General Bombers Talk Essendon History

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Talking of Essendon and North and Windy Hill- the first match I ever attended was actually Essendon v North Melbourne very late in the 1991 season. I was just three years old at the time, and went with my father.

Unfortunately I have little recollection of the game, I don't think I was too interested in footy until more like five or six years of age! But for the record, Essendon won 19.9 (123) to 5.19 (49). Apparently, this was also the last ever televised game at Windy Hill- they had two games there after the North game, against Brisbane and Sydney, but neither were televised.

Was anyone at Windy Hill for those final few games in 1991? I seem to recollect reading that Essendon only announced the move to the MCG between the 1991 and 1992 seasons, and the low attendance figures for those games I have seen (only around 13-14k for the Brisbane and Sydney games) suggest people didn't really have an inkling that its time was up as a venue...
 
Dos23 said:
Talking of Essendon and North and Windy Hill- the first match I ever attended was actually Essendon v North Melbourne very late in the 1991 season. I was just three years old at the time, and went with my father.

Unfortunately I have little recollection of the game, I don't think I was too interested in footy until more like five or six years of age! But for the record, Essendon won 19.9 (123) to 5.19 (49). Apparently, this was also the last ever televised game at Windy Hill- they had two games there after the North game, against Brisbane and Sydney, but neither were televised.

Was anyone at Windy Hill for those final few games in 1991? I seem to recollect reading that Essendon only announced the move to the MCG between the 1991 and 1992 seasons, and the low attendance figures for those games I have seen (only around 13-14k for the Brisbane and Sydney games) suggest people didn't really have an inkling that its time was up as a venue...
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I was 14 in 1991 and went to the second Essendon v Richmond game of the year which was played at Windy Hill, the tigers beat us that day in a sluggish low scoring game, very wet ground from all the rain from the night before...cannot remember hearing anything about Essendon leaving Windy Hill at all during the season and I was following the footy all the time via newspaper and tv, as I do now but with internet as well! I do remember that over the summer of 91 -92 it was announced we were moving to the MCG, I wasn't happy at the time as I loved Windy Hill and it had a special feeling about the place!!

I also remember that in 1991 we got a off to a good start, even though we were playing average sides, I think we were 7-0 at one stage, then got done by West Coast at Windy Hill by 7 points, we were about 5 down with injuries late in the game, then Hawthorn beat us the week later at Waverley, we had them in the 3rd quarter but they ran away in the last quarter...I think mid season we were like 2nd or 3rd on the ladder and most footy pundits were surprised by this, however the wheels quickly came off due to injuries, lack of form and I remember Sheedy started playing some of the older players and we limped into the finals and got belted!
 
Essendon Recreation Reserve (Windy Hill*)

Average attendance first three seasons 1922-24 - 20,792
Average attendance last three seasons 1989-91 - 17,241

* A search of the Melbourne Argus newspaper 1922-1956 has one reference to "Windy Hill". A report of the autumn 1950 racing carnival at Flemington has a list of "visitors from interstate" including from South Australia a "Mrs Windy Hill Smith".

"Essendon Recreation Reserve" is found 86 times, but usually League football matches are referred to as being at "Essendon".

Anyone have a documented time for when "Windy Hill" for the ground came into use?
 

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RogersResults said:
Essendon Recreation Reserve (Windy Hill*)

Average attendance first three seasons 1922-24 - 20,792
Average attendance last three seasons 1989-91 - 17,241

* A search of the Melbourne Argus newspaper 1922-1956 has one reference to "Windy Hill". A report of the autumn 1950 racing carnival at Flemington has a list of "visitors from interstate" including from South Australia a "Mrs Windy Hill Smith".

"Essendon Recreation Reserve" is found 86 times, but usually League football matches are referred to as being at "Essendon".

Anyone have a documented time for when "Windy Hill" for the ground came into use?
Click to expand...

The wiki page attributes the origin of the name "Windy Hill" to a Lou Richards column of the 1950's.

