Trevor Barker
Barker's natural athleticism enabled him to soar for spectacular marks and was a copy book tackler.
1975-89 230 games 134 goals. (b: 7 Oct 1956 183 cms 70.5 kgs)
A tremendously popular player Barker joined the Saints from Cheltenham and was immediately a star. He was one of the first former Little League players to graduate to the big time.
Initially a half-forward flanker Barker's natural athleticism enabled him to soar for spectacular marks. Despite his slender build he was tried as a defender early in 1976 and his judgement and spring countered full-forwards who were invariably bigger and more strongly built. Barker was also a copybook tackler.
He made the first of seven state appearances in 1977 after winning the Saints' best and fairest award in 1976. Barker several times rejected offers to join other clubs and at one stage was in the Melbourne boardroom poised to sign with coach Ron Barassi.
His loyalty to St Kilda was unquestionable even when he missed out on financial returns and other bonuses such as the car, which was a prize for best and fairest but was raffled to raise money to defend the Doug Cox case.
He was a worthy captain of the club from 1983 to 1986. Because of the weakness of the St Kilda side he was usually required to take on key position roles that demanded a lot from a player of such a light physique. He copped plenty of hard knocks in later years and suffered a succession of injuries.
He had a magnificent year on the half-back flank in 1981 winning his second best and fairest award and running fifth in the Brownlow. After retiring from St Kilda he spent two years in the media then coached Sandringham to the 1992 and 1994 VFA flags. The whole football world was saddened by his premature death from cancer in 1996.
Player profile © The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers by Russell Holmesby and Jim Main
A memory I have of Trevor Barker
Load
Saints Hall of Fame Memorable Moments
Back in 1980 I was with my family in the member's area... right next to the camera area on the fenceline, I saw the ball had been cleared wide and was heading my way. My brother and me fought in a small packs of kids and I marked it.
It was so wet this day and the ball felt like concrete but I was stoked as I had caught it. As any youngster I showed off a bit, looked up to the old man in the member's bar...he was smiling but yelling at me to throw the ball back.
As I turned around I saw Trevor Barker coming to get the ball for a free kick...he simply rubbed me on the head and said "nice mark"..... It made my day and I never have forgotten it and never will.... He was a role model no one could match.
Trevor Barker RIP
Trevor Barker
Bezat Demiri
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
Now there is one special guy, whenever the name is mentioned, Trevor Barker or Barks, I just feel so warm. To think he played for no money for a few seasons and even donated his car for winning the mark of the year back to the club speaks for itself.
I'm just wrapped that the club he loved so much have an award named after him. Let's hope that the future (which looks bright) can produce some quality people first and also quality footballers.
God bless Trevor Barker
Trevor Barker
Samantha-Jane Simmonds
I remember being dragged along to watch my first game of footy, St Kilda playing Hawthorn approximately 30 years ago. Being a Collingwood supporter at the time I was none to impressed until this skinny guy with blonde hair ran past. I thought wow and changed me allegiances immediately and began barracking for the Mighty Saints. That guy was Trevor Barker.
Over the next 20 plus years I was lucky enough to get to know Trevor really well and call him my friend. He was, and always will be to me the very essence of what the St Kilda Football Club is all about, strength, loyalty, determination and courage. Giving everything football and life 100%.
He may be gone but his memory and spirit will live on forever.
Go Saints
Samantha-Jane Simmonds
Converted by Trevor Barker
Samantha-Jane Simmonds
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
I remember being dragged along to watch my first game of footy, St Kilda playing Hawthorn approximately 30 years ago. Being a Collingwood Supporter at the time I was none to impressed. Until a guy this skinny guy with blonde hair ran past and I thought wow and changed me allegiances immediately and began barracking for the Mighty Saints. That guy was Trevor Barker.
Over the next 20 plus years I was lucky enough to get to know Trevor really well and call him my friend. He was, and always will be to me the very essence of what the St Kilda Football Club is all about, strength, loyalty, determination and courage. Giving everything football and life 100%.
He may be gone but his memory and spirit will live on forever.
Go Saints
Samantha-Jane Simmonds
Heads or Tails?
Bradley Young
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
My favourite Saints memory, being about 6 years old standing in the Social Club flicking a coin to Barks over and over, saying heads or tails and he didnt tell me to bugger off. I must have done it for ages. He just kept calling heads or tails.
Then he takes my coin, puts it in his pocket. I must have been shattered. Until he pulled out a dollar note and gave it to me.
I still have it in my lounge room. I have a stack of expensive memorabilia (jumpers coming out my ears) but that one would mean the most.
Bradley Young
Trevor Barker
W.G.Cudahy
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
I'll never forget it. The late Seventies. Albert Park against the South Melbourne Swans. The third quarter. St Kilda heading towards another defeat. The Swans attacking, sending the ball forward, high to the flank. And then a moment of sublime sporting beauty.
