Bill Wedding

[SDK]

I heard this morning of Bill's passing and my eyes filled with tears.
Bill Wedding was my childhood hero I worshiped him as a kid and there has never been a nicer man at our club.
I remember as a 10 year kid asking for an autograph and Bill, as his ankles were being strapped ,sat there talking to this young kid for ages asking about all sorts of things. At that age it was a day I never forgot.
My uncle worked with Bill...Kingsley was his real name....and one day he gave me a picture of Bill signed and addressed to me. That picture sat on my dressing table in my room for decades...I still have it.
No one could beat Bill Wedding in ruck he was quite simply the best knock/tap ruckman of all time. The famous victory over the Vics at the MCG Bill Wedding took on and thrashed...Polly Farmer, John Nicholls and John Schultz and from that day the Vics called him "Golden Wedding".
He took more punishment than you can imagine and foul play was the only tactic you could contemplate to beat Bill....ask Neil Kerley about that !
It is a sad sad day indeed for this Norwood supporter. My number 29 guernsey hangs at half mast in my wardrobe.

[Dogwatcher]

Just read the news myself.
A sad day indeed.
Another legend gone.
Much respect.

[schimma]

went to primary and high schoool with his kids pass on my respects to the family.

[CK]

A very sad day for the Norwood Football Club. I'm not old enough to have seen him play, but my grandfather (yes, I'm a 3rd generation Norwood man) used to talk of his uncanny ruckwork and fairness at all times. His friendship with Ron Kneebone was one of the most enduring at the club for so many years also. "Big Bill" carried the club on his shoulders throughout his career and Norwood is all the greater for having the honour to have him at the club. Writing this with a very heavy and sad heart, and my thoughts are with the Wedding family at this time.

Thanks for the memories, "Big Bill".

[BPBRB]

I heard this morning of Bill's passing and my eyes filled with tears.
Bill Wedding was my childhood hero I worshiped him as a kid and there has never been a nicer man at our club.
I remember as a 10 year kid asking for an autograph and Bill, as his ankles were being strapped ,sat there talking to this young kid for ages asking about all sorts of things. At that age it was a day I never forgot.
My uncle worked with Bill...Kingsley was his real name....and one day he gave me a picture of Bill signed and addressed to me. That picture sat on my dressing table in my room for decades...I still have it.
No one could beat Bill Wedding in ruck he was quite simply the best knock/tap ruckman of all time. The famous victory over the Vics at the MCG Bill Wedding took on and thrashed...Polly Farmer, John Nicholls and John Schultz and from that day the Vics called him "Golden Wedding".
He took more punishment than you can imagine and foul play was the only tactic you could contemplate to beat Bill....ask Neil Kerley about that !
It is a sad sad day indeed for this Norwood supporter. My number 29 guernsey hangs at half mast in my wardrobe.

Great story SDK which captured concisely what sort of champion bloke he was, both on and off the field.

[cd]

An absolute legend of our game.
Was sensational in 1963 win over the Vics at the MCG.
Was a true gentleman & respected by all.

Could knock the ball as far as others could kick.

[topsywaldron]

Chatted to Bill for a while at a Norwood function and he was as nice bloke as you could find.

All our thoughts are with his family.

[Wedgie]

From nafc.com.au:

The Passing of Bill Wedding

The North Adelaide Football Club wishes to extend its sincerest condolences to the family of the late Bill Wedding and to the Norwood Football Club upon Bill's recent passing.

Bill passed away on Saturday evening after a battle with a terminal illness. Always admired and respected by his own Club and opposition Clubs alike, Bill was affectionately known in the Football Fraternity as the "Gentle Giant". He played 214 SANFL matches for the Norwood Football Club and made 19 appearances for South Australia. He kicked exactly 100 goals for the Norwood Club.

Bill was also a playing member of that famous and much celebrated successful South Australian State Team which defeated Victoria on the M.C.G. in 1963.

R.I.P. Bill Wedding, a champion footballer and gentleman.

[SDK]

Thanks Wedgie.

[JK]

Like CK I'm a 3rd generation Redleg, who grew up regularly hearing tales of past greats, most of them about either Big Bill or John Marriott.

