John Fihelly

John Arthur Fihelly (7 November 1882 – 2 March 1945) was a rugby union player who represented Australia, a professional rugby league footballer, a founder of the Queensland rugby league, and a Labor Party politician.
Early life.
Fihelly, a rugby union flanker, was born in Timoleague, County Cork, Ireland and claimed one international rugby union cap for Australia, in 1907. He then became one of rugby league football's founding players in Brisbane, being selected to represent Queensland during the 1907–08 New Zealand rugby tour of Australia and Great Britain against the visiting "All Blacks" in what were the first games of rugby league football ever played in Queensland. In 1908 he traveled to Britain on the first rugby league Kangaroo tour as assistant manager.
Before that, Fihelly was educated at the Petrie Terrace State School and St. Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, until 1895. He then joined the post office as a telegraph messenger. He eventually transferred to the Department of Trade and Customs.
Fihelly represented Queensland in rugby union 1905–07 against New South Wales.
Politics.
Fihelly got his start in 1908 when he joined the Department of Trade and Customs as a junior clerk in its State office. In 1918 Fihelly was made secretary of railways.
He was elected as the Labor member for Paddington in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland in 1912 and held several ministerial roles including Attorney-General and Treasurer until his resignation in 1922.
Later life.
Fihelly died of a cerebral thrombosis on 2 March 1945. He deteriorated for years after fracturing his skull in September 1926 in an accident at Sandgate. Before dying, Fihelly spent time in the Dunwich Benevolent Institution.
Upon his death in 1945, Fihelly was rewarded with a State funeral at St Stephen's Cathedral and was buried in Toowong Cemetery.