Arthur Beetson
Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Arthur Henry Beetson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Roma, Queensland, Australia | 21 January 1945|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 1 December 2011 Paradise Point, Queensland, Australia | (aged 66)|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Playing information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 16 st 8 lb (105 kg)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Position | Prop, Second-row | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Arthur Henry "Artie" Beetson
He is also remembered as man of great humility who cared deeply about his people and culture. The Arthur Beetson Foundation was so named to honour Beetson, and the Arthur Beetson Medal is awarded to rugby league players who show both outstanding skills and similar personal qualities to Beetson.
Background
Beetson's mother was a member of the
Playing career
Beetson's big frame, pure speed and brilliant ball skills won countless games for all his teams. His off-loading and attacking workrate broke the mould for front rowers and changed the way they played the game.
1960s
Beetson's rugby league career began with
1970s
After the 1970 NSWRFL season Beetson left Balmain to join the Eastern Suburbs club where he would stay from 1971 to 1978. He possessed great strength and toughness, a surprising turn of speed for a big man and was unequalled as a ball player. Beetson continued to represent Australia at the 1972 Rugby League World Cup, playing against Great Britain at prop forward in the tournament final which was drawn. On the 1973 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain and France he was selected as Australia's vice captain, playing at prop forward in all three Ashes test matches. Beetson then became the first aboriginal player to captain Australia in the second test against France.
His skill as a footballer was matched only by his skill as an eater, earning nicknames such as 'Meat Pie Artie'. He was known and immortalised by his performance of eating 11 hot dogs before a gala dinner for the Australian team in 1973. Beetson captained Eastern Suburbs to the
1980s
While still playing in Sydney for Parramatta, Beetson achieved further immortality as captain of Queensland in the inaugural
Post-playing
Beetson's coaching career began while still playing for
After stepping down as Queensland coach following the
Beetson coached the
In the post-1999 NRL season an Aboriginal side managed by Arthur Beetson defeated the Papua New Guinean national team. He then pushed, unsuccessfully, for an Australia Day match against the Australian national team.[9] He also appeared at the Beenleigh (QLD) lions JRLFC as an Assistant Coach to the Beenleigh Lions JRLFC under 18s (2009) alongside Michael Hansen (Coach) before his untimely passing.
Accolades
- 1975 NSW Sports Star of the year
- Named in Australian rugby league's 100 greatest players
- Named at prop forward in Australian rugby league team of the century
- Named at prop forward in Queensland rugby league team of the century
- Named at prop forward in Indigenous Australian rugby league team of the century
- First
Beetson is often regarded as Australia's best ever forward, and in 2000 he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal, then in 2001 the Centenary Medal "for service to Australian society through the sport of rugby league". He was inducted into the Australian Rugby League Hall of Fame in 2003. In May 2004 his book, Big Artie: The Autobiography was published. Also that year he became the seventh selected post-war "Immortal" of the Australian game with Churchill, Raper, Gasnier, Fulton, Langlands and Wally Lewis.
In February 2008, Beetson was named in a list of Australia's
As part of the Centenary of League celebrations in 2008, Beetson was retrospectively awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as Man of the Match in the 1974 Grand final.[18]
In 2009 Beetson was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.[19]
In 2010 a program was founded and named in honour of Arthur Beetson, the ARTIE Academy (Achieving Results Through Indigenous Education). An inspiration and role model for his people, Arthur was resolute in his beliefs about the absolute need for young Indigenous Australians to be educated, to finish school and to be employed. The ARTIE Academy operates with an innovative, high expectation, consistent and positive mindset. ARTIE is an academy that students are proud to be a part of. An academy that expects them to achieve to the best of their ability. An academy that will support them in times of need, but not accept excuses for a lack of commitment. ARTIE inspires its participants, encourages and informs them of their progress and celebrates their successes. The program is run by the FOGS (Former Origin Greats) organisation and funded under the "Closing the Gap" initiative. The program continues to operate in schools around Queensland.
Beetson's Queensland State of Origin number 11 jersey was "retired" in 2014.
