The Boy from Birdum

Bill Dempsey is a humble achiever. He is known primarily as a champion footballer with West Perth and the Darwin Buffaloes. A premiership captain who played over 400 games in 20 seasons in Perth and the Northern Territory, and a member of the AFL's Indigenous Team of the Century, his record and his achievements compare with the very best. He is revered as a true legend at West Perth.

Bill has led a remarkable life. Born in the shadow of Japanese bombing raids in 1942, he was forcibly removed from his mother after the death of his father and baby sister. As a stolen child, he never lost contact with his family and found a second family amongst his fellow inmates at the Retta Dixon Home. Brought to Perth at the age of seventeen as a 'spare wheel' to his mate Jim Anderson, he stayed on to become a football champion and a trailblazer as an Aboriginal entrepreneur throughout the 80s.

In The Boy from Birdum, Bill tells his story frankly, courageously, and with the charismatic flair of a natural-born yarn spinner.

‘By contrast some books demand to be written and read...This book is one of those...Bill Dempsey writes about matters of consequence. His memory is vivid because he gives matters of importance a face...He had all the pieces a champion footballer needed to have!’ - Dennis Cometti AM, Australian sports commentator, former player and coach of AFL