Jerry Jerome (boxer) facts for kids
Jerry Jerome (born May 24, 1874 – died September 27, 1943) was a famous Indigenous Australian boxer. He was born near Dalby, Queensland, at a place called Jimbour Homestead.
Jerry's father was Wollon Charles, an Aboriginal worker, and his mother was named Guli. Jerry was a descendant of the local Yiman people. In 1906, he married Alice Davis.
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Life Under the Protection Act
During Jerry Jerome's life, there was a law called the Aboriginal Protection Act. This law meant that the government had a lot of control over the lives of Aboriginal people, including where they could live and work.
Because of this law, Jerry's movements were often restricted. For example, before one of his boxing matches, he was held back due to the Protection Act. However, he was released in time for his fight. In 1908, a person from Dalby helped Jerry get special permission to be removed from the controlled list. This allowed him to fully follow his dream of becoming a professional boxer.
Boxing Career
Jerry Jerome officially started his boxing career in 1908 when he was 34 years old. He began fighting at a park called "The Pines" near Warra, Queensland. In his early days, people called him the "Warra Cyclone" because of his powerful boxing style.
Historic Fights
In 1912, Jerry Jerome had a very important fight against Black Paddy, who was the champion of Western Australia. This fight was special because it was possibly the first time two Aboriginal professional boxers fought each other. Black Paddy was also an Indigenous Australian boxer.
In August 1912, Jerry defeated Black Paddy in a 16-round match in Brisbane. About five thousand people watched this exciting fight. Later that same year, Jerry Jerome won the title of Australian middleweight boxing champion.
Jerry was the first Indigenous Australian to win a major boxing title. He achieved this by defeating Charlie Godfrey in Brisbane on September 7, 1912.
Retirement from Boxing
Jerry Jerome continued to box for a few more years. In 1915, after fighting nine times that year, he decided to retire from his professional boxing career. He was 41 years old when he stopped boxing.
In total, Jerry Jerome had 58 professional boxing matches. He won 35 of these fights and lost 23.
Financial Challenges
Jerry Jerome earned a good amount of money from his boxing career, about £5000 from his top fights. This amount would be worth over $500,000 in today's money!
However, because of the Protection Act, Jerry, as an Aboriginal person, was not allowed to fully control his own earnings. His money was put into a special trust by government officials called "Protectors of Aborigines." These Protectors often made it very difficult for Aboriginal people to get their own money. Today, this unfair practice is known as "Stolen Wages."
Jerry's biggest earning from a single fight was £575 for his match against David Smith. This would be worth over $71,000 today! Even though he earned a lot, he couldn't manage his own money.
Later Life and Legacy
In 1919, Jerry Jerome was living on Fraser Island. Sadly, during this time, his daughter Myrtle became very ill and passed away in a hospital.
With his boxing money controlled by others, Jerry spent his later years at the Barambah Aboriginal Settlement. Here, he helped train young Aboriginal boxers and acted as a referee for their matches.
Jerry Jerome passed away on September 27, 1943, at the Cherbourg Aboriginal mission. He died without any money and is believed to be buried at Murgon cemetery. He was in his seventies, with white hair and a bushy beard.
In 2008, Jerry Jerome was honored for his achievements. He was inducted into the Australian National Boxing Hall of Fame in the "Old Timers" category, recognizing his important place in Australian boxing history.
