Wally Koochew

Who was Wally Koochew?

Walter John Henry “Wally” Koochew was an Australian rules footballer, who was the first Victorian Football League player of Chinese background, playing four games for Carlton Football Club in 1908.

Born in Carlton, Victoria to James Koochew a migrant to the goldfields from Guangzhou, China, and his wife Mary Dalker, Koochew worked as a greengrocer and played football in Macedon and Brunswick before his recruitment by Carlton.

Carlton were premiers in 1906 and 1907 but Koochew was able to made his debut early in 1908. Upon his selection, a Carlton member, also a member of the Ancient Order of Druids, returned his membership, claiming that by including Koochew on the team Carlton was dealing a death blow to the White Australia Policy.

Such issues did not deter Carlton or Koochew and he was listed as one of Carlton’s best players in its Round three win. A rover known for his accurate kicking, Koochew was omitted from the Carlton senior side after four games and two goals. Unable to force his way back into the league team, Koochew returned to Macedon in 1909 to be with his wife Axelina, a New Zealand born woman of Dutch and Danish parentage, with whom he had five sons and a daughter.