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Essendon & Geelong's George Goninon passed away earlier this month, but the date is not mentioned:

Vale George Goninon

I think the answer lies somewhere on Ancestry, if any genealogists here have a subscription.


One would assume that the two people below are one and the same, although Wikipedia has a 1927 year of birth and no middle name for Goninon, whereas the presumably more complete record on the Goninon family tree has a 1928 year of birth and a middle name of Charles.

Screenshot 2024-01-10 11.27.49.png

Are there really two George Goninons, from the same extended family, born a year apart in Victoria and who both died in the Northern Territory? Unlikely; I assume there is overlap.

We do know that Goninon had two wifes – it was supposedly the reason for his ousting from the Geelong team – and so it makes sense that he had spouses both Clare and Patricia. Page 10 on this PDF showing records of hairdressers in Victoria also outlines that Patricia Mary Johnston was Patricia Mary Goninon in 1954 and was living in Geelong.

So may we have to update the DOB for Goninon as well as the DOD? And maybe add his middle name too?
 
I think the answer lies somewhere on Ancestry, if any genealogists here have a subscription.


One would assume that the two people below are one and the same, although Wikipedia has a 1927 year of birth and no middle name for Goninon, whereas the presumably more complete record on the Goninon family tree has a 1928 year of birth and a middle name of Charles.

View attachment 1884194

Are there really two George Goninons, from the same extended family, born a year apart in Victoria and who both died in the Northern Territory? Unlikely; I assume there is overlap.

We do know that Goninon had two wifes – it was supposedly the reason for his ousting from the Geelong team – and so it makes sense that he had spouses both Clare and Patricia. Page 10 on this PDF showing records of hairdressers in Victoria also outlines that Patricia Mary Johnston was Patricia Mary Goninon in 1954 and was living in Geelong.

So may we have to update the DOB for Goninon as well as the DOD? And maybe add his middle name too?
This is what they show:
1704847950294.png
I think the second one needs a rethink (DOD)!! Though rather strangely the two entries seem to have come from the same person (a Goninon)!

George Charles does seem to be correct:
1704848438721.png
1704848476601.png
 
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George Goninon is listed in Ryerson as (formerly of Burnie)

And in this 1985 article BULLDOGS IN SPECTACULAR FIGHTBACK - King Island News (Currie, King Island : 1912 - 1986 - 8 May 1985

clipped.jpg

GONINONGeorgeOther15DEC2023Publication96formerly of BurnieGeelong Advertiser15DEC2023

Given the age given and the date of death 1927 can be inferred

That second family tree has him dying this coming December :D - (feels like a working tree )

Yet the 1st tree has DoB 1928 - I dont have access to Tasmanian Births

Interestingly the marriage in 1949 Patricia takes until 1954 to change name and address in business?

There is a Denise Goninon passing in 2004 but a given middle name of Millicent and no reference to George in Herald Sun

The death notice says publication and not Funeral or Death notice so DOD could be changed also - I cant access or find this notice in Geelong Advertiser ( maybe a library copy available to Melbourne/Geelong residents)
 
George Goninon is listed in Ryerson as (formerly of Burnie)

And in this 1985 article BULLDOGS IN SPECTACULAR FIGHTBACK - King Island News (Currie, King Island : 1912 - 1986 - 8 May 1985

View attachment 1884217

GONINONGeorgeOther15DEC2023Publication96formerly of BurnieGeelong Advertiser15DEC2023

Given the age given and the date of death 1927 can be inferred

That second family tree has him dying this coming December :D - (feels like a working tree )

Yet the 1st tree has DoB 1928 - I dont have access to Tasmanian Births

Interestingly the marriage in 1949 Patricia takes until 1954 to change name and address in business?

There is a Denise Goninon passing in 2004 but a given middle name of Millicent and no reference to George in Herald Sun

The death notice says publication and not Funeral or Death notice so DOD could be changed also - I cant access or find this notice in Geelong Advertiser ( maybe a library copy available to Melbourne/Geelong residents)

The Geelong Advertiser 'publication' is just an article written by one of their journos eulogising Goninon that was published in print on 15 December. It didn't mention a death date – just that he "passed away last week at the age of 96". Geelong FC's obituary was published on 11 December and also mentioned him passing away "last week".

I suspect the Addy journo knew about as much of the actual date as we all know here, so neither piece actually assists all that much.
 
