Resource The NMFC History thread

[royals1922]

I picked up a Syd Barker 1933 NM cigarette card up the other day as well as a few other NM players in the series.

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

I picked up a Syd Barker 1933 NM cigarette card up the other day as well