Polly Farmer
A revolutionary Australian rules footballer who transformed the ruck position with his handball, changing the game's geometry forever.
1935–2019 (age 84)·Australian rules footballer and coach·Birthday: March 10·The Silent Generation
Biography
Polly Farmer didn't just play Australian rules football; he rewrote its manual. Growing up in a children's home in Western Australia, he discovered the game as a teenager and quickly revealed a genius for it. As a ruckman, he was a colossus—tall, strong, and impossibly agile. But his true innovation was his use of handball. Before Farmer, handball was a last-resort disposal. He weaponized it, firing precise, torpedo-like passes over medium distances to teammates in space, effectively inventing the modern concept of handball as a primary attacking tool. This skill, combined with his dominant tap work, made him the engine of teams at East Perth, Geelong—where he led a famous 1963 premiership—and later West Perth. After playing, he became the first Indigenous Australian to coach at the top level, leaving a legacy as a tactical pioneer who made the game faster, smarter, and more dynamic.
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.
Polly was born in 1935, 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 Polly Was Born
The biggest hits of 1935
#1 Movie
Mutiny on the Bounty
Best Picture
Mutiny on the Bounty
Polly's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1935Born
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1940Started school
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1948Became a teenager
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Could drive
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1953Could vote
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
1956Turned 21
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1965Turned 30
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1975Turned 40
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1985Turned 50
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 60
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 70
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 80
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2019Died at 84
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
Key Achievements
- Widely credited with revolutionizing the use of handball as a creative, attacking weapon in Australian rules football.
- Led the Geelong Football Club to the 1963 VFL Premiership, their first flag in over a decade, as captain and star ruckman.
- Inducted as an inaugural 'Legend' in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, the highest honor in the sport.
- Became the first Indigenous Australian to coach at the top level of the game in the VFL/WANFL.
Did You Know?
He was known for his extraordinary hand strength, developed from working as a boiler-maker, which powered his famous handballs.
Farmer spent much of his childhood at the Sister Kate's Children's Home in Perth after his mother struggled to care for him.
A statue of him performing a handpass stands outside Perth's Optus Stadium, immortalizing his signature skill.
He was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1971 for his services to football.
“I changed the game by using my hand not just to hit the ball, but to think with it.”
