Summary

Inagural Wilkie Medal for the Best & Fairest in the Anti-Football League awarded to Harold Holt in 1967. The Anti-Football League was established in April 1967 by renowned Melbourne Journalist Keith Dunstan, after fellow journalist Douglas Wilke lamented, after their office was filled with sports writers and ex-footballers, that `there must be a better life than this. Couldn't we start an anti-football organisation?' Dunstan designed their logo - a cube shaped football - and had a stickpin made by K.G. Luke so that members could recognise each other and have intelligent `non-football' conversations. It also operated as a charity, raising 100,000's of dollars for organisations such as MS Australia. Coincidentally, the Anti-Football League was the first AFL, as the official football league was known as the VFL until it changed to AFL, to reflect the national competition, in 1990.

Soon after, Dunstan established the Douglas Wilkie Medal, named after his friend and colleague, as the Anti-Football League's answer to the annual Brownlow Award. Awarded between 1967 and 2011 it was given to the person who was considered to have done the least for the advancement of football in the best and fairest manner. The inaugural award was presented to then Prime Minister Harold Holt. Holt won because he was seen as one of the very few politicians that didn't feel the need to curry public favour by being seen appearing at football matches. He was said to be chuffed by the medal but decided to keep it low key and receive his medal in private, with no photographers present, just in case it upset too many people.

Each year, a different winner was chosen, with the award presented on Anti-Football day. Past winners include Bob Skilton, Barry Humphries, Raelene Boyle, Wendy Harmer and Barry Jones. As well as the medal presentation, the highlight of the day was the destruction of an AFL ball, by the likes of a chainsaw, axe or lawnmower.

Physical Description

Gilt bronze medal, circular, the obverse cast with inner and outer laurel wreaths enclosing a cuboid football in red enamel at the centre, the reverse cast with a spray of foliage and a cartouche. Engraved inscription. Medal is in its original velvet-lined simulated ivory box

Obverse Description

Inner and outer laurel wreaths enclosing a cuboid football in red enamel at the centre

Reverse Description

Spray of foliage and a cartouche and engraved 'The / Wilkie Medal / Best & Fairest / Anti Football League / 1967 / won by / Rt Hon Harold Holt

Edge Description

plain

Significance

The museum's collection has a number of objects, documents and images related to Victoria's love affair with sport, but little representing the flipside of this - those who despise and loathe the population's obsession with it. This medal symbolises this, thru its association with the Ant-Football League, and organisation which saw the humour in the football fever that took over the state in the colder months.

The medal is also an important addition to the collection due to its links to Harold Holt, the 17th Prime Minister of Australia, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances in December 1967. Although born in Sydney, he moved to Melbourne as a child and then lived here his whole life. Elected the Member for Higgins in 1949, he served as Minister for Scientific and Industrial Research, Minister for Immigration, Minister for Labour and National Service and Treasurer before being elected leader of the Liberal Party and Prime Minister, after the retirement of Sir Robert Menzies in January 1966.He is mainly remembered for being Prime Minister during the Vietnam War and the related close relationship he had with US President Lyndon Baines Johnson, coining the phrase that Australia was `all the way with LBJ' when he hosted a visit from him in 1966.

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