The earliest verifiable report I have found is from 1960:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...642,2684251&dq=essendon+windy+hill+1958&hl=en
 
Old Skool said:
The wiki page attributes the origin of the name "Windy Hill" to a Lou Richards column of the 1950's.

The earliest verifiable report I have found is from 1960:

http://news.google.com/newspapers?i...642,2684251&dq=essendon+windy+hill+1958&hl=en
Click to expand...

http://shawfactor.com/reference/history-of-windy-hill-essendon/ has:

"The Essendon Recreation Reserve was soon nicknamed “Windy Hill” due to the fact that the ground stood on the crest of a hill with no construction behind it but the vast sweep of the Victorian plains. It was always windy and sometimes gale force. When the Victorian winters kicked into full swing the press boxes took the front of the winds and the frozen journalists soon dubbed the ground “Windy Hill”.

But is not sourced.

I suspect that nicknames like "Windy Hill" may have got into general use in the press after Lou Richards began his newspaper career in the latter 1950's. But I doubt Lou coined it.

Meanwhile: Hawthorn were nearly "Bombers" too.

"HAWTHORN'S win on Saturday put a new atmosphere into training last night. Anyone using the word 'Maybloom' was fined 1/- for Red Cross funds. The new name is "Brown Bombers".

Argus 16 July 1941.
 
RogersResults said:
http://shawfactor.com/reference/history-of-windy-hill-essendon/ has:

"The Essendon Recreation Reserve was soon nicknamed “Windy Hill” due to the fact that the ground stood on the crest of a hill with no construction behind it but the vast sweep of the Victorian plains. It was always windy and sometimes gale force. When the Victorian winters kicked into full swing the press boxes took the front of the winds and the frozen journalists soon dubbed the ground “Windy Hill”.

But is not sourced.
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And therefore should not be taken seriously by any historian.

RogersResults said:
I suspect that nicknames like "Windy Hill" may have got into general use in the press after Lou Richards began his newspaper career in the latter 1950's. But I doubt Lou coined it.
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I tend to agree, considering the ground was ringed by grandstands at this stage (mid 50's), and I certainly don't remember Essendon being a particularly windy ground in the 80's. That honor went to the Western and Corio ovals.

It could go all the way back to the Essendon Association Football Club, for all we currently know.
 
Tassieboy said:
To answer the above query, there was no 'send of game' at Windy Hill. Ron Evans, I think, made the decision during the off-season to much disgust.
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Polled a few punters personally, though.

Wise move. What a shame it didn't last.
 
yaco55 said:
Interesting that the average attendance for the first three years ( 22-24 ) was 20,000 but in 89-91 when population must have been 3 times larger was only about 17,000.
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Essendon's 'home' matches the last three seasons have had an average attendance of 48,053 which is still a long way off from keeping parity as a percentage of the population of Melbourne compared to attendances 90 years ago.

The population of Melbourne in 1921 was around 800,000. By 1991 it was over 3,100,000. Now it is over 4 million.

Many factors are involved but in 1922 admission to the the football cost 1/100th (8 cents) of the basic (minimum) weekly wage of an adult male worker.
 
Heard an excellent interview last night with 1965 premiership full back Greg Brown on SEN. He is very well spoken and sharp as a tack.

Brown said he played football as a kid but got injured at about 16, and as a result played hockey for about 3 years instead of football. He was sent to an old guru physio the South Melbourne players used to use and within 2 visits he was cured and up to playing footy again.

He shared memories of the 1965 premiership, and how in 1968 he pulled a hamstring in the prelim final and wasn't fit for selection in our narrow grand final loss the next week to Carlton.

Brown, along with Barry Davis played in the famous district cricket final where Essendon made 9 dec for 514 and Bill Lawry made 282 not out and guided Northcote to the premiership. Brown said Essendon coach John Coleman made him and Davis play in a practice match the morning of one of the days of the cricket final.
 

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Doss said:
Talking of Essendon and North and Windy Hill- the first match I ever attended was actually Essendon v North Melbourne very late in the 1991 season. I was just three years old at the time, and went with my father.


