Founding Board Member Receives Order of Australia Medal

Men of League Foundation founding board member, Noel ‘Ned’ Kelly, has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his work and contribution to the community in this year’s Queen’s Birthday Honours’ list.

A notorious ‘hardman’, Kelly represented the Wests Magpies on 111 occasions and Australia 25 times.

Upon the conclusion of his playing days, Kelly coached the North Sydney Bears before becoming a butcher on Sydney’s Northern Beaches where he still resides today.

‘Ned’ played a pivotal role in the creation of the Foundation in 2002.

“I was asked for a bit of help by the guys who got together to start the Foundation and ended up on the board.

“We helped a lot of people and that’s what it’s all about.

“We’d go up the bush and put on events to raise money, pay our own way to get there, but that’s what you did to help out,” Kelly said.