SMITH Harold (Dumpy) Smith - 11th June 2016
11 June 2016
The Club is saddended to receive news of the passing of Harry "Dumpy" Smith.
Dumpy was a player, life member, committeeman and longtime supporter and true benefactor to our club.
A regular Reserves player throughout the 1950's and early 1960, Dumpy was a winner of a Reserve Best & Fairest Dumpy and was a talented, clever and fleet of foot wing-man who was just as popular on the field with his team mates and opponents alike as he was off-field with committee and supporters.
When Dumpy finished his playing career in the early 1960's he duly became a dedicated supporter never missing a game and built a reputation as being an astute judge of football for which his opinion was often sought by club officials.
So much so that in 1976 with prompting from Ray & Ron King, Dumpy accepted a key head Selector role to the newly appointed Capt Coach Noel Anstey. Dumpy's no nonsense approach at the selection tabled throughout that season helped guide this talented team to the top of the ladder at the end of the home and away season however with two narrow defeats in the finals because a injuries to several key players saw the team slip out of the finals race.
It was only a few years later that Dumpy had a very serious work place road accident that took him years to recover yet did not stop "the Dump" from supporting his "team".
An immensely private person Dumpy preferred to be behind the scenes and for years watched games from the other side of the ground away from the regular crowd where he could study form and game-plan.
Dumpy was widely known for his significant financial generosity to the club, supporting both senior & junior sides and every Club fund-raising activity for over 45 years.
Having watched all Chelsea FC Premierships from 1955 to 2006 'the Dump' was once asked who was our best ever Premiership team ? - to which he replied: "the 1955 team could have played in 'gum-boots' and beaten the lot of them' !
Vale "Dumpy" Smith
Funeral Details: Gateway Funerals, Wells Road Chelsea Heights, 21st June at 10am.
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