Was anyone at Windy Hill for those final few games in 1991? I seem to recollect reading that Essendon only announced the move to the MCG between the 1991 and 1992 seasons, and the low attendance figures for those games I have seen (only around 13-14k for the Brisbane and Sydney games) suggest people didn't really have an inkling that its time was up as a venue...
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Absolutely! Bit dirty on the club for not giving us a farewell game.It was rumoured we were leaving but not confirmed. That ground deserved a proper send off, pretty shabby IMO. Superb that ground, superb.
 
windyhill said:
Absolutely! Bit dirty on the club for not giving us a farewell game.It was rumoured we were leaving but not confirmed. That ground deserved a proper send off, pretty shabby IMO. Superb that ground, superb.
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Yep.

Hate to say it, but Collingwood and Carlton did it far better than us with Victoria Park and Princes Park when it came time for them to say goodbye.
 
made a new friend while out on my morning constitutional today.

A old bloke wearing an Essendon jumper was walking the same track, so we started chatting about the weather and the like and I mentioned the jumper and he said he used to play in the U19's and reserves for the Dons.

Didn't get into much detail but he volunteered that Billy Hutchinson used to give him free petrol from his garage when he was an apprentice and he watched John Coleman's comeback game.

Will be keeping an eye out for him and hope to get a bit more of the goss from the period.
 
Bigelow said:
made a new friend while out on my morning constitutional today.

A old bloke wearing an Essendon jumper was walking the same track, so we started chatting about the weather and the like and I mentioned the jumper and he said he used to play in the U19's and reserves for the Dons.

Didn't get into much detail but he volunteered that Billy Hutchinson used to give him free petrol from his garage when he was an apprentice and he watched John Coleman's comeback game.

Will be keeping an eye out for him and hope to get a bit more of the goss from the period.
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like your username - esoteric and very Essendon
 
Havent got much more out of my new friend.

He had met Billy Brittingham
He said Norm McDonald was a very quick and clever player.

Dick Reynolds wasn't all that good of a kick , he was very good at getting the ball though.

Apparently a few players liked a beer as he said it made a difference to him after he left and got away from the drink.
 
Just thought I would let you know that Darryl Gerlach visited the Ned Kelly museum in Beechworth today. What a lovely bloke. He was fascinated to know that in 1865 a 10 year old Ned Kelly had saved the life of a 5 year old Richard Shelton in Avenel Victoria. If this hadn't have happened there would be no 'Bluey' Shelton. Apparently Bluey still runs the family farm at Avenel and his next door neighbour is Paul Doran.
 
Hi there Bombers history buffs.

I'm looking to source and make a copy of 1914 and or 1915 Essendon team photo if one exists. My grandfather played for the Dons in those 2 years. I've done some pretty extensive searching via all the history links, libraries and collections suggested on Bigfooty and contacted the club directly without any luck.

I'm hoping someone out there might have one, or can direct me to someone who does. I don't require an original, just a copy or scan.

Please message me or reply to the thread.

Thanks and hope to hear from you

DVC
 
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They showed the infamous R7 1978 clash at Moorabbin on FoxFooty yesterday. Decent game as well.

Lowlights were the two knockouts of Neagle and Cahill but plenty of highlights.

Vanda playing only second game of the season in his second year kicked 5 goals and a couple of nice marks in the bog. Timmy still only 16 and built like a man.

Also it would have been TD’s first few games after crossing from the Swans, looked the goods even this early. Former Bomber ruckman Geoff Leek who was commentating couldn’t hide his excitement by saying “can’t believe Swans got rid of him”.

Wasn’t bad standard game in the Moorabbin bog.
 
I don't know if there's anyone around of the right vintage on here, or if there's been any in depth books released on the subject, but I'd be interested in hearing more about the coaching transition from Dick Reynolds to John Coleman.

From what I know, Coleman is off running pubs and Reynolds was coach for years and years, the position is declared vacant and both apply for the job and the nod goes to Coleman, with positive results.

You'd think this would have been massive news and caused all sorts of fallout and bitterness but I have never heard of any, have never heard of much at all really.
 
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