My old man talked regularly of Bill's exploits, and was like an excited schoolchild when he spoke with Bill last year (such was the respectful nature of the gentle giant he still remembered my old man from 30-40 years ago) at the NFC Hall Of Fame, where thankfully, I too had the honour of speaking with him and shaking his hand.

Every club has greats that leave an indelible marking on their institution, and it's important at such a sad time that we celebrate them and the manner in which they lead their lives ... Bill will never be forgotten at the Norwood Footy Club and my thoughts and wishes go out to his family and friends.

[MightyEagles]

went to primary and high schoool with his kids pass on my respects to the family.

Then you would know of/know Tim.

[StrayDog]

Much cherished from my childhood is my copy of "League Football In South Australia" covering the topic up to Centenary year 1977. In this publication Mervyn Agars (SA Football Hall of Fame inductee, multiple S.A. State Representative, West Adelaide Premiership player and "The Advertiser" Sports Editor for nearly two decades) writes

"I am convinced (Tom) Leahy and Wedding are the finest, most dominant knock ruckmen S.A. has produced. Both faced and fought the same problem. They were so good they were constantly singled out by opposing teams - both club and interstate - for special attention and treatment.
.......................................
...................The plans of all opposing teams to beat Norwood began with countering Wedding's ruck dominance.
It became the same story in interstate matches. Wedding's performance in S.A.'s memorable win over Victoria at the M.C.G. in 1963 was an epic.
With two opponents leaping at him at bounces and throw-ins for most of the game Wedding was unbeatable. He reduced opponents of the quality of John Nicholls and "Polly" Farmer to mediocrity."




"Big Bill" - truly one of the game's greats.

R. I. P.

[McAlmanac]

A true champion. The best ruckman in Australia in the 60's.

And great story, SDK.

[am Bays]

Always sad when one of the greats passes on....

[Adelaide Hawk]

This thread was created when I wasn't posting on Big Footy, and I would like to add my thoughts of Bill Wedding.

As has been documented, Kingsley Arthur "Bill" Wedding was a thorough gentleman, and arguably the greatest and most dominant ruckman of all time. He was my very favourite footballer as a child. I had two childhood idols, Bill Wedding and Peter Hudson.

I used to go to the football just to watch Big Bill play. He wasn't much of a kick, not particularly strong overhead, and was often pinged for flick passing due to the new handballing rules, but when it came to ruck contests he was majestic.

It wasn't a case of whether he would win the hit out, it was simply a matter of where it would go. Opposition teams developed tactics to nullify his dominance by having their ruckman jump into Bill in an attempt to force him to mis-direct his hit out to their rovers.

Great rovers such as Jeff Potter learnt to rove to the beaten ruck, and would read Bill almost to perfection. So the greatest problem with having such a dominant ruckman, and two great rovers such as Haydn Bunton and Bob Oatey, was we never got the true value of his brilliance as other teams cashed in on it as well.

The outstanding part of Bill's ruck work was his leap. He would lope in and spring, then hover in the air way above his opponent. I've seen many pictures of Bill in ruck contests, and you see Bill way above the contest with his opponent's hand around Bill's elbow. Bill would almost caress the ball in his palm and guide it carefully to its destination. It was incredible to watch.

Ruck work back then was an art, not an exhibition of sumo wrestling like we see in contemporary football.

I'll finish with some quotes from the eloquent Mike Coward in his book "Men Of Norwood". He wrote of Bill, "Few players at Norwood have evoked so much admiration and adulation as the most genial of the club's many giants, Kingsley Arthur Wedding. Like few men before him, Wedding captivated not only the football devotees of South Australia but also the followers of all sports. There was an intense, emotional identification with Norwood's most revered ruckman".

He went on to say. "He was never blessed with natural talent but he possessed a loyalty, an intrepidity and a will to succeed that consistently overcame the opposition that ruckmen of purer stock could muster".

When he first began at Norwood in 1957, he wasn't a regular league player, far from it. In fact he won the Reserves Magarey Medal before forging his name into league calculations. Alan Killigrew realised his potential and developed him into the ruckman history recalls. He won Norwood's Best & Fairest award 5 years running (1961-65), Norwood's best ruckman award 11 years running, and was named All-Australian in 1961.

Bill, you were a champion in every sense of the word. I loved to watch you play, and enjoy the memories you stamped indelibly in my memory.

[JK]

Well said AH.