Barry Shepherd
A versatile Western Australian sportsman who balanced the patience of Test cricket with the fierce physicality of top-level Australian rules football.
1937–2001 (age 64)·Australian rules footballer, cricketer·Birthday: April 23·The Silent Generation
Biography
Barry Shepherd embodied a classic breed of Australian sports talent: supremely gifted across multiple codes. In the winter, he was a dashing and reliable centre half-back for the Subiaco Football Club in the WAFL, the state's top Australian rules competition, known for his strong marking and graceful movement. When summer arrived, he swapped the oval ball for a cricket bat. A stylish right-handed batsman and occasional leg-spinner, his first-class performances for Western Australia earned him a call-up to the national team. He played nine Test matches for Australia between 1963 and 1965, facing the formidable bowling attacks of England and South Africa. While his Test average didn't cement a long-term spot, the very fact he reached that pinnacle in two vastly different sports speaks to a remarkable, all-round athletic intelligence and skill that is rare in the modern era of specialization.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Barry was born in 1937, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Barry Was Born
The biggest hits of 1937
#1 Movie
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Best Picture
The Life of Emile Zola
Barry's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1937Born
Hindenburg disaster; Golden Gate Bridge opens
Gas: $0.20/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"A-Tisket, A-Tasket" — Ella FitzgeraldBest Picture: The Life of Emile Zola
1942Started school
Battle of Midway turns the tide in the Pacific
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,175Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"White Christmas" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Mrs. Miniver
1950Became a teenager
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1953Could drive
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1955Could vote
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1958Turned 21
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1967Turned 30
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1977Turned 40
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 50
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 60
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2001Died at 64
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
Key Achievements
- Played 9 Test matches for the Australian cricket team as a batsman between 1963 and 1965.
- Represented Western Australia in first-class cricket for over a decade, scoring over 4,000 runs.
- Played 124 games for the Subiaco Football Club in the WAFL, representing Western Australia in interstate rules football.
Did You Know?
He was the captain of the Western Australian cricket team for the 1965-66 season.
In Australian rules football, he was a member of Subiaco's premiership-winning team in 1958.
He later served as a national selector for the Australian cricket team in the 1970s.
“You play the ball as it comes, in any sport.”
