George Joshua Francis "Fred" Parkinson (27 January 1884 – 22 October 1913) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Essendon and Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL).[1]
| Fred Parkinson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Parkinson during his Essendon career | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | George Joshua Francis Parkinson | ||
| Date of birth | 27 January 1884 | ||
| Place of birth | Sandhurst, Victoria | ||
| Date of death | 22 October 1913 (aged 29) | ||
| Place of death | Prahran, Victoria | ||
| Original team(s) | South Bendigo | ||
| Height | 184 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1907–10 | Essendon | 53 (27) | |
| 1912 | Collingwood | 5 (3) | |
| Total | 58 (30) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1912. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Parkinson, a follower, came to the league from South Bendigo and debuted in the 1907 VFL season, at the age of 23.[2][3] He played 15 games that year.[3]
In 1908, Parkinson made 18 appearances, including Essendon's semi-final win over Collingwood, but wasn't selected for the grand final.[3] His best performance that season came in round 16 when he played up forward and kicked seven goals against Melbourne at East Melbourne.[3]
He was a regular in the Essendon team again in 1909, with 15 games, then only played five games in 1910, but did make another semi-final appearance, for the third year in a row.[3]
In 1912 he transferred to Collingwood, where he played five senior games.[3][4]
Off the field, Parkinson was a railways worker, initially at Bendigo railway station before he moved to Melbourne.[5] On 21 October 1913, Parkinson was alighting from a train at South Yarra station, on his way home from work, when his leg slipped in between the train and platform.[6] The train was already in motion and Parkinson received severe leg injuries.[6] He died from shock the following day, at The Alfred Hospital.[7]
References
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- ^ Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2007). The Encyclopedia Of AFL Footballers. BAS Publishing. ISBN 9781920910785.
- ^ "Parkinson, G. J. Fred". Essendon Football Club. Archived from the original on 24 April 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Fred Parkinson". AFL Tables.
- ^ Bendigo Advertiser, "Metropolitan Matches", 4 June 1912, p. 2
- ^ Bendigo Advertiser, "Fatal Railway Accident", 23 October 1913, p. 5
- ^ a b The Argus, "Man's Leg Crushed", 22 October 1913, p. 13
- ^ Riverine Herald, "Footballer Fatally Injured", 23 October 1913, p. 3