Bill Harburn

William Nicholson Harburn (19 November 1923 – 15 October 1970) was a footballer who played in the Football League for Darlington and in non-league football for several clubs in the north-east of England. After emigrating to Australia, he played for Hakoah in the Victorian State League and was a member of Australia's squad for the 1956 Olympics. He began his career as a centre forward, later played at wing half and finished up at full back.

Bill Harburn
Personal information
Full name William Nicholson Harburn[1]
Date of birth (1923-11-19)19 November 1923[1]
Place of birth Stockton-on-Tees,[1] England
Date of death 15 October 1970(1970-10-15) (aged 46)
Place of death Melbourne, Australia
Playing position(s) Centre forward, wing half, full back
Youth career
– South Bank
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– South Bank
1947–1948 Darlington 1 (0)
– South Bank (0)
1952–1953 Crook Town 12
– Bishop Auckland
– Billingham Synthonia
– Hakoah
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He was one of 35 workers killed when a section of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapsed while under construction in 1970.

Life and career

Harburn was born in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham.[1] As a teenager he was a competition swimmer,[2] and played football as a forward with South Bank's youth teams.[3]

He continued to represent South Bank after the war in the Northern League, and scored as they beat Tow Law 3–1 to win the 1948 Northern League Challenge Cup.[4] In the 1947–48 Football League season, he appeared once as an amateur in the Third Division North for Darlington.[1] Playing as a wing half, Harburn was a member of the Crook Town team that won the 1952–53 Northern League title,[5] and he also played for Bishop Auckland and Billingham Synthonia,[4] for whom he scored twice in six matches during the 1953–54 season.[6]

In the mid-1950s, Harburn, his wife Mavis, and their three young children emigrated to Australia. A fourth child was born some years later.[7] The family settled in Melbourne, where Harburn continued his trade as a boilermaker and played football for Victorian State League club Hakoah.[8] In a game against Juventus in May 1955, The Age's reporter saw a performance that "stamps him as easily the best full-back to play in Victoria".[9] That same year, he played in an Australian XI against a touring South China team.[10] Harburn was selected for the Australian squad for the 1956 Olympics in his home city of Melbourne, but played in neither of their matches.[11] He played for Hakoah until at least 1959,[12] and continued playing recreational football for much longer.[8]

On 15 October 1970, Harburn was working on the construction of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne when a 2,000-tonne span collapsed, falling onto the mud of the river below. He had changed his job two weeks previously because he wanted to continue working on the bridge rather than in the factory. He and 34 co-workers were killed.[8][13][14]

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References
  1. Hugman, Barry J., ed. (1998). The PFA Premier & Football League Players' Records 1946–1998. Queen Anne Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-1-85291-585-8.
  2. "Bailey Street Boys 1937". Picture Stockton Archive. 4 August 2006. Retrieved 8 September 2014. While the written content of the cited page is a reminiscence blog and not a reliable source, the fact is sourced to the photograph at the top, submitted by a family member of the subject and including a blackboard giving Harburn's initials, surname and trophies won.
  3. "Past local players of note". ABC of Football Tradition in South Bank. This is The North East: Communigate. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011.
  4. "South Bank Football Club". ABC of Football Tradition in South Bank. This is The North East: Communigate. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011.
  5. "Squads old and new" and "Historic squad data". Crook Town A.F.C. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  6. "A–Z of 'The Synners' 1945/46–2015/16". Billingham Synthonia FC. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  7. Hills, Ben (15 October 1971). "A year later some can only look back in anguish". The Age. Melbourne. p. 2.
  8. "Bridge work stops for 15 funerals". The Age. Melbourne. 19 October 1970. p. 3.
  9. Barr, Alex. (23 May 1955). "Record soccer crowd sees Juventus beat Hakoah". The Age. Melbourne. p. 16.
  10. Esamie, Thomas & Stock, Greg. "Socceroo B Matches for 1955". OzFootball. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  11. "Olympic Football Tournament Melbourne 1956: Australia–Japan" and "Olympic Football Tournament Melbourne 1956: Australia–India". FIFA. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  12. Punshon, John. "1959 Victorian State League Results". OzFootball. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  13. "The Disaster". Public Record Office Victoria. Archived from the original on 24 August 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  14. "Memorial plaque". West Gate Bridge Memorial Committee. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
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