George played an integral role in building the foundations of OFC with fellow Scotsman Charles Dempsey and dedicated his life to football, not only in Australia and New Zealand but within the other Pacific Island nations.
“OFC is indebted to George Dick and the legacy that he has left in the Pacific region through his hard work and commitment,” OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas says.
“Many hundreds of thousands of football players, officials, referees and fans around the Pacific today owe a huge thank you to George.”
Josephine King, one of Dempsey’s daughters, was General Secretary of OFC when George was Vice-President and says his loss will be felt greatly amongst the Pacific football community.
“George will be sadly missed by those of us who had the pleasure to know and work with him,” she says.
“He loved the game and gave unstintingly of his time, energy and wise counsel. He was steadfastly loyal to the confederation and a good friend who will be well remembered.”
Born in Aberdeen, Scotland in May 1929, George migrated to New Zealand after the war and played for and captained Wellington in the local league. He was also selected to represent New Zealand but did not make an appearance.
George and his family moved to Australia in 1960 and he quickly became immersed in football within his new surroundings. He was President of Manly Warringah from 1974 to 1981, Chairman of the NSW State League from 1982 to 1984 and Vice-President of the NSW Football Federation from 1984 to 1991.
He was also project manager for the Australia-hosted 1993 FIFA World Youth Cup, which contributed to Australia’s successful 2000 Olympic Games bid.
He took on his first official role with OFC when he enjoyed an eight-year stint as Vice-President from 1990 and then became Honorary Vice-President from 1998 to 2003. During his tenure with OFC, he helped restore relations between Australia and the other Pacific Island nations, monitored financial operations and assisted in establishing a full-time secretariat and development programmes.
George was also an executive member of the Australian Soccer Federation (ASF) from 1984 to 1990 and a director of Sydney club Northern Spirit in the now-defunct National Soccer League. George continued working as a football administrator with Football Federation Australia (FFA), in particular with the development of futsal, up until his retirement in 2006.
He was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2008, holds multiple life memberships and was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia in 2005 for his services in sports administration.
George is survived by his wife Thelma and sons Graham, John and Stuart.
His funeral will be held in the North Chapel at the Northern Suburbs Crematorium in North Ryde, NSW, at 2.15pm on Monday, 20 December 2010.
The family has requested that, instead of flowers, donations be made to the Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia www.mndresearch.asn.au