A very true fact...Sad loss...RIP Arty

I had the great pleasure of meeting Artie and Jim Hall on more than 1 occaision, we met him when he had just broke his leg, and yes he was in shorts Hawaian shirt and flip flops, we met him upstairs in King Eddy and had a good afternoon session. He was the opposite of what you would expect of a big hard Ausie forward, he was quietly spoken but always had a wise crack in any conversation, nothing brash about him at all, a very nice man, as was Jim Hall, R.I.P Artie.

Did he have his flat cap on? He usually did. You are right they were great company. RIP Artie

I don't know anything about that incident as I was too young, but as for Jonny Williams, I did know well through family etc. and one night we went to Jonny's for a bit of a get together with me Mam and Dad and who was there also but Arthur Beetson and two/three other of the Aussie Team. They used to put them up in those days when they were on tour. Jonny's wife was going mad about the shopping bill as, I'm sure it was Artie - was getting up in the middle of the night and eating raw steak out of the fridge! He just sat there laughing-he would eat them out of the house apparently!
RIP Artie.

I don't know anything about that incident as I was too young, but as for Jonny Williams, I did know well through family etc. and one night we went to Jonny's for a bit of a get together with me Mam and Dad and who was there also but Arthur Beetson and two/three other of the Aussie Team. They used to put them up in those days when they were on tour. Jonny's wife was going mad about the shopping bill as, I'm sure it was Artie - was getting up in the middle of the night and eating raw steak out of the fridge! He just sat there laughing-he would eat them out of the house apparently!
RIP Artie.

First saw Big Artie play shortly after coming to live in Sydney in 1968. Was Australia's first ball- playing prop forward and the best I have ever seen. I first saw Australia play in Hull in 1948.Met him a couple of times and he was a real humble individual who just loved food. Had a nickname of 'Meat Pie Artie" and before a gala dinner held here in 1973 for the Australian team was said to have eaten 11 hot dogs!

In the Australian league team of the century(1908-2007) he was named at prop forward and became the 7th post war "Immortal" of the Australian game alongside Churchill,Raper,Gasnier, Fulton, Langlands and Wally Lewis. Often regarded by some as Australia's best ever forward he was a recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia(OAM).

I can recommend his book entitled Big Artie: The Autobiography published in 2004.