Death
On 1 December 2011, Beetson died following a heart attack while riding his bicycle at Paradise Point on the Gold Coast, Queensland. He was 66.[20]
Honours and legacy
The Premier of Queensland, Anna Bligh announced that a bronze statue of Beetson was to be situated at Lang Park.[21] It was unveiled on 3 July 2012.[22]
The Arthur Beetson Foundation was created to engage the community "to empower Indigenous Australians to better outcomes in health, education, sport, employment and business development", and the Arthur Beetson Medal honours rugby league players who have distinguished themselves who have shown not only skill on the field but some of the qualities embodied by Beetson and cares deeply about their people.[23]
On 16 December 2023, a Google Doodle was made to honour Beetson's life and career; the date was chosen because it marked 50 years since his appointment as captain a mainstream Australian sports team.[24]
Sydney Football Stadium grandstand naming controversy
In February 2022, Beetson's family and supporters expressed their dismay at the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust's decision not to nominate Beetson for the honour of having one of four new grandstands at the new Sydney Football Stadium being named in his honour, despite overwhelming public support.[25]
While the family congratulated the three sporting identities who were nominated to have grandstands named after them (Ron Coote, Johnny Warren and Sir Nicholas Shehadie), they criticised the proposal to name a grandstand Garrison in recognition of locally based British troops from the 1850s.[25] Anthony Mundine and Megan Davis also condemned the decision not to put forward Beetson's name for the honour.[25]
Chairman of the SCG Trust heritage committee
In March 2022, it was announced that the decision not to name a stand at the new Sydney Football Stadium had been overturned by New South Wales sports minister Stuart Ayres.[29] Beetson's son Mark said the naming of a stand after his father would be a proud moment for his family who described his father as being "up there" with the likes of Cathy Freeman and Lionel Rose as one of Australia's indigenous sporting icons.[29] Mark Beetson also thanked The Daily Telegraph and its readers for lobbying for the change.[29]
See also
References
- ^ a b "World Series". Rugby League Week (1975–1976). Rushcutters Bay, NSW: Rugby League Week Pty Ltd: 85.
- ^ "Arthur Beetson – Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ [1][permanent dead link]
- ^ "Arthur Beetson – Career Stats & Summary – Rugby League Project". Rugbyleagueproject.org. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ "Biography – Arthur Henry (Artie) Beetson – Indigenous Australia". Ia.anu.edu.au. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ^ a b Rugby league great Arthur Beetson dead after suffering heart attack while exercising Archived 16 October 2019 at the Wayback Machine article at dailytelegraph.com.au
- ISBN 978-1-86403-361-8.
- ^ Queensland Team of the Century Archived 3 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine article at australianrugbyleague.com.au
- ^ Hanna, Jim (16 October 1999). "Artie wants first pick, then a Test against Fittler and Co". AAP Sports News. Australia: The Gale Group, Inc. Retrieved 10 August 2010.[dead link]
- ^ Shawn Dollin and Andrew Ferguson (28 January 2016). "France vs Australia 1973 Series". Archived from the original on 5 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ARL. 23 February 2008. Archived from the originalon 26 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
- ^ Peter Cassidy (23 February 2008). "Controversy reigns as NRL releases top 100 players". Macquarie National News. Archived from the original on 25 February 2008. Retrieved 23 February 2008.
- ^ Todd Balym (17 April 2008). "Johns, Meninga among Immortals". Fox Sports Australia. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ARL. 17 April 2008. Archived from the originalon 21 May 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ^ Glenn Jackson (17 April 2008). "Immortal Beetson boycotts centenary ball". Fairfax Digital. Archived from the original on 20 April 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2008.
- ^ Ricketts, Steve (10 June 2008). "Locky named No.1 but Wal's still King". The Courier-Mail. Archived from the original on 2 July 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
- ^ Leslie, Cameron (21 August 2008). "Rugby League Team of the Century named". The Chronicle. Archived from the original on 10 December 2019. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
- ^ James Dampney (1 October 2008). "Greats to get man-of-match awards". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2008.
- ^ "Mr Arthur Beetson OAM". Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. qsport.org.au. Archived from the original on 26 January 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ Arthur Beetson dies after heart attack Archived 1 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Retrieved 1 December 2011.
- ^ Beetson to be immortalised at Lang Park Archived 4 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ Artie statue officially unveiled Archived 3 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Retrieved 3 July 2012.
- ^ "About the Arthur Beetson Medal". Arthur Beetson Foundation. Archived from the original on 21 July 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
- ^ "Celebrating Arthur Beetson Doodle - Google Doodles". doodles.google. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Rothfield, Phil (1 February 2022). "Arthur Beetson's family call for review over Sydney stadium naming farce". The Daily Telegraph. Sydney. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ a b Benns, Matthew (1 February 2022). "Arthur Beetson stand at Sydney stadium rejected because he's a Queenslander". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (14 March 2022). "Beetson transcended state borders – so name a grandstand after him". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ Webster, Andrew (13 March 2022). "Roosters legend Arthur Beetson to be honoured after grandstand snub". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- ^ a b c Rothfield, Phil; Benns, Matthew; O'Doherty, James (15 March 2022). "Arthur Beetson set to be honoured at Sydney Stadium". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
Further reading
- Arthur Beetson with Ian Heads, Big Artie The Autobiography ABC Books 2004. ISBN 0-7333-1299-3
External links
- Arthur Beetson at the Former Origin Greats website. [dead link]
- Arthur Beetson at eraofthebiff.com
- Arthur Beetson's Website
- Queensland Team of the Century named – article at nz.leagueunlimited.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 2014-01-14)
- Arthur Beetson at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame