Football in Western Australia  lost a link to the Forties and Fifties with the passing of former East Perth and State great Jim Washbourne.Washbourne was one of the best half back flankers produced in this State, making the position his own for East Perth from 1945 to 1958, and for WA from 1949. He played 194 games for the Royals, the first decade of them in an era in which the club struggled.He was a part of the club’s resurgence in the late fifties, and was a member of two WAFL grand final sides, the win over South Fremantle in 1956 being a highlight of his career. Jim also played in the grand final the following year, in which East Perth lost to East Fremantle. Consistency was Jim Washbourne’s main attribute. A professional runner in his youth,he was noted for his dashing clearances out of defence. He won East Perth’s Fairest and Best in 1946, his second season , and was third in the Sandover Medal in 1950. In a golden era of the game, Jim Washbourne was among the elite.His class was recognised in 2006, when he was named in East Perth’s official “Team Of The Century” 1945 to 2005.Laurie Kennedy, a double centurion for the Royals, played with Washbourne in the 1956 and 57 seasons and has had a long and close friendship with him ever since. “I was a young boy when I played with Jim” he recalled. “We played alongside each other in defence.  Jim would put his body on the line so I could have an easy path to the ball.”“You wouldn’t get a better team player than Jimmy Washbourne.  Everyone he played with spoke highly of him.”Washbourne attended the fiftieth anniversary function of the 1958 East Perth premiership and was in good spirits. He was a keen golfer right up to his death.