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Frank Paterson Brown

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Frank Brown
Photograph of Brown in Native American costume, c. 1910
Personal information
Full name Francis Paterson Brown
Date of birth (1887-11-13)13 November 1887
Place of birth Berwick, Victoria
Date of death 26 November 1928(1928-11-26) (aged 41)
Place of death St Kilda, Victoria[1]
Original team(s) Scotch College
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1905–06 Melbourne 5 (0)
1907 St Kilda 1 (0)
Total 6 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1907.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Francis Paterson Brown (13 November 1887 – 26 November 1928) was an Australian sportsman, adventurer and journalist. He was a national champion in the hurdles and represented Australia at the Inter-Empire Championships in 1911. He was also a mining entrepreneur, soldier, and wrestling promoter.

Early life

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Portrait of Brown as a child by Arthur Streeton, c. 1891

Brown was born on 13 November 1887 in Berwick, Victoria.[2] He was the son of Mary Jane (née Paterson) and George Brown. His older half-brother Louis Esson was a dramatist.[3] His father died in 1897 and his mother remarried to politician James Gibb.[4]

Brown attended Scotch College, Melbourne.[5] As a child he was painted by Arthur Streeton, an acquaintance of his uncle John Ford Paterson; his cousins Esther and Betty Paterson were artists.[6]

Sporting career

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Brown excelled at hurdles. He won the 440-yard and one-mile hurdles at the Victorian public school championships in 1904, and the following year won the 440-yard event at the Australian Athletics Championships in Sydney. He was the Victorian champion in the 120-yard hurdles and the 440-yard dash in 1907.[5]

Brown represented Australia at the Inter-Empire Championships in London in 1911. He competed in the 120-yard hurdles event, where he fell while leading the race. He won an international event in Berlin in 1912 and was reportedly presented with a silver cup by Wilhelm, German Crown Prince.[5]

Outside of athletics, Brown played high-level Australian rules football in the Victorian Football League, making five appearances Melbourne in 1905 and 1906 and one appearance for St Kilda in 1907.[2] He was also a talented boxer, wrestler and golfer.[5]

Other activities

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In 1909, reputedly at the instigation of Jack London whom he met in Tasmania, Brown undertook to walk overland from Bourke, New South Wales, through the Outback to Darwin.[7] On his journey he took up four mining leases with silver and lead deposits on the Wilton River near Bulman.[8] After returning to Melbourne he formed a syndicate to develop the project and floated the Mount Maroomba Proprietary Company.[9]

Brown enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in February 1917. He served with the 8th Brigade, Australian Field Artillery, with the rank of gunner. He was discharged in May 1919.[10]

In 1922, Brown joined the staff of the newly created Sporting Globe as athletics editor.[11] He later wrote a column titled "Frank Brown's Sporting Flashes".[12] He was credited with reviving wrestling as a spectator sport in Melbourne, by encouraging Stadiums Limited to bring prominent American wrestlers on tour. He visited the United States on behalf of Stadiums Limited in 1926 to recruit talent.[13]

Personal life

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Brown died suddenly on 26 November 1928 at his home in St Kilda, aged 41. He was survived by his wife and son.[13] His obituary in The Herald was written by C. J. Dennis, who observed that "probably no contemporary Australian had such a varied and picturesque career".[7]

References

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  1. ^ "Family Notices". The Argus. No. 25, 677. Victoria, Australia. 27 November 1928. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.
  3. ^ Walker, D. R. (1981). "Louis Esson (1878–1943)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. Vol. 8. Melbourne University Press.
  4. ^ "Mother Of Author and Well Known Athlete Dies". The Sun News-Pictorial. 1 August 1932.
  5. ^ a b c d "Frank Brown's Death: Notable All-round Athlete". Weekly Times. 1 December 1928.
  6. ^ "Mr. James Paterson dies". The Riverine Herald. 24 May 1929.
  7. ^ a b "The Late Frank Brown: A Versatile and Typical Australian". The Herald. Melbourne. 27 November 1928.
  8. ^ "Territory Mining: The Silver-Lead Deposits". The Advertiser. Adelaide. 16 May 1910.
  9. ^ "Boolman Rush: Interesting Details". Chronicle. Adelaide. 2 July 1910.
  10. ^ "Gunner Francis Paterson Brown". Australian War Memorial. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ^ "'The Sporting Globe'". Weekly Times. 12 August 1922.
  12. ^ "Frank Brown's Sporting Flashes". Sporting Globe. 20 October 1928.
  13. ^ a b "Death of Mr. Frank Brown". The Argus. Melbourne. 27 November 1928.
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