Sonny Morey

Sonny Morey (born 1945) is an Aboriginal Australian former Australian rules footballer. He played for Central District in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL). He was removed from his family in the Northern Territory as part of the Stolen Generations, first placed in a home in Alice Springs, and transferred to Adelaide as a young teenager.

Early life and education Sonny Morey was born in 1945 on Yambah Station in the Northern Territory of Australia, An Arrernte man, he was removed from his family as part of the Stolen Generations at the age of seven. St Francis House, a home for Aboriginal boys in the Adelaide beachside suburb of Semaphore, run by Church of England missionaries. With him at the home were Charlie Perkins (later an Aboriginal rights activist), Harold Thomas (who later designed the Aboriginal flag), and artist and soccer player John Kundereri Moriarty. His surname was changed from Gorey to Morey by authorities.

A year later, St Francis House closed down, and he was fostered out to a family at the age of 14.

Playing career Morey's Australian rules football career developed with the Gawler Central Football Club in the Gawler and District Football Association. During his time at the club, he played alongside fellow Indigenous footballer Merv Rigney.

Morey won Gawler Central's A Grade Best and Fairest award in 1961 and 1962. In 1963, he played in the club's grand final team, which was defeated by South Gawler Football Club by 15 points..

Morey played a total of 213 senior games for Central District in the SANFL between 1964 and 1977.

Morey won Central's Best and Fairest award in 1970. He retired the following year, finishing with 213 appearances and 28 goals.

He later coached Central District’s under-17s between 1981 and 1988, including their 1985 premiership.

Honours and recognition Inducted into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame (2023)

Personal life Morey married Carmel, and they have two daughters. His daughter, Kim Morey-Hure, has spoken publicly about his experiences and the continuing impact of the Stolen Generations.

He never saw his mother again despite looking for her all of his life, but later discovered that she had also searched for him after his removal, until her death in 1992. After learning of her death, he had been unable to find where she had been buried. In early 2026, shortly before the 18th anniversary of the National Apology to the Stolen Generations (13 February), Morey was at last informed that her burial site was on Napperby Station, north-west of Alice Springs. At his first attendance of a breakfast gathering in Canberra to mark the anniversary, he met other survivors of the Stolen Generations, including four of his "sisters" who had lived at St Mary's Hostel when he was there as a child.