George Goninon is listed in Ryerson as (formerly of Burnie)

And in this 1985 article BULLDOGS IN SPECTACULAR FIGHTBACK - King Island News (Currie, King Island : 1912 - 1986 - 8 May 1985

View attachment 1884217

GONINONGeorgeOther15DEC2023Publication96formerly of BurnieGeelong Advertiser15DEC2023

Given the age given and the date of death 1927 can be inferred

That second family tree has him dying this coming December :D - (feels like a working tree )

Yet the 1st tree has DoB 1928 - I dont have access to Tasmanian Births

Interestingly the marriage in 1949 Patricia takes until 1954 to change name and address in business?

There is a Denise Goninon passing in 2004 but a given middle name of Millicent and no reference to George in Herald Sun

The death notice says publication and not Funeral or Death notice so DOD could be changed also - I cant access or find this notice in Geelong Advertiser ( maybe a library copy available to Melbourne/Geelong residents)
Clare Denise Goninon died in 2007: https://www.chapelhill.homeip.net/FamilyHistory/Photos/Mudgeeraba/index.html
1704851644851.png
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While George and his family certainly have a strong Tasmanian connection (and I've seen him referred to as a Tasmanian), I think it's very likely he was born in Victoria. His parents were married there:
1704852068461.png
And they were living there either side of when he was born (that's if this tree can be relied upon!):
1704852148527.png
He played for Burnie in 1947, but it seems he only headed there that year from Victoria:
1704856243458.png
1704856455464.png
The following year he started playing for Essendon, whom I presume he was residentially tied to. I think they have the initials wrong with both of these!:
1704856776190.png
1704856736004.png
This should be right!:
1704857528214.png
 
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This is what they show:
View attachment 1884215
I think the second one needs a rethink (DOD)!! Though rather strangely the two entries seem to have come from the same person (a Goninon)!

George Charles does seem to be correct:
View attachment 1884221
View attachment 1884223

Certainly happy to land on George Charles for a correct name. It definitely appears that those two records, while overlapping, are a bit all over the shop. I'm no more confident in the 2 December DOD than the 5 December despite the former record being more comprehensive, as there are obvious gaps in the knowledge – if he was born in 1928 rather than 1927, then why is everywhere saying he passed at 96? Or is that 'fact' a byproduct of an incorrectly listed DOB in online records?

My guess here, given the two records, is that one record has been maintained by the family of Clare Goninon, and the other by the family of Patricia Johnson (who was at some stage Patricia Goninon). Who knows if those families still talk to each other? It was purported that George was in an affair with the woman who would become his second wife, while he was still with his first wife. No wonder there is conflicting information.

A September 2007 article in the Sunday Herald Sun explained how George was "playing up on the side with a pretty nurse". George also said at the time that his second wife was still with him, "more than 50 years on".

Clare Goninon passed away in 2007 – I wonder if that was in the months between the article and the end of the year. Do we think that Clare is the first wife, or Patricia? Bearing in mind that George was supposedly dropped from the side for his infidelity late in the 1953 season, and that register of hairdressers was from 1954. Unless Patricia switched from hairdressing to nursing....
 

Oh wow, she really did die a week after the article! That's quite sad. Up on the Gold Coast too, which makes sense as that's where it said George was then living, aged 80 – which would also point to a 1927 DOB, although again we can't be too sure that the DOB is completely correct and not just misinformation repeated.
 

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Certainly happy to land on George Charles for a correct name. It definitely appears that those two records, while overlapping, are a bit all over the shop. I'm no more confident in the 2 December DOD than the 5 December despite the former record being more comprehensive, as there are obvious gaps in the knowledge – if he was born in 1928 rather than 1927, then why is everywhere saying he passed at 96? Or is that 'fact' a byproduct of an incorrectly listed DOB in online records?

My guess here, given the two records, is that one record has been maintained by the family of Clare Goninon, and the other by the family of Patricia Johnson (who was at some stage Patricia Goninon). Who knows if those families still talk to each other? It was purported that George was in an affair with the woman who would become his second wife, while he was still with his first wife. No wonder there is conflicting information.

A September 2007 article in the Sunday Herald Sun explained how George was "playing up on the side with a pretty nurse". George also said at the time that his second wife was still with him, "more than 50 years on".

