The Nurse Who Shaped an AFL Legend

The rugby league heartland of Queensland’s Darling Downs has a surprising century-old link to an Australian Football League legend. I told a version of this story live on Darling Downs radio 4AK.

It will surprise many because it involves Toowoomba’s most famous and influential resident, on a global scale, who was of course Sister Elizabeth Kenny.

Sister Kenny has a connection to an AFL legend with a forgotten and quite frankly disgraceful grand final story that I’ll also tell you about.

Just to recap on Sister Kenny for anyone who doesn’t know, she was a self-trained bush nurse who developed a new and then-controversial approach to treating polio.

Her interest in medicine began when she came to Toowoomba to recover from a fall from a horse. That’s when she began reading medical books belonging to the chief surgeon of the Toowoomba General Hospital, Dr Aeneas McDonnell. Dr McDonnell’s father was directly responsible for populating Queensland in the colonial period working as the Queensland immigration agent.

Dr McDonnell became a lifelong a mentor and advisor of Sister Kenny. One day in 1910 Dr.  McDonnell read a telegram from Sister Kenny. She was working alone in the bush about one hundred miles away and needed advice on treating four children with a condition that she didn’t recognise. Dr. McDonnell scribbled a reply: “Infantile paralysis … no known cure.. . do the best you can.” And she did – she cured them!

When Sister Kenny visited Toowoomba, Dr. McDonnell rushed her into the hospital to show he and his staff the heat and massage treatment that she had develop. Sister Kenny became world famous. A Hollywood film was even made about her that starred a four-time Academy Award nominee.

*Sister Kenny with the actress who player her, Hollywood’s Rosaline Russell*

But now comes the AFL legend. And that legend comes no bigger than Roy Cazaly, as in Mr “Up There Cazaly” himself. Cazaly played in Victoria, in the VFL now AFL, in 1911-1927 and in Tasmania through to the 1940s.

The saying, “Up there Cazaly” was adopted by the Diggers in World War II and his name was immortalised in the song released in 1979. In 1996, Cazaly was elevated to AFL Legend status in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

*Roy Cazaly’s famous mark in the Sporting Globe*

Back when Cazaly was playing and coaching in Tasmania, he also had a little masseur’s business in Hobart and won quite a reputation for himself.

His services were in demand not only among his own players at North Hobart, but also with players of other clubs. That even extended to the player-coach of arch-rivals Cananore Football Club, and his name was Albert Collier. Collier was Victoria’s Brownlow medallist from just 3 years earlier when in 1932 he and his team came to play Cazaly. But Collier arrived with a badly bruised leg and the injury responded so well to Cazaly’s treatment that thanks to Cazaly he was able to play.

Later in the season in a game between the same two teams, the match erupted into disgraceful scenes that required police to intervene. A number of players were reported, thousands of people assembled outside the committee rooms, and several constables had to again be called to control the situation.

Cazaly was suspended for the rest of the season and part of the next. He was also charged in the City Police Court with disturbing the peace by fighting. The fight definitely happened, but somehow Cazaly got off.

The end result was that Cazaly controversially missed the Tasmanian grand final against that same Cananore club, which was all what everyone in Tasmania was talking about for months.

But of particular interest to 4AK listeners today, is that Cazaly was actually a student of Sister Elizabeth Kenny. Cazaly adopted her controversial methods and he treated victims for free.

*Roy Cazaly instructs at his masseur’s business in Hobart*

So yes, Toowoomba’s Sister Kenny influenced world medicine for the betterment of millions. She also influenced the AFL through that code’s biggest legend Roy Cazaly.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO A VERSION OF THIS STORY TOLD ON 4AK.

Photo credits:
The Nurse Who Shaped an AFL Legend – Harold Peacock with Copilot.
Nurse Elizabeth Kenny c1915 – State Library of Queensland.
Dr A.J. McDonnell of Toowoomba – Telegraph, Brisbane, 10th August 1939, page 7.
Movie star Rosaline Russell and Sister Elizabeth Kenny – Worlds News, Sydney, 21st Mar 1942, page 2.
Albert Collier during his Collingwood days – Public Domain Collingwood Forever website.
Roy Cazaly Snr and Roy Cazaly Jnt with a patient, Mrs Cazaly Jnr notes instructions for New Town ruckman – Sporting Globe, Melbourne, 20th May 1953, page 5.