BIO

A rugged wingman with good marking and foot-passing skills, Clarrie Sisson played two senior seasons with South Adelaide and three with Norwood before bowing out of football as an umpire.

Clarrie shone in the South reserves in 1930 and was chosen in the SA Football Association team which visited Western Australia.  He also made his league debut that year, with two games on the wing and five as 19th man.  He played three more league games in 1931 but none in 1932 before moving on from South with a sparse senior record of three wins and three goals.

Clarrie was 22 when he joined Norwood in 1933.  He was not in the team which lost the grand final to West Torrens by 23 points that season but developed as a wingman over the next two years, with occasional games as a half-forward or rover to the second ruck.  Norwood began well in 1935.  ‘Hooker’ Bice and ClarrieSisson were winners on their wings when Norwood belted the reigning premier, Glenelg, by 14 goals at Adelaide Oval on 17 August.  But morale faded as popular captain-coach Jack Sexton slid downhill with a fatal illness and Norwood did well to finish fourth.

Clarrie ended his career in the seconds, where he kicked seven goals in23 games from 1933 to 1936.  He went on to umpire country and junior matches.

Born at North Adelaide on 22 June 11 to Hartley Roy Sisson and his wife Violet , née Wilson, Clarrie had a sister, Roma, and a half-sibling,Walter.  Clarrie married Jemima (Mima) Evans at Stow Memorial Church in 1939.  They lived at College Park and Dulwich.  Their son Jeffrey was born 1942and died in 1970.

Clarrie enlisted for World War II service in the RAAF on 8 April 1941 and was a sergeant in the 109 Mobile Fighter Control Unit when discharged on 5 December 1945.

He was a retail salesman for the Cox Foys department store and in 1958 was manager of Cox Bros in Broken Hill.  He died on 4 April 1992 and is buried at Centennial Park.

P Robins, D Cox, G Adams, P Cochinos Oct 2021