Nick Gelavis

Nick Gelavis
Personal information
Full name	Nikolas Gelavis
Date of birth	(1926-06-15) 15 June 1926 (age 97)
Place of birth	Kalgoorlie
Original team(s)	Subiaco
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	67 kg (148 lb)
Position(s)	Rover
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1949–51	Subiaco (WAFL)	37 0(9)
1953–54	South Melbourne	15 (16)
1954	Footscray	04 0(0)
1955	Sandringham (VFA)	08 (10)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1955.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Nikolas Gelavis (born 15 June 1929) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Footscray in the Victorian Football League (VFL). ^[1]

Family

The son of Johannes "John" Gelavis (1898-1947), ^{[2] [3]} and Stavroula Gelavis (1908-2005), née Sarinas, ^[4] Nikolas Gelavis was born in Kalgoorlie on 15 June 1929. ^[5]

Football

Subiaco (WAFL)

Gelavis began his senior career with Subiaco in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and played from 1949 to 1951.

South Melbourne (VFL)

He was cleared from Subiaco to South Melbourne in 1952, ^{[6] [7] [8] [9]} and made his senior VFL debut in 1953. ^[10]

Footscray (VFL)

Having not played a senior game for South Melbourne that season, Gelavis was cleared to Footscray on 12 June 1954. ^{[11] [12]} He played his first match for the Footscray First XVIII, against St Kilda, on 10 July 1954. ^[13]

Sandringham (VFA)

In 1955 Gelavis moved to Sandringham in the Victorian Football Association.

Devonport (NWFU)

A mid-season job as a radio announcer in Tasmania led to Gelavis being given a clearance from Sandringham to Devonport in the North West Football Union (NWFU) competition. ^{[14] [15] [16]}

On 12 May 1956 Gelavis represented the NWFU in an intrastate match against the Northern Tasmanian Football Association and was named among the best players. ^[17]

Notes

1. Holmesby & Main (2014), p.312.
2. Public Notices, The Kalgoorlie Miner, (Thursday, 2 June 1927), p.2: Notice of the intention of "Johannes Gelavis" to make an application for naturalisation under the Commonwealth Nationality Act 1920-25.
3. Deaths: Gelavis, The West Australian, (Tuesday, 11 February 1947), p.1; Personal, The Kalgoorlie Miner, (Tuesday, 11 February 1947), p.4.
4. "Name Search".
5. Births: Gelavis, The Western Argus, (Tuesday, 2 July 1929), p.15.
6. Nine Permits, The West Australian, (Friday, 14 March 1952), p.18; Brown, Alf, "WA Rover Cleared to South Melb.", The Herald, (Monday, 24 March 1952), p.12.
7. Subiaco Winger for South, The (Emerald Hill) Record, (Friday, 18 January 1952), p.1.
8. These Made League Lists: South Melbourne, The Age, (Monday, 14 April 1952), p.10.
9. South Melbourne Second XVIII (1952), Boyles Football Photos.
10. South Melbourne First XVIII (1953), Boyles Football Photos.
11. South Rover Gets Clearance, The Age, (Wednesday, 16 June 1954), p.12.
12. "There is a chance that former South Melbourne rover Nick Gelavis will be given his chance soon with Footscray. Officials who have seen Gelavis play with the seconds are keen on his style. Footscray needs a fast, mobile, play-on rover. Inclusion of Gelavis would allow Don Ross to return to centre half-back, a position that has caused [Footscray] concern in recent weeks." (Percy Beames, in The Age, (Wednesday, 7 July 1954), p.12)
13. Nick Gelavis in Footscray Side, The Age, (Friday, 9 July 1954), p.18.
14. Gelavis May Leave Zebras, The Age, (Monday, 20 June 1955), p.15.
15. Zebras lose Gelavis, The Argus, (Monday, 20 June 1955), p.23.
16. Welch, Bruce, "Williamstown Stars in Doubt for Danger Game",The Age, (Wednesday, 22 June 1955), p.15.
17. NWFU Record, 12 May 1956. annotated copy in QVMAG collection CHS 4 (Jack Donnelly)

References

• Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. p. 312. ISBN   978-1-921496-32-5.
• Gordon, Harry, "Migrant Sports Stars Among Our Top-Liners", The Good Neighbour, No.45, (October 1957), Department of Immigration, (Canberra), pp.4-5: the article includes a photograph of Nick Gelavis, the captain of a team from Perth's Hellenic Club, that played an Australian Rules Football match, in Melbourne, against a team from Melbourne's Olympic Club (alongside the Olympic Club's captain, Peter Kanis).]

External links

• Nick Gelavis's playing statistics from WAFL FootyFacts.
• Nick Gelavis's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Nick Gelavis at AustralianFootball.com
• Nick Gelavis, The VFA Project.