TERRY LEWFATT

Born in 1937, the oldest of 10 children to Walter and Monica Lewfatt, Terry was evacuated to Peterborough in SA during world War Two. The family was re-united at Pine Creek in 1946 and after a year moved back to Darwin.

In Australian Rules Terry spent his whole career with the St Marys club, starting in A-grade as a 15-year-old (there was no colts or reserve grade in those years).  A player with outstanding skills on both side of hit body, Terry played in St Marys first premiership win in 1954/55 in his debut year.

By the time his career finished in 1968/69 Terry had played in seven Premierships (1954/55 and 1955/56) as a player and was Captain in1958/59 and1959/60 and three as captain-coach (1961/62, 1965/66 and1966/67). For seven seasons he was either Captain or Captain-Coach

In the 1961/62 season he became the only coach in NTFL history to coach both the A and B grade premierships in the one season.  For that he owes a debt of gratitude to his brother, Gympie, who goaled after the siren in the B-grade final against Darwin to give Saints victory by two points.

NTFL records show Terry coached the NTFL twice against North Adelaide in 1966.

Its estimated Terry would have played over 200 games with Saints and in 1970 he was awarded club life membership.

Terry is also a life member of the NTFL.

During his years as a player Terry won three club best and fairest trophies (1958/59, 1961/62 and 1962/63).Terry tied with Works captain Joe Bonson in the 1958/59 season for the Nichols Medal but lost on a countback, but like most football organisations the NTFL awarded the medal retrospectively to Terry in 1993. He finished third twice, 1961/62 to Ted Cooper (Wanderers) and 1965/66 to Rusty Moreen (Wanderers), and was in the top five or six in several other seasons.

In the 1961/62 season he was the NTFL leading goalkicker with 33 goals.

In basketball Terry was one of the great players of the 50s and 60s, although his last A-grade season was in the early 1980s when he was 44 years old.  This gives him a senior career in basketball of about 30.years duration!

In 1959 he was the only player selected in the NT side for the Australian championships in Adelaide who had played in the previous championships in Brisbane in 1954.  In all Terry played in 10 Australian basketball championships, the only 10 times in which the Territory competed.

Like football, Terry was unable to win a competition best and fairest award.  He was regularly in the top three or four players but the Pioneers club was exceptionally strong with many players taking votes away from each other.

Terry also had a 15-year career in soccer (a sport he played to keep fit for football) and in one year did win the best and fairest award in A-grade.  He was also a fine first baseman for St Marys when the club fielded a team in the baseball competition, and a tennis player of some repute.

A carpenter by trade, Terry spent most of his working life in the public service. When he took redundancy he worked for a short time as a security guard and then an administration officer with the Northern Land Council.

Sadly his wife Betty who was a Life Member of St Marys passed away in late 2000 and Terry himself passed away in late 2003 they had two children.