Lockhart Road
Cultural Attache
- Mar 26, 2013
- 5,424
- 27,766
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
- Other Teams
- Port Adelaide Magpies
THE CLUB FOR TRUE AUSTRALIANS
Last week I overheard a very senior person in Veterans SA say something rather significant. Three football clubs playing two different codes had been approached by his organisation in search of assistance with war veterans projects. Adelaide United, I overheard, had turned up their noses. The Crows had done ditto with their red, yellow and blue beaks. Port Adelaide Football Club, however, leapt on board and overwhelmed Veterans SA with an enthusiasm to be involved and to support their projects.
It was akin metaphorically to war having just been declared, and an instant line forming up outside the recruiting office – all wearing black, white and teal or Prison Bars.
No other colours in sight. They had all disappeared over the horizon of indifference.
So impressed was this Veterans SA executive, that he promptly switched his allegiance from the Crows to the Power, gave up his membership with the former and bought one in the latter. “Port Adelaide,” I distinctly heard him say, “are the only true Australians.”
A YEAR AGO…
A year ago Ford Fairlane helped me start the Peter Chant thread; full title: ‘Remembering fallen mates – Peter Chant.’ This new thread is its continuation, in broader context.
A year ago I met RussellEbertHandball during Round 5 vs West Coast. He wanted to encourage the Club to do more than it had already done up to that day for Peter’s recognition – and not just Pete, also every other serviceman who wore the Port jumper in whatever grade of football. REH’s enthusiasm overwhelmed me as much as the Club more recently has the aforementioned Veterans SA executive, who is no orphan when it comes to SA ex-servicemen switching on to PAFC this season.
Others who served with Peter Chant in Vietnam have done the same. One of Pete’s mates is an absolute tiger when it comes to war veterans’ causes (for which personal service he has been awarded an OAM). I’ll call him Mick, and that’s as far as he’d wish it to go. He it was who caught sight of Bob Quinn’s medals on a glass shelf at the Port Club… a year ago.
As a result, we now have – with the Club’s complete support from KT all the way through the ranks – an ANZAC project that is up and running: progressive enough, sizeable enough, and patriotic enough for me to tell you about.
This post is only a prologue. REH and fireboy and FF can, as they see fit, add to the story we have to tell. It is a story that has as much future as past – long and historic though that past may be. It’s a story that will develop as we close in on ANZAC Day and ANZAC Round 2014… then as we move on to 2015 and the Anniversary ANZAC Round at Adelaide Oval.
I WAS ONLY NINETEEN
The Peter Chant recognition project, which began so innocently a year ago, has this year blossomed into a presentation of service and campaign medals to the Club by the families of Peter Chant, Bob Quinn and his younger brother George Quinn who was killed in action at El Alamein in 1942 after playing for the Magpies in 1940. The medals have been obtained, fully refurbished where needed, and mounted in specially-created display cases by the 9RAR Association at their / PAFC’s expense. The sets of medals include Bob Quinn’s two Magarey Medals from 1938 and 1945, as well as the Military Medal he was awarded in 1941 for his act of mind-boggling bravery at Tobruk.
Two Fridays ago a lunch was convened at the Port Club, to which Daniel Norton brought along Channel Seven. In attendance were a past 1960s Magpies player who served in Vietnam, the brother-in-law of another who played juniors for Port and lost his life at the Battle of Coral in 1968, plus those from BigFooty and 9RAR Association who are involved in this phase of our ANZAC project.
John Schumann was there, too, as an honorary 9RAR Association member. His children’s book, I Was Only Nineteen, illustrated by Craig Smith according to the theme and chronology of John’s song of the same name, has just been released by Allen & Unwin :-
I’ll invite REH to tell a little more about that lunch, plus what’s still to come on this project.
Greg Quinn arrived later, and saw his father’s medals, military and Magarey, and his Uncle George’s, all pristine again, in their display case. This happened in Matthew Richardson’s office. Matt later described it as ‘one of the highlights of my time at the club… just brilliant.’
COLD WAR, FOOTY-STYLE
Janus has opened a thread titled ‘One Club. One Heart’ with a brilliant post that contains this paragraph, in which he relates part of KT’s speech at the recent Club 1870 function:
…Adelaide complained to the AFL about how Port Adelaide, who had successfully honoured and cherished the memory of all the soldiers who fought in battle for this country for 10 years, was continually 'gifted' an ANZAC round match. Port Adelaide says "It's not about the game. It's about the Port Adelaide supporters, players and support staff who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.”
Hear this: PAFC is bloody determined to be playing not one match but two at Adelaide Oval during the Anniversary ANZAC Round of 2015 – an AFL match against an opponent to be decided, and the SANFL Grand Final replay. Buddha Hocking has his orders.
S. Rowe alias Stupid sounded like surrender the other day when he seemed to admit: “Port Adelaide have a mandate on ANZAC Round.” Don’t believe him. Our Club and the Crows are engaged in a continuous Cold War, in which ANZAC Round 2015 is a pivotal battle.
