Eddie Betts grew up in Port Lincoln and Kalgoorlie, in environments where the destructive legacies of colonialism - racism, police targeting of Aboriginal people, drug and alcohol misuse, family violence - were sadly normalised. His childhood was defined by family closeness as well as family strife, plus a wonderful freedom that he and his cousins exploited to the full - for better and for worse. When he made the decision to take his talents across the Nullarbor to Melbourne to chase his footballing dreams everything changed. Over the ensuing years, Betts became a true giant of the sport: 300-plus games, 600-plus goals, multiple All-Australian nods and Goal of the Year awards, and a league-wide popularity rarely seen in the hyper-tribal AFL. Along the way, he battled various demons - gambling, alcohol, the paparazzi - before his turbulent youth settled into responsible maturity. Today, the man the Melbourne tabloids once dubbed 'bad boy Betts' is a dedicated husband and father, a respected community leader and an increasingly outspoken social activist.

Winner 2023 ABIA Social Impact Book of the Year.