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Single Gamer

Bert Wheeler

Career : 1907
Debut and Only Game : Round 17, 1907 vs Melbourne, aged 22 years, 4 days
Carlton Player No. 215
Goals : 0
Height : 177 cm (5 ft. 9 in.)
Weight : 66 kg (10 stone, 5 lbs.)
DOB : 26 August 1885, Prahran

Four days after his 22nd birthday, Alfred Arthur ‘Bert’ Wheeler pulled on the famous old dark blue for the first and only time, when Carlton took on Melbourne at Princes Park in the last round of the 1907 home and away season. Bert started the match in a forward pocket, and shared the roving duties with Jim Kennedy, while the Blues made short work of the Fuchsias and won by 26 points.

Despite that solid win, Blues’ coach Jack Worrall decided that Wheeler’s efforts weren’t up to standard, and he was dropped from the side on the eve of the finals. A few weeks later, the Blues went on to win the club’s second Premiership. By then, Bert had already gone home to Coleraine, in western Victoria.

In 1914, when World War 1 erupted in Europe and the Australian Government rushed to participate, Wheeler was employed as an electrical mechanic. Because he was a skilled tradesman, he found it difficult to enlist for military service until 1918, but eventually signed up and sailed for Europe in July of that year.

Before he could see action however, an armistice ended the bloodshed in November, 1918. As a late arrival, Bert had to wait to be sent back home, so in the meantime he transferred to the Australian Medical Corps. Over the next year or so, he was promoted to Lance Corporal, and met the young woman he would take back to Australia as his wife.

Almost two years after he sailed off to war, Bert and his bride Jean stepped off an ocean liner at Port Melbourne, on the verge of a peaceful and prosperous new life. Sadly, that new life lasted only until 23 May 1929, when Bert passed away, aged just 44, in the Melbourne Hospital, East Melbourne. He was interred in the New Melbourne Cemetery, Fawkner.

Blueseum: Summary of playing statistics for Bert Wheeler | Wheeler's Blueseum Image Gallery
Contributors to this page: blueycarlton , molsey , PatsFitztrick , tmd1 and admin .
Page last modified on Wednesday 18 of August, 2021 12:09:17 AEST by blueycarlton.

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