On-field, off-field, whatever… football is war – war without weapons. Vigilance is required. To the Victors go the spoils. And the Losers? They get what they deserve, too.
Last week I overheard a very senior person in Veterans SA say something rather significant. Three football clubs playing two different codes had been approached by his organisation in search of assistance with war veterans projects. Adelaide United, I overheard, had turned up their noses. The Crows had done ditto with their red, yellow and blue beaks. Port Adelaide Football Club, however, leapt on board and overwhelmed Veterans SA with an enthusiasm to be involved and to support their projects.
It was akin metaphorically to war having just been declared, and an instant line forming up outside the recruiting office – all wearing black, white and teal or Prison Bars.
No other colours in sight. They had all disappeared over the horizon of indifference.
So impressed was this Veterans SA executive, that he promptly switched his allegiance from the Crows to the Power, gave up his membership with the former and bought one in the latter. “Port Adelaide,” I distinctly heard him say, “are the only true Australians.”
A YEAR AGO…
A year ago Ford Fairlane helped me start the Peter Chant thread; full title: ‘Remembering fallen mates – Peter Chant.’ This new thread is its continuation, in broader context.
A year ago I met RussellEbertHandball during Round 5 vs West Coast. He wanted to encourage the Club to do more than it had already done up to that day for Peter’s recognition – and not just Pete, also every other serviceman who wore the Port jumper in whatever grade of football. REH’s enthusiasm overwhelmed me as much as the Club more recently has the aforementioned Veterans SA executive, who is no orphan when it comes to SA ex-servicemen switching on to PAFC this season.
Others who served with Peter Chant in Vietnam have done the same. One of Pete’s mates is an absolute tiger when it comes to war veterans’ causes (for which personal service he has been awarded an OAM). I’ll call him Mick, and that’s as far as he’d wish it to go. He it was who caught sight of Bob Quinn’s medals on a glass shelf at the Port Club… a year ago.
As a result, we now have – with the Club’s complete support from KT all the way through the ranks – an ANZAC project that is up and running: progressive enough, sizeable enough, and patriotic enough for me to tell you about.
This post is only a prologue. REH and fireboy and FF can, as they see fit, add to the story we have to tell. It is a story that has as much future as past – long and historic though that past may be. It’s a story that will develop as we close in on ANZAC Day and ANZAC Round 2014… then as we move on to 2015 and the Anniversary ANZAC Round at Adelaide Oval.
I WAS ONLY NINETEEN
The Peter Chant recognition project, which began so innocently a year ago, has this year blossomed into a presentation of service and campaign medals to the Club by the families of Peter Chant, Bob Quinn and his younger brother George Quinn who was killed in action at El Alamein in 1942 after playing for the Magpies in 1940. The medals have been obtained, fully refurbished where needed, and mounted in specially-created display cases by the 9RAR Association at their / PAFC’s expense. The sets of medals include Bob Quinn’s two Magarey Medals from 1938 and 1945, as well as the Military Medal he was awarded in 1941 for his act of mind-boggling bravery at Tobruk.
Two Fridays ago a lunch was convened at the Port Club, to which Daniel Norton brought along Channel Seven. In attendance were a past 1960s Magpies player who served in Vietnam, the brother-in-law of another who played juniors for Port and lost his life at the Battle of Coral in 1968, plus those from BigFooty and 9RAR Association who are involved in this phase of our ANZAC project.
John Schumann was there, too, as an honorary 9RAR Association member. His children’s book, I Was Only Nineteen, illustrated by Craig Smith according to the theme and chronology of John’s song of the same name, has just been released by Allen & Unwin :-
I’ll invite REH to tell a little more about that lunch, plus what’s still to come on this project.
Greg Quinn arrived later, and saw his father’s medals, military and Magarey, and his Uncle George’s, all pristine again, in their display case. This happened in Matthew Richardson’s office. Matt later described it as ‘one of the highlights of my time at the club… just brilliant.’
COLD WAR, FOOTY-STYLE
Janus has opened a thread titled ‘One Club. One Heart’ with a brilliant post that contains this paragraph, in which he relates part of KT’s speech at the recent Club 1870 function:
…Adelaide complained to the AFL about how Port Adelaide, who had successfully honoured and cherished the memory of all the soldiers who fought in battle for this country for 10 years, was continually 'gifted' an ANZAC round match. Port Adelaide says "It's not about the game. It's about the Port Adelaide supporters, players and support staff who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have today.”
Hear this: PAFC is bloody determined to be playing not one match but two at Adelaide Oval during the Anniversary ANZAC Round of 2015 – an AFL match against an opponent to be decided, and the SANFL Grand Final replay. Buddha Hocking has his orders.
S. Rowe alias Stupid sounded like surrender the other day when he seemed to admit: “Port Adelaide have a mandate on ANZAC Round.” Don’t believe him. Our Club and the Crows are engaged in a continuous Cold War, in which ANZAC Round 2015 is a pivotal battle.
On-field, off-field, whatever… football is war – war without weapons. Vigilance is required. To the Victors go the spoils. And the Losers? They get what they deserve, too.
