Sonny Morey

Sonny Morey
Personal information
Full name Sonny Morey
Born 1945 (age 80–81)
Yambah Station, Northern Territory, Australia
Original team Gawler Centrals
Position Wing / Half-back
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1964–1977 Central District 213 (28)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
South Australia 4
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
1981–1988 Central District U17
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1977.
Source: AustralianFootball.com

Sonny Morey (born 1945) is an Aboriginal Australian former Australian rules footballer. He played for Central District in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He was removed from his family in the Northern Territory as part of the Stolen Generations, first placed in a home in Alice Springs, and transferred to Adelaide as a young teenager.

Early life and education

Sonny Morey was born in 1945 on Yambah Station in the Northern Territory of Australia,[1] An Arrernte man, he was removed from his family as part of the Stolen Generations[2] at the age of seven.[3]

Morey spent part of his childhood at St Mary’s Hostel in Alice Springs, where he lived for six years before being transferred in 1958[4] St Francis House, a home for Aboriginal boys in the Adelaide beachside suburb of Semaphore, run by Church of England missionaries. With him at the home were Charlie Perkins (later an Aboriginal rights activist), Harold Thomas (who later designed the Aboriginal flag), and artist and soccer player John Kundereri Moriarty.[3] His surname was changed from Gorey to Morey by authorities.[5]

A year later, St Francis House closed down, and he was fostered out to a family at the age of 14.[3] His foster parents were Ada and Sydney Maguire. He began playing junior football with Gawler Centrals, one of three clubs comprising Gawler Football Club in Gawler, South Australia. There he won under-17 and senior best-and-fairest awards.[6]

Playing career

Morey played a total of 213 senior games for Central District in the SANFL between 1964 and 1977.[1]

He made his senior debut in Central District's inaugural SANFL season in 1964 and recorded the club’s first league kick.[7]

Morey won Central's Best and Fairest award in 1970.[7] He was runner-up in the 1972 Magarey Medal and received both Central District and SANFL player life memberships.[8]

He became the first Central District player to reach 200 games in 1976.[8] He retired the following year, finishing with 213 appearances and 28 goals.[7]

During his career, he represented South Australia in four interstate matches.[8]

Coaching and later career

After retiring, Morey coached Eudunda Football Club from 1978 to 1980, guiding them to a premiership in 1978.[9]

He later coached Central District’s under-17s between 1981 and 1988, including their 1985 premiership.[8][7]

Outside football, Morey worked as a fitter and turner, storeman, and sports store manager. He also served for 12 years with South Australia Police, where he worked in community engagement roles.[10]

Honours and recognition

Personal life

Morey married Carmel, and they have two daughters.[10] His daughter, Kim Morey-Hure, has spoken publicly about his experiences and the continuing impact of the Stolen Generations.[9]

He never saw his mother again despite looking for her all of his life, but later discovered that she had also searched for him after his removal, until her death in 1992. After learning of her death, he had been unable to find where she had been buried.[3] In early 2026, shortly before the 18th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations (13 February), Morey was at last informed that her burial site was on Napperby Station, north-west of Alice Springs. At his first attendance of a breakfast gathering in Canberra to mark the anniversary, he met other survivors of the Stolen Generations, including four of his "sisters" who had lived at St Mary's Hostel when he was there as a child.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "AFL launches 2024 Sir Doug Nicholls Round with theme Spirit Strong, Game On". AFL. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  2. ^ "From member of the Stolen Generation to iconic state footballer: the Sonny Morey story". National Indigenous Times. 16 May 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Jash, Tahnee; Wellauer, Kirstie (12 February 2026). "More than 100 Stolen Generations survivors gather for apology anniversary". ABC News. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 14 February 2026.
  4. ^ "Sonny Morey". More Than Our Childhoods. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  5. ^ "Sonny Morey". Care Experience & Culture. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Fall and rise: The incredible story of SA footy great Sonny Morey". AFL. 23 May 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f "Sonny Morey – Hall of Fame". Central District Football Club. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g "Sonny Morey – SANFL Hall of Fame". SANFL. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  9. ^ a b c "Morey named AFL's Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree". National Indigenous Times. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  10. ^ a b "SA Indigenous icon Sonny Morey". SANFL. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  11. ^ "'This means a lot for SA football': Sonny's great honour". The Advertiser. 25 May 2024. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.