Reg Hall

Reg Hall (20 March 1932 – 6 August 2013) was a former Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League (VFL). And for East Perth in Western Australian Football League (WAFL)

Reg Hall was born on March 20, 1932 in East Perth, to parents James Arthur Hall and Jessie Owens. He was the last child to be born in this family of 6 living children… and whose father, was a war hero. Arthur, as his dad liked to be known, was in the 11th Battalion – the one depicted in the famous photo on the Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt - and which united with the 9th and 10th battalions that landed in Anzac Cove at 4:30 in the morning of April 25, 1915. And then later….was sent to fight in France near Belgium.

Interestingly, the Motto of the 11th Battalion was “Deeds not Words” which perfectly describes Reg Hall

When Reg was born that day, some notable and historical things were taking place at the same time. Phar Lap’s race and his mind boggling win of the Agua Caliente Handicap in Mexico - North America’s richest race at the time—had staggered and stunned American Racegoers. It took place on his birthday, which was a Sunday, and was splashed all over the news here the next day. And also, the daybefore he was born, the Sydney Harbour Bridge was opened, which provided a debate at home as to whether to perhaps name the new baby boy Sydney, instead of Reginald.

It was also the third year of the Great Depression and Australia like the rest of the world was doing it tough. But when you are a child – it’s your day-in day-out experiences that is your immediate reality and you make the most of what you have. Reg remembers there was always at least one really good roast meal a week- on a Sunday- and then his mother would make that stretch into a soup or a stew during the week. And he told me he or his brothers always brought someone home for dinner most days. There may not have been money for toys but there was plenty of imagination and places that boys would inevitably be drawn to, to make their fun. With his brothers and friends they would head down to a part of the Swan River called the Mucks, and would go crabbing off of the Little Bunbury bridge, known then to locals as the ‘Little Bunna’ which crossed the Burswood canal at Rivervale, and have fun kylieing for mullet to take home. As a family, the Halls would do trips to Dunsborough on the train, which he always talked about fondly and it’s where at a tender age he was taught to fish by his Dad and brother Arthur. One of his favourite memories was on cool nights or afternoons sitting with his mom Jessie- and sometimes his dad or other siblings- with his feet perched on the open oven door to get warm and warming his hands on a cup of tea as they had a chat.