Noel Melville Obituary, Death – Noel Melville, husband to Judy, father of Ross, and grandfather to Brett and Aaron, passed away recently, and our organization wishes to express our deepest condolences and sadness at this time. Noel was 90 years old when he entered a nursing home, where he had been receiving care for the previous two years. Noel and Judy were avid spectators at junior games throughout Ross’s early career with Camberwell, despite neither of them ever having been Camberwell players themselves. In 1950, Noel began his own lacrosse career by joining the “B” grade team that competed for Melbourne High School Old Boys.
Even though he attended Melbourne High School, he never played lacrosse before he graduated because his mother believed the sport to be “too dangerous.” This is a puzzling fact considering the nature of the situation. After his first year, Noel was selected to play for the MHSOB “A” grade team. He remained on the top team until 1963, after which he moved down to play for lower section teams all the way up until 1966. Noel was a talented, quick, and daring left-handed defender who won a number of Best and Fairest Player awards during his time at MHSOB. He went on to be selected for the Victorian State Team in 1954, 1959, and 1962, and then again in 1963 as the Team Manager.
In addition to his seven appearances in matches held by the Australian Lacrosse Association, Noel competed in fourteen international matches while touring overseas with the Australian Lacrosse Team in the year 1962. These matches took place in the United States and England. Don Miller prevailed over Noel in the race for the Vince Healy Trophy as the Best and Fairest Player in Victoria in 1961, despite the fact that all three of the players who participated in the voting tied for first place. After he had finished his playing career, Noel assisted in the coaching of a group of juniors who had been recruited from Prahran Technical School.
These juniors went on to win junior premierships in Victoria, including the Under 16 division in 1969, and their roster included players of the caliber of Steve Ellis and Alan Bower. Along the way, Noel provided the VLA with the benefits of his professional accounting expertise by serving in the role of Treasurer. Noel will be remembered as one of the most talented lacrosse players to ever come out of Victoria.
