TOPIC:

Club website reports the passing of Roy Harper, 1955 premiership player, State player, club captain, 213 games for the Demons.
A rugged no nonsense half back, a left footer like his late brother Keith also a club and State captain.
Another chapter in the Passing Parade. They don't make them like the Harper brothers any more.
RIP.

Yes one of my favourites from my early days at Lathlain and before.

A great player and leader.

Thanks for the memories Roy, RIP.

More needs to be made of these old champs passing i reckon! If it was an old VFL player it would be feighted all over the papers and news, but in these AFL centric times, WAFL champs largely get forgotten

smokey wrote: Club website reports the passing of Roy Harper, 1955 premiership player, State player, club captain, 213 games for the Demons.
A rugged no nonsense half back, a left footer like his late brother Keith also a club and State captain.
Another chapter in the Passing Parade. They don't make them like the Harper brothers any more.
RIP.

Good post Smokey

Roy and Keith Harper were probably the first brothers to play in a WAFL team on opposite wings, although Roy later moved to a half back flank, in which position he won a Simpson Medal in 1952 in a State match.

Clive and Neil Lewington played on the same centreline for South Fremantle in the forties but Clive was in the centre.

In later years Keith and Phil Narkle were stars on opposite wings for Swan Districts.

Before representing Perth, Roy played for Herne Hill in the Hills Association, and won an Association fairest and best.

Keith captained Western Australia on many occasions and was a fine wingman.

Swandog wrote: More needs to be made of these old champs passing i reckon! If it was an old VFL player it would be feighted all over the papers and news, but in these AFL centric times, WAFL champs largely get forgotten

Spot on SD! It sh1ts me no end that there is minimal recognition given to former WAFL greats at their passing. Christ even the good ones still going don't get the gongs they deserve until they are in their dottage. Percy Johnson is a case in point. Should be a statue built of that guy for all he's put into WA footy but its only in recent times that authorities have sought to bestow the honours he deserves for his phenomenal contribution to footy.

Dazzler wrote:

Swandog wrote: More needs to be made of these old champs passing i reckon! If it was an old VFL player it would be feighted all over the papers and news, but in these AFL centric times, WAFL champs largely get forgotten

Spot on SD! It sh1ts me no end that there is minimal recognition given to former WAFL greats at their passing. Christ even the good ones still going don't get the gongs they deserve until they are in their dottage. Percy Johnson is a case in point. Should be a statue built of that guy for all he's put into WA footy but its only in recent times that authorities have sought to bestow the honours he deserves for his phenomenal contribution to footy.

Well said SD & Dazzler ..these days we only ever here about old VFL players some who mean absolutely nothing to West Aussies & yet we have produced some of the greatest players ever to play this great game & our own news, media just completely have forgotten, ignore or are just plain ignorant to this!

Oos, Roy Harper won his Simpson Medal in 1962 vs South Australia, club F & B 1961, 1962 and 1963.
Brother Keith was club F & B 1951, 1957, 1959, club captain 1955 to 1960, 1964, All Australian Vice Captain 1956, State Captain 1955,1956, State Player 1953 to 1956, 1958, & 1959.
I have a very old photo somewhere of the two Harper brothers side by side in a kicking pose. They look like identical twins, both left footers in unison and both great servants and legends of the Perth Football Club and the WANFL.
Roy played 213 games for Perth while Keith played 233.

Swandog wrote: More needs to be made of these old champs passing i reckon! If it was an old VFL player it would be feighted all over the papers and news, but in these AFL centric times, WAFL champs largely get forgotten

Yes, we must not let these legends be forgotten. Like our war veterens we must make sure that they not be lost on future generations.
Some day a young footy fan will ask " Tell me about the old days. How good were the Harper brothers, or Jobn Todd, or Barry Cable, or Ray Sorrell, Brian France, Bill Walker, Laurie Kettlewell, Kevin Clune, Polly Farmer etc etc etc."
Who will be there to answer them?
I am thinking that even today there are people who ask "who's that?"

I guess we will have to put you on ice then Smokey...thaw you out in 50 years time and let you preach the WAFL to anyone who will listen to ya mate.....hopefully Perth and EF would have one a flag by then mate

Beasley Hutton wrote:

Dazzler wrote:

Swandog wrote: More needs to be made of these old champs passing i reckon! If it was an old VFL player it would be feighted all over the papers and news, but in these AFL centric times, WAFL champs largely get forgotten

Spot on SD! It sh1ts me no end that there is minimal recognition given to former WAFL greats at their passing. Christ even the good ones still going don't get the gongs they deserve until they are in their dottage. Percy Johnson is a case in point. Should be a statue built of that guy for all he's put into WA footy but its only in recent times that authorities have sought to bestow the honours he deserves for his phenomenal contribution to footy.

Well said SD & Dazzler ..these days we only ever here about old VFL players some who mean absolutely nothing to West Aussies & yet we have produced some of the greatest players ever to play this great game & our own news, media just completely have forgotten, ignore or are just plain ignorant to this!

Yep it doesnt help when we have footy scribes in this town like Hackdorn who admitted on air last year that he was perhaps drunk on AFL