Graeme John
1964-1969
77 games
97 goals
Coach 1973-1975
All-Australian 1966

Understanding is often acted out before it can be articulated. When Graeme John first played football in suburban Perth as an eight-year-old for Inglewood Under 16s, he displayed the tenacity and passion that would define his career and life philosophy. Happily spending seasons barely getting a kick, John learned that gratification could be delayed and that pursuing the meaningful is what ultimately matters.

By the time he played against boys closer to his age, John was already winning League best and fairest awards. He formed an unconditional love for the game by playing, watching his dad, Reg, coach the Bayswater amateurs, and cheering his beloved East Perth in the WAFL competition.

At just 15, he played in their Under 21s, incredibly winning the best and fairest, and a year later, he debuted for the Royals, playing alongside Australian Football Hall of Fame Legend Graham 'Polly' Farmer.

The archetypal sporting prodigy, John also played first-grade cricket with Mt Lawley, gaining selection in the Western Australian Sheffield Shield squad. While sport captured his attention, John also applied himself during the embryonic stages of his working life. At 15, John left Mt Lawley Senior High School, joining the Shell Oil company as a junior trainee.

After playing 67 games with East Perth and starring for Western Australia in four state matches as a teenager, John became aware of the growing interest from several VFL clubs. After travelling to Melbourne for work, and as a football free agent, he met with various clubs, selecting the best fit. John connected with Jack Marks and Noel McMahen at South, and the game's most highly sought-after recruit landed at the Swans.

"In Western Australia, it was fairly common for teams to rise from bottom to top within a few years," John said later. "Being fairly naive about Victorian football, I thought this would be the case in my new football state, and I thought it would be great to do this with South. And I certainly was offered a lot more money to play elsewhere."

His recruitment brought tremendous excitement. However, in a 1964 practice match, John ruptured the cruciate ligament in his right knee. With reconstructive surgery not yet an option, legendary Swans physiotherapist Bill Mitchell embarked on an unorthodox rehabilitation program, and John essentially played out his career with a knee that wobbled from side to side.

Despite the significant setback, John debuted against Hawthorn in Round 1, 1964. Renowned as an outstanding mark, his athletic abilities ensured a successful first season in Victoria, playing 17 games. In 1965, though, John enjoyed a stellar season under new captain-coach Bob Skilton. After completing the entire pre-season program, he felt as fit as he'd ever been and covered increased territory from centre half-forward.

When the 1965 Victorian team was announced, John joined Skilton as the Swans' representatives, playing four state games that year. In a determined and improving Swans team, he also finished runner-up in South Melbourne's best and fairest. The following year, John played in the Victorian team at the National Carnival in Hobart, playing another four matches for the undefeated champions and earning selection in the 1966 All-Australian team.

Now regarded as one the finest players in the League, Geelong champion Bob Davis said in The Herald, "Now we move to the great strength of the South Melbourne team – John at centre half-forward. He is a great player. The ease with which he marks or spoils to his own forwards and his ability to lose his opponents stamp him as a champion."

Off the field, John enjoyed one of the happiest times of his life. In 1967, at 23, he married Diane, and the couple lovingly spent the next 56 years together, building a life based on kindness and respect. Their three children – Rebecca, Andrea, and Gareth – are grateful recipients of their parents' love, care and guidance, inspired by their achievements.

John's standing within the club is reflected by his appointment as vice-captain to Skilton ahead of the 1968 season. A player of immense courage, he suffered from a chronic shoulder dislocation injury. Unsurprisingly, he primarily played through the pain, and Jim Main once wrote, "Despite the injury setbacks, John established a huge reputation as a master centre half-forward who not only marked superbly even against overwhelming odds but had the rare ability to bring teammates into the play with clever overhead taps. He was the ultimate team key forward, and others thrived on his bravery."

In July 1969, John penned a letter to the South Melbourne committee, outlining the pressure of business interests and recurring injuries as the critical factors in his decision to retire at 26. Undoubtedly a career cut drastically short by injury, it excelled in its impact. Afterwards, the family moved to Gisborne, and John continued a flourishing career with TNT while commentating on 3AW and writing in The Herald.

By 1973, South Melbourne had become a fractured club, and they asked the 29-year-old John to become senior coach. Never shy of a challenge, he accepted the unenviable task. "A cynic never accomplishes a thing," he said. "It takes a believer to achieve anything, and I believe in South Melbourne."

The Swans showed great promise the following season, and John shared coach of the year honours with Hawthorn's John Kennedy at the Cazaly Awards. Long-time friend Rick Quade said of his once coach, "While Graeme had a big influence on the field as our coach, he also had a massive off-field impact. He was very interested in player welfare and readily gave his time and expertise. He was a great family man and an unwavering Swans person."

Always a progressive thinker, during his three-year stint as coach, John instigated the move to increase the number of field umpires from one to two. In 1978, John assumed the South Melbourne presidency, with his love for the club evidenced by his willingness, with some others, to personally guarantee two loans to keep the struggling club afloat during that time.

Critically, he became a driving force in the club's push to relocate to Sydney. When news broke of the club's intentions in 1981, supporters responded fiercely, with John and his family among those most deeply affected by personal attacks.

Graeme's son Gareth later played four years at the Swans and described living through that time. "From what I experienced, the Swans relocation to Sydney was a particularly tumultuous and painful time, not only for my father and mother personally, but also for a lot of others."

"My father remained convinced that the move was the only real solution towards retaining our club's identity, and he was right. Sydney presented opportunities that had been completely exhausted in Melbourne. And so it was that the Swans went on to effectively pioneer the national league, keep their colours and share in successes that had previously been missing for a long time at Lakeside Oval."

John was an enormously influential leader who spent 24 years at TNT before transforming Australia Post's culture and profitability. He served as a member of the AFL Commission from 2001 to 2011 and was also a Melbourne Cricket Ground Trustee. In recognition of his contributions to business and the community, John was honoured with the Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2003. Over time, thoroughbred racing became his passion.

Graeme John passed away aged 80 in 2023 after bravely facing an extended battle with Parkinson's disease, leaving an incredible legacy. His contribution to the Swans may never be replicated, and Gareth retains an everlasting impression of his dad. "If there does exist a more courageous person, I'm yet to have met them.”