We sadly advise the passing of former Chelsea United Coach George Kempshall. George passed away on 8th May 2016, aged 90 years.
Older memebers of the Black & Golds will have great memories of the teams he coached – a strong disciplinarian we likely never realised how the lessons we learnt from him all those years ago, helped shaped our character and to meet the challenges in life. We were very fortunate to have an experienced first grade player as our coach. George played firsts for Souths, Manly and Easts. Condolences to the Kempshall family from Chelsea Old Mates. R I P Coach
3 Comments
I am Georges daughter. Thank you for your kind word. I have fond memories of his Chelsea and Alexandria coaching Days. I’m very proud of his contribution to rugby league both as a player and coach. He was a real character who was known for doing things his way. Thanks again he would have love your write up.
Dear Lesley, Sorry for the slow reply.You may or may not remember, however several years ago ( probably about 7 years back) I was in St Vincents hospital and heard ( I think it was you) say the name Kempshall. I later asked you if George was your father. He coached me at Chelsea. You told me he lived at Brighton. Was it you or is there another girl in the family. I remember your brother Norm very well. To be honest George was very tough with me ( probably needed extra discipline) and on reflection he likely along with a couple of other coaches prepared me in learning how to meet the challenges in life. Thanks to men like your Dad we Chelsea blokes have done OK. It is great that we still see each other quite often after all these years and have been able to support each other when times are tough. Regards and best wishes. Warren Thompson.
I am George’s daughter. Thank you for kind words and condolences. It meant a lot to us. It’s great to see Dad recognised for his contributions to rugby league. I have fond memories of you Chelsea boys when I was kid. I used to nag Dad to let me go to training in the park.I think I had a crush on every boy there. They were fun days. Dad was a very eccentric character. There were lots of good times When he coached Chelsea United and Alexandria Rovers and Redfern would be packed for the finals. He was our hero.
I just read your Chelsea history and loved, so many familiar names and places. Well done took me back into another time zone. Bye the way George’s farewell song was Frankie Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way” because he always did.
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