Player #40 is somewhat of a mystery. He is listed as E. Gulliver in West’s First Grade players Master List and listed as E. Gulliver in the Rugby League Project but no First Grade games have been attributed to that player. A search of Trove has found no record of a player by the name of Gulliver playing First Grade anywhere in this period.
There is one record of a W. Gilliver selected as a reserve for First Grade with Wests in July 1909. It is possible that this player made it onto the field on that day. However it is most likely that this player was normally in the Wests 2nd Grade team but unfortunately these games were not well recorded so it is difficult to cross check with any other reference points.
A search of public records identifies an Edward Rupert Gilman Gulliver, born in 1888 at Auckland , New Zealand and who had some connection with the Western Suburbs District, however there is no indication that this person played any competitive sports.
A further search identified Edward Victor Gilliver, known as “Ned” or “Ed” Gilliver born in 1885 at Doonside, NSW, but whose family lived at Rookwood in the Western Suburbs District. Ned Gilliver had a background playing cricket, rugby and cycling.
Ned Gilliver was a good Wicketkeeper/ Batsman who played cricket alongside Wests players Edwin Bellamy (Wests #36) and Joe Lindsay (Wests #123) at Central Cumberland. He also played with the Belmore Club as well as the Glebe First Grade team.
Ned Gilliver wrote to the Arrow newspaper in March 1917 after a fall out with the Glebe Club. He states; “I read with disgust that the Glebe First Grade team dropped me; It was the other way about. I dropped them on account of there being, in my opinion, too many captains in the team. If the team were composed of men like Warren Bardsley, it would be a pleasure to play with them, for he does give a junior some encouragement. But when other members of the team tried to tell me how to keep wickets, it was the dizzy limit. I have been complimented on my wicket keeping by competent judges everywhere I have played. I am playing junior cricket again, where I intend to stay.”
The Gilliver family lived in the Rookwood (Lidcombe) area of NSW. Ned Gilliver’s father, William, was and Alderman on the Rookwood Council, Mayor of Vaucluse and Mayor of Bankstown. He was also a Construction Contractor who had a number of Companies that built railroads, tramways, sewerage systems and other related construction works. He was involved in a number o public and private organisation including, head of the Contractors Association.
It is likely that Ned Gilliver spent some time in the Manly District, working for the family business, circa 1908/09 when he played rugby union for the Manly Club and cricket for Middle Harbour.
Ned Gilliver lived his life in the Western Suburbs and died at Bankstown in 1960.