Clare Goninon passed away in 2007 – I wonder if that was in the months between the article and the end of the year. Do we think that Clare is the first wife, or Patricia? Bearing in mind that George was supposedly dropped from the side for his infidelity late in the 1953 season, and that register of hairdressers was from 1954. Unless Patricia switched from hairdressing to nursing....
Yes, Patricia Mary (nee Johnson) was the first wife:
1704859126372.png
And there should be no doubt about his middle name:
1704858841373.png
Unfortunately, we still don't know exactly when he died, which seems rather incredible!
 
John Bingley 82 St Kilda player 1965-66 8 games

One of those 8 games was in the 66 Premiership side

Jan 14 listed as DoD

 

I'm not sure how so many news agencies are misreporting his age at DOD as 33. If he was drafted as a rookie to the Crows in 2003 that would have made him 13 years old at the time, which is ridiculous.

The standards of journalism have slipped so far in this country.

RIP Rowan.
 
Snapped a pic of the 2023 obituaries page in this year’s season guide. Solves the Goninon mystery, and there’s probably a few others there to be updated too. Apologies for the angle and lighting, I didn’t want the Dymocks staff getting suss
This list in the season guide is missing:
  1. John Barrett (Footscray/Fitzroy) - died 11/08/2023
  2. Steve Beaumont (Essendon) - died 20/11/2023
  3. Daryl Cowie (St K/Richmond) - died 19/12/2023
  4. Bryan Horskins (Hawthorn) - died 09/03/2023
  5. Allan Hotchkin (SM) - died 25/02/2023
  6. Adam Inglis (Carlton) - died 21/07/2023
  7. Jim Kemp (Fitzroy) - died 23/11/2023
  8. John McCashney (Hawthorn) - died 08/07/2023
  9. John Towner (Essendon) - died 19/01/2023
Plus a couple of discrepancies in death dates
  1. David Browning DOD listed as 09/09/2923 when death notice shows 08/09/2023
  2. Maurie Young DOD listed as 10/12/2023 when death notice & australianfootball.com have 13/12/2023
Also a few errors at australianfootball.com
  1. Death date for Kevin Neale (death notices show 16/09 is correct)
  2. Death date for Rod Horrocks (8/08 rather than 8/07) - cannot find an online source to verify
  3. Death date for Austin Robertson (22/08 rather than 23/08) - cemetery record confirms 22/08 date
Will email Col H with additional info as per request in the guide
 
Okay, here's a list of everyone who didn't have their deaths listed on Wikipedia as of about an hour ago today. I've only updated Rowe, as he was the first I saw. I have included full names where I can, and sources to articles or obituaries. By association, this means they need to be updated on AF.com. I'm pretty sure AFL Tables is even further back in terms of death updates.
 
This list in the season guide is missing:
  1. John Barrett (Footscray/Fitzroy) - died 11/08/2023
  2. Steve Beaumont (Essendon) - died 20/11/2023
  3. Daryl Cowie (St K/Richmond) - died 19/12/2023
  4. Bryan Horskins (Hawthorn) - died 09/03/2023
  5. Allan Hotchkin (SM) - died 25/02/2023
  6. Adam Inglis (Carlton) - died 21/07/2023
  7. Jim Kemp (Fitzroy) - died 23/11/2023
  8. John McCashney (Hawthorn) - died 08/07/2023
  9. John Towner (Essendon) - died 19/01/2023
Plus a couple of discrepancies in death dates
  1. David Browning DOD listed as 09/09/2923 when death notice shows 08/09/2023
  2. Maurie Young DOD listed as 10/12/2023 when death notice & australianfootball.com have 13/12/2023
Also a few errors at australianfootball.com
  1. Death date for Kevin Neale (death notices show 16/09 is correct)
  2. Death date for Rod Horrocks (8/08 rather than 8/07) - cannot find an online source to verify
  3. Death date for Austin Robertson (22/08 rather than 23/08) - cemetery record confirms 22/08 date
Will email Col H with additional info as per request in the guide

Nice work WHL. If you could include the Thornton death date error in your email as well, that would be great.

Horrocks was on national service at one point, so we know his full name was Rodney Alfred Horrocks, if that helps with digging anything up. Chillingly, the only other mention of that name is in a list of people who the Port Arthur killer attempted to murder in 1996.
 
Okay, here's a list of everyone who didn't have their deaths listed on Wikipedia as of about an hour ago today. I've only updated Rowe, as he was the first I saw. I have included full names where I can, and sources to articles or obituaries. By association, this means they need to be updated on AF.com. I'm pretty sure AFL Tables is even further back in terms of death updates.
I found the notice in The Standard for:
 
1707430531917.png

Supermercado
 

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