Ruckman and centre-half forward Don Keyter is remembered as a selfless footballer and a “tireless battler” as The Argus newspaper aptly reported in 1958 – and until recently he was also credited as being the first Indigenous player to pull on a Swans jumper.
Keyter enjoyed a career spanning 86 games and 81 goals over six seasons from 1953-58.
The story goes that he arrived in the northern Victorian town of Merbein on the back of a picker’s train for the local grape harvest.
Someone, probably an official or a supporter from the local footy club, asked whether the newcomer could play. He said no but they didn’t take no for an answer and threw him a pair of boots anyway.
The rest, as they say, is history – however the history books appear to have one important detail incorrect.
The Sydney Swans have been contacted by Don Keyter’s niece, who says the family would be proud to have Indigenous heritage, however, their lineage is from South Africa.
It seems Keyter’s father was from South Africa, while his mother grew up in Mildura after her family immigrated from England.
The Keyter family wanted to set the record straight, to ensure the correct player is celebrated as the Swans’ first of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage – and that player is Elkin Reilly.
Hailing from the Northern Territory, Elkin Reilly attended school in Adelaide before playing in several country leagues in South Australia, where he won back-to-back Mail Medals as the best and fairest player.
Reilly went on to play for the Wentworth club in the Sunraysia Football League where his talent caught the attention of VFL recruiters. Despite offers from Essendon and Richmond, Reilly headed to South Melbourne ahead of the 1962 season.
The ruckman teamed up with champion rover Bob Skilton, playing 51 games for the Swans, before his career was ended by a ruptured appendix ahead of the 1967 season.
READ MORE: ELKIN REILLY'S STORY
