Thomas was born in
North Fremantle,
Western Australia, on 20 February 1902, the son of Jack Thomas, a former captain of the
Fremantle Football Club and secretary of the
North Fremantle Football Club. He moved to
Geraldton with his family at the age of six, and played football for local teams from an early age, captaining his school team at the age of 16. Thomas subsequently captained the junior team of the Railways Football Club in the Geraldton Football Association (GFA), also playing seasons with teams from
Moora and
Mullewa. In 1922, he made his debut for Railways' senior team, captaining the side in 1924 before being transferred to
Coolgardie due to his work as a
telegraphist. He played one-and-a-half seasons of football with Kalgoorlie City in the
Goldfields Football League (GFL) before again being transferred, this time to the
General Post Office in the
Perth central business district. Thomas was cleared to East Perth for the 1927 season, making his debut in round three. Thomas won the
Guthrie Gold Medal in 1928 as East Perth's
best and fairest player, winning a second award the following season to become the first player to win the award in consecutive years. In the latter season, Thomas also won the
Sandover Medal. Thomas served as coach of East Perth in 1942 when the WAFL was age-restricted to players under the age of 18. He also served as club secretary from 1932 to 1941 and club president from 1951 to 1955. During the 1938 season, Thomas was one of several ex-players, including
Keith Hough, who volunteered to serve as umpires for one round (the regular umpires having withdrawn their services over a pay dispute).
The Daily News noted that Thomas showed "outstanding ability", praising his "faultless display". Having moved to the
South Perth district after his retirement from playing, Thomas was also involved in
local government during the late 1940s and early 1950s, serving on the
South Perth Road Board and at one stage as president of the South Perth Community Centre Association. He also served as patron of the South Perth Football Club in the Metropolitan Junior Football Association (MJFA). In 2005, Thomas was named as the forward pocket in East Perth's pre-
World War II "Team of the Century". ==References==