Received life membership in 1948.
Born in Victoria in 1893, Ralph spent his youth in Northern Tasmania and attended Launceston Grammar. It was here that he started his football career in 1903. He went on to the Working Men’s College of Melbourne (later Royal Melbourne Technical College) combining study with playing football.
Ralph was captain of the College Team and trained with Richmond. He was awarded a mining engineer’s certificate in 1916, before enlisting with the Australian Imperial Forces in World War I. He saw service in France on the Western Front and in 1917 was wounded in the leg and returned to Australia. He returned to football with the Diggers RSL team in Melbourne. He began coaching Junior football and was also a scout leader in Victoria.
Ralph arrived in Canberra in 1932, working as Inspector of Patents at the Patents Office. He became involved with the Canberra community through Legacy, RSL, church and the Ainslie Football Club. He coached Junior teams from his arrival until 1981, when he was aged 88. He was a Foundation Member of the Social Club and performed the opening ceremony of the first premises in 1957.
Ralph married Agnes Armstrong in 1941. He was heavily involved with church groups in Braddon. In 1945 he became session clerk at St Columba’s Church and held the position until 1977. Ralph retired in 1958 from the Patents Office.
Ralph was a long time part of Ainslie, moving to Canberra in in 1932 he stepped up as President in 1939 and was the longest serving club president at a period of 14 years. Whilst stepping down after 1953 as president he remained involved in the club for decades to come.
In 1963 Mr Lewis, alongside many other Ainslie Legends such as Robert Bloomfield, Harry Gaylard, Stan Ray, and James Keegan, formed a committee to take the Ainslie Juniors from out under the senior teams shadow. Up until then the juniors were just an extension of the seniors, with this committee intending to operate the juniors more directly. Mr Lewis was appointed the first president of the juniors club.
He coached Ainslie Junior teams to 15 Premierships, and a highlight of his coaching career was in 1965 when the Under 8’s, a Championship team, scored 104 goals 170 behinds to 4 behinds, a percentage of 21,350.
In recognition of his commitment to the club, Mr Lewis was also given the privilege to host the opening ceremony of the then newly opened Ainslie Football Social Club in 1957, where he became an official patron until his death in 1982.
The accolades and achievements of Mr Ralph Lewis will not be forgotten:
- President AFC, 1939 – 1953
- Patron AFC, 1957 – 1982
- Ainslie Delegate to CANFL, 1938 – 1958
- National Australian Football Council Merit Award, 1960
- Life Membership – Junior League, 1947
- Life Member – AFC, 1948
- Life Member – CANFL, 1947
- Life Member – ACTAFL, 1957
Ralph was very proud of the fact that he had a church hall and Club bar named after him, further, the Ainslie Oval Grandstand named after him.
It is worth noting as well both his service to country in world war 1, returning home after an injury in 1917 during his service in France with the AIF, alongside his achievement of earning the British Empire Medal in 1978 for his contribution t0 sport, church and youth.