Kevin Yow Yeh
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Kevin Yow Yeh (born in Gladstone, Queensland) was an Australian rugby league player for the Balmain Tigers in the New South Wales Rugby League premiership competition, his position of choice was on the wing.
Yow Yeh began his career in Gladstone, and played for the Redcliffe Dolphins. In 1965 Redcliffe defeated Valleys at Lang Park to win the Brisbane Rugby League grand final. He was then sold to the Balmain Tigers along with fellow Redcliffe player Arthur Beetson for a fee of 1,500 pounds[citation needed] each. According to Beetson in his autobiography Yow Yeh was of Aboriginal and South Sea Islander descent. His nickname was "Rab" or "Rabbie".
His highlight for Balmain came in his debut season when he appeared in the grand final team against the St. George Dragons, a game which they eventually lost. Kevin only played two seasons for the club and because he could never fully adjust to city life he left Balmain at the end of the 1967 season to return home.
Arthur Beetson wrote of Yow Yeh: "he couldn't live with the white man, a hatred inspired by the attitudes of some. It virtually killed him". Yoh Yeh's suffering manifested as alcoholism. He died in the watchhouse at Mackay Jail on June 27, 1975, supposedly of a heart attack. Beetson has "always been suspicious" about the circumstances and considers it "another Aboriginal death in custody" where true real story will never be revealed.
[edit] References
- Arthur Beetson. Big Artie: the autobiography. ABC Books, 2004
[edit] Point scoring summary
Games | Tries | Goals | F/G | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|
41 | 9 | - | - | 27 |
[edit] Matches played
Team | Matches | Years |
---|---|---|
Balmain Tigers | 41 | 1966 - 1967 |