Trevor Barker soaring high over South's captain, John Rintoull. He seemed to jump too early....but he just hung in the air. Behind me Lou Richards and Jack Dyer commentating the match yelled in unison (these were the days when TV commentators braved the elements under tarps). He took the mark of the year.
The South supporters rose to their feet joining in the applause of the Saints fans. It was magnificent. A glory in my minds eye forever. We lost but even the Swans supporters as we left the ground were calling out to us, "What about that mark".
In those lean years of "honourable" defeats, that blonde marvel soaring in the winter sunlight remains a wonderful memory. He died tragically far too young. Trev.....you were my hero....you still are..Go the mighty Saints.
W.G.Cudahy
Trevor Barker
Rod Lees
Saints Hall of Fame Memorable Moments
Growing up and playing football in the bayside Moorabbin area it is pretty hard to not know who Trevor Barker is.
I saw him play at Linton Street in sides which were frequently short of 2 or 3 experienced key position players and where losses were more common than wins, but to see a real champion play and do those things that only champions can do consistently made it all worthwhile..............for example what about those high marks.......they were not just luck... they happened too often for that.
Trevor suffered in that he was basically the most talented player in the side and was forced too often to play out of position. To see him at fullback, fullforward or centre halfback was not uncommon. I think he was really more a running winger or flanker but week after week he lined up on bigger and stronger players...........all in the name of team balance, and often won his position despite the handicap.
Why didn't Trevor leave, go to another side, to play in a premiership? I don't know, maybe he was not that sort of guy, he was a local boy from Cheltenham, zoned to play with the St Kilda as many of us were.............long before any national draft.
When Trevor went down to Sandringham to coach the side I thought great, maybe he will captain/coach in the old style, but I heard he had been sick................we did not know how sick. In any case 2 premierships in 3 year I think it was. The quality of player that played for Sandringham in those years, because Trevor was coach, is a testament to the respect fellow players had for Trevor.
I never played footy at a high level and am no great judge, but I was there that day at Waverley when the Saints played the Bulldogs and we had a minutes silence for Trev. I was with a friend of mine who had a kick with the Saints when Trevor was captain and to see not only the reverence shown by the crowd but how my friend a man who had know Trevor was so moved, reinforced the effect Trevor Barker had had on so may lives particularly those who knew him personally.
Men who are as talented, loyal and humble as Trevor Barker don't come along very often. I will always cherish my memories of him.
Rod Lees
That Goal!
L Diamond-Smith
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
I saw many amazing things down at Moorabbin. From Trevor Barkers marks, to Plugger's goals, to Robbie Muir flattening Dennis Collins on the wing, I thought I had seen everything.
However one day I was sitting behind the goals when Jeff Fehring launched one towards me from the centre of the ground that went on and on and on. Occasionally I will go down to Moorabbin, stand in the middle of the ground and dream!
L Diamond-Smith
Princess Park 1976 - What a memory
Tony Holland
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
The following story is one of my most vivid memories of supporting the Saints and a number of the 1970-1980 hall of famers figured prominently - I was 11 years old and had been going to the footy for a couple of years - My Dad dutifully took me & my best friend along to either Bay 4 at Moorabbin or the outer wing of wherever we were playing almost every week. 1974 through to 1977 were pretty lean years, and anything less that a 5 goal loss was considered a respectable result.
The day in question was my first visit to Princess Park, we were playing the Hawks who were in great form (and ended up the eventual premiers for the year). For some reason I can recall almost everything about the day, but not a great deal about the game itself. We stood below the old scoreboard, it was a cold late May day in 1976 and it rained alot. By mid-way through the third quarter we were getting belted - the Hawks were dominating and were about 40 points up - considering the weather 40 points looked more like ten goals!
After yet another Hawk goal the ball returned to the centre and in the flurry of the centre bounce, Paul Callery was knocked unconcious. The Saints players (naturally!) assumed that Callery had been felled by a Hawk player and there was a pretty good all in stoush that followed (much better than these new age mellee's!!) - all this happened whilst Paul Callery lay motionless -unfortunately he had swallowed his tounge and it took a fair effort by the trainers to get him breathing. The sight of Callery,who was the smallest player on the ground put a bit of fire into the sainters belly, and totally changed the complexion of the game - Allan Jeans moved a then young Trevor Barker to full back and he dominated, closing town "Gladys" Moncrieff - I reckon he took 10 "speccies" in appalling conditions, to a man all of the players lifted - they were " doing it for mighty mouse" and taking out their anger on the "mongrel" that had taken him out.
From that point on, the saints were unstoppable - goals flowed, and the Hawks seemed to be frozen by fear - we were two or three goals down by three quarter time and then ran over the top of Hawthorn in the last quarter to run out winners by two or three goals. Apart from Barker I cant remember who else played well - all I can remember is how amazing the turnaround was.
After the match the all the talk of the radio broadcasters and supporters was centred around who had delivered the "King Hit" to tiny Paul Callery - the mystery was solved by Tommy Layiffs post match visit to the rooms where a sheepish "Cat"Colling revealed that Callery had in fact slipped into his knee - thank goodness he had kept his mouth shut and let the "revenge factor" take hold of our boys!
