[4] He was a Gunditjmara man who served as the coach and president of the Fitzroy Stars Football Club in its early years.
[5] His son, Troy Austin, is also a former Fitzroy Stars president and currently serves as a member of the First Peoples' Assembly of Victoria after being elected in 2023.
[8] He participated in Australian rules football and boxing, while also working as a boilermaker and having a job laying tramway track.
[12] After the Northern Metropolitan Football League, which the Stars were competing in, disbanded in 1980, Austin was a driving force in the club staying afloat.
[12] When the YCW Football League (YCWFL) folded in 1986, the Stars applied for entry in 36 local competitions, but received rejections from every single one.