Clem Fisher

Thomas Clement Fisher (3 February 1908 – 13 April 1988) was an Australian rules footballer who played with South Melbourne and St Kilda in the Victorian Football League (VFL).^[1]

The son of Thomas Fisher (1885–1964),^[2] and May Fisher (1887–1967), née Mardell,^[3] Thomas Clement Fisher was born at South Melbourne, Victoria on 3 February 1908.

He was the older brother of St Kilda footballer Ron Fisher.^[4]

He married Thelma Tudor Riley (1911–2008), at Albert Park, Victoria, on 29 November 1934.^[5]

In March 1929, "C. Fisher, 6 ft., 12 st, 7 lbs. Follower and half-back South Melbourne church team" was one of those training with South Melbourne in the VFL pre-season.^[6]

Identified as "T. Fisher" he played 28 games, and scored 10 goals for Port Melbourne in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) in 1929 and 1930.^[7]

Identified as "C. Fisher" he made South Melbourne's final training list in 1931,^[8] and played his first senior game against St Kilda, at the Lake Oval, on 23 May 1931.

In June 1932, Port Melbourne approached South Melbourne for a clearance "for Fisher, a former Port player, but [were told that] he had signed a clearance form to St. Kilda".^[9] He was granted a clearance from South Melbourne to St Kilda on 22 June 1932.^[10]

Although he appeared on St Kilda's final senior list in 1933,^[11] he played with the Second XVIII for the entire season, including the Grand Final which St Kilda lost to Melbourne by a single point on 28 September 1933,^[12][13] and did not play another VFL senior match.

In 1934, he applied for a clearance to Hawthorn, on the grounds that "it [was] easier for him to train at Hawthorn than [at] St. Kilda".^[14]

A Fellow of the Victorian Optical Association, and practising as an "Ophthalmic Optician" in Middle Park at least as early as 1930,^[15] Fisher was registered (on 13 August 1936) as soon as registration was available under the Victorian Opticians Registration Act 1935.^[16]

He died at his home in Mount Waverley, Victoria on 13 April 1988.^[17]

• Holmesby, Russell; Main, Jim (2014). The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers: every AFL/VFL player since 1897 (10th ed.). Seaford, Victoria: BAS Publishing. ISBN 978-1-921496-32-5.

• Clem Fisher's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Clem Fisher at AustralianFootball.com
• Thomas C. Fisher, The VFA Project.