We wandered home a happy lot that night and Dad was in a great mood - on the other side of the world another bunch of "Saints" - Southhampton played off in the FA Cup final - Dad let me stay up late to watch the FA cup for the first time - it was a somehat less dramatic match that the one I'd witnessed earlier that day and exhausted I fell asleep before half time - a very happy young Sainter.
I'm now 38 and live interstate - I still watch the Saints whenever they are on TV and like all of us, I'm still addicted to the Red Black and White - I have been lucky enough to watch the careers of many of the players nominated for the hall of fame. Banger, Wiz, Stewie, Spud, Plugger, Barks, Aussie, Russell Greene, George young, Duper, Cowboy - you have given me countless moments and memories that I will cherish forever - Thank you.
Go Saints
Tony Holland
Doc and Barks
Jackie Elward
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
I may have been a lifelong supporter of the Saints, but one day will stay in my heart forever. I won a 'Sports Fantasy' competition on Channel Nine's Wide World of Sports in 1989 and my fantasy was to watch the Saints train and meet them.
I was lucky enough to have won the competition at a time when Trevor Barker was still playing and players like Tony Lockett, Danny Frawley, Nicky Winmar and many others were in their early years. Last, but by no means least, Darrel Baldock was the coach.
Unfortunately, I have only been a witness to the sheer brilliance of Doc via the black and white video I have of the 1966 Grand Final and a couple others. I still marvel at how brilliant he was and how fortunate we were to have him as one of ours.
Although I am only in my 30s, when I was being introduced to the coach and team, it was actually the introduction to Doc that I was most nervous about. He is, after all, our only premiership captain. I could not believe he was asking me if I wanted to meet the rest of the team before training. Like I would ever say 'no' to Doc.
It would not be the only time I would meet some of those players over the years having attended several of the Best and Fairest Nights. However, that day in 1989 will always be the most special because Trevor Barker was out injured and I was lucky enough to have a conversation with possibly the most loyal footballer to ever play.
I have on tape vision of us sharing a joke - the shot of a healthy and laughing Trevor Barker cannot be surpassed and while the greatest actual football memory for me would be to watch our beloved team win that premiership that they so richly deserve, Darrel Baldock and Trevor Barker hold a space in this Saints supporter's heart that can never be replaced.
Jackie Elward
Trevor Barker
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
If my memory is entirely correct, the year was 1976 when I witness the birth of a superstar, a skinny blond kid with the most angainly run wearing number 25. That season he entertained the crowd with unbelievable heroics as he continuely spoilt what should have been certain marks from opposing forwards and then showed them how it was done by standing on their should to repel attack after attack with the best ariel marks I've ever seen. What a champ!
Trevor Barker - Life Saver
Craig Pattison
Saints Hall of Fame Memorable Moments
I was at Richmond station after the Round 1 Kangaroos game (this year) lamenting a loss, when a strange young man decided to befriend me.
He asked me who won, I told him North, and he said 'that's a shame. I barrack for Essendon but I've got a special spot for St.Kilda'. An Essendon supporter with a conscience, I don't think so.
Before I had a chance to walk away he said ' When I was nine Trevor Barker saved my life'.
I thought to myself "Is this guy a fruit-loop, or looking for some sympathy". Neither. He was genuine.
He was in a local council pool in Sandringham in the mid-late 70's and he was drowning. He had been under-water for a minute and had stopped breathing. Trevor dived in, plucked this young boy from the water, gave him mouth to mouth and brought him back to life. Just another day in the life of a super-hero!
Trevor Barker my boy-hood idol, St.Kilda champion and hero. He epitomized the St.Kilda spirit, and his inspiration to all footy supporters of the 70's and 80's lives on.
Craig Pattison
Trevor Barker - Number 1
Kevin Topliff
Saints Hall of Fame memorable moments
I was only young, but number one was the only number I ever had on the back of my St Kilda jumper. Trevor Barker. I use to get up every Saturday morning just to seen to catch a glimpse of Trevor on the Saturday morning Early Bird Show and his Golden Bowl Segment. I still have a copy of the letter he sent me, and his photo proudly enshrined in my junior photo album. I remember his encouragement as a young child at junior football clinics.
“Barks” gave so much to St Kilda, he was courageous and daring on his attack on the football, he was loyal to his team and club, he was inspiring to his team mates and everyone who supported the club. Mostly however he was modest and gave so much to so many juniors who looked up to him.
It was a sad day when “Barks” past away, as surely he would have brought these attributes with him to coach St Kilda to bigger and better things. As I stood silently in the crowd and watched the doves fly at Waverley, I turned and saw who I have been sitting next to all those years in the crowd – Mr & Mrs Barker – or Jack and Mrs B as I had known them all these years – and strangely enough the blonde hair guy who hadn’t been coming to the footy as often as he use to Shane Warne. “Barks” was a hero, an idol to many.
Send in your story or tribute now by sending an email to halloffame@saints.com.au
