
He married Mary Ellen Moriarty, the sister of Geoff Moriarty, on 17 December 1919.

Footballer

He was an Australian rules footballer who played 171 games with Fitzroy; and, as third captain of the team, he was captain of the club's first premiership team in 1895.

After football

After retirement, he served at the Fitzroy football club as an administrator for many years.

Death

He died in hospital, after an operation, on 26 November 1919.

Obituary

A former Fitzroy team-mate, Sam McMichael, who had played alongside Banks on many occasions — who regularly contributed to The Referee under the nom de guerre "The Onlooker" — wrote an informative obituary, that clearly situates the extraordinary Banks within his era: