Ferris Ashton.
Born on 21 August 1926 in Bondi. A Bondi United Junior, he was graded by Eastern Suburbs playing his entire first grade career for the club as a second row forward from 1950 to 1956. He played 87 games scoring 20 tries. He also played 8 games for Australia between 1952 and 1953, with him playing in 5 out of the 6 tests during the 1952-53 Kangaroo Tour. His playing career ended when, in 1957, he took up a job as safety manager on the Snowy Mountains Scheme.
He was also a good grade cricketer, who played for Waverly Cricket Club. He had a top score of 106 not out.
He served in the navy during the second World War, on the destroyer HMAS Quickmatch. During his time in service, he became a good boxer, fighting in 19 amateur fights and being undefeated. He beat the best boxer in the US navy in a bout just after the end of the war.
Ferris was a passionate roosters and rugby league man, and after returning to Sydney in 1962, he eventually joined Channel 7 where he appeared with Rex Mossop, Alan Clarkson, Col Pearce and Noel Kelly on
Controversy Corner which he appeared on for its whole 19 years on air.
Along with the late Bill Collier from St George, the Ashton-Collier medal is named in their honour for the player of the match in the Anzac Day match between the Roosters and the Dragons.
"From early days I was the keenest of Eastern Suburbs fans. Many, many times I sat on the hill at the sports ground and SCG and watched Easts in their red, white and blue. When I look back now I'm very, very proud of the fact that I never played with another club. They were my club." - Ferris Ashton
