BIO

George Dellar was educated at Maryborough primary and technical schools, approximately 80 kilometres north of Ballarat, Victoria.
 
A full back for the Maryborough Football Club, he was enticed by St. Kilda to move to Melbourne in 1959. Selected to play on a permit, he ended up as a reserve when the regular full back, Verdun Howell, made an unexpected return to the side. After four or five games in the St. Kilda reserves, the permit expired and Dellar returned home to Maryborough.
 
Dellar had worked for a mate of then Norwood coach Alan Killigrew, who had also coached against Dellar in the Ballarat Football League, factors that helped the 23 year old make his decision to move to Adelaide and join the "Demons" as Norwood was known during the Killigrew era.
 
He was troubled by hamstring injuries early, and made his league debut in round four 1960 when he was selected in the second ruck changing out of a back-pocket. Dellar played 10 games in his first year and was named as 19th man in the 1960 Grand Final against North Adelaide.
 
A very popular player, he was one of the toughest footballers of his time. Strong, vigorous, aggressive yet skilful, he never shirked a contest. Predominantly a half-back flanker with a strong mark and long kick, he also played at centre-half back and at full-back when Peter Aish was injured. On several occasions he was given the role of "run with"/tagger on West Adelaide champion, Neil Kerley.
 
By 1961 Norwood had six players on their list formerly associated with coach Alan Killigrew and/or St.Kilda : Dellar, Brian Bowe, Geoff Feehan, Ian Gordon, Lester Ross and Phil Stephens. Dellar played 21 games in 1961 and Norwood while they had another very good season they were beaten by West Adelaide in the Grand Final. He was named at half-back and vividly recalls the premiership decider being played in very hot conditions and becoming known as  the "Turkish/Sauna Bath" game. (He also remembers Norwood's use of "performance enhancing" glucose coated pineapple pieces during quarter-time breaks)

Dellar played another 21 games in 1962 and was again at half-back when Norwood were beaten by Westies in the Preliminary Final. Unfortunately, this was to be his final league match for the club.
 
Kneed in the back during a Norwood internal trial played at Rostrevor College, he was unable to play again for some time. He later coached the Athelstone under 15 team for a season, before playing in a premiership with Roseworthy. He then spent two years at Hectorville, winning a flag in 1967 with former Norwood footballer Malcolm Smith as coach.
 
Off the field, Dellar owned a couple of service stations on OG Road in Adelaide's north eastern suburbs and ran a newsagent at Modbury for 19 years.
 
George Dellar was regarded by his team-mates as a really good bloke and he chose to make his home in the Adelaide suburb, Rostrevor

R Cialini, W Miller March 2020