BIO

Wartime competition 1942-1944
Norwood-North games: 8
Norwood-North goals: 7


Graham Hope Farrow was born on the 18th of November, 1922, in Yorketown on the Yorke Peninsula of South Australia.  He started with the Norwood Senior Colts in 1941.  In January 1942 he joined RAAF Reserve in Sydney, where he was working as a clerk with Horwood Bagshaw.  He then returned to Adelaide where he was part of the North-Norwood team in the World War II competition.  

Farrow played for Norwood-North in the World War II patriotic competition before enlisting fully in the RAAF in August 1942.  He was shipped out to England in late 1943, where he soon found himself flying sorties in the Europe and Mediterranean theatres, as part of Bomber Command.  He flew over 700 hours in Wellingtons, Stirlings and the famous Lancaster bombers as part of the 463 and 476 Bomber Squadron.  The fact that he survived this was remarkable in itself, these squadrons had a high attrition rate, but more so given his aircraft was shot down when returning from a mission over Germany.  His war record notes that “he is interested in sport, he organises games and plays some with vigour and ability.”

After being discharged from the air force in 1946 he returned to Adelaide and to Norwood where he resumed his football career.  This was immediately successful, as he played in the victorious premiership team that year.  A quick, accurate left foot goal sneak, he was the club’s leading goal kicker in 1948 with 64 goals from full forward and half forward, however, he unfortunately missed that year’s premiership due to injury.

He retired after the 1949 season when he played in the losing preliminary final against West Torrens.  Farrow finished with a games tally of 61 and 135 goals for both Norwood and North-Norwood.


J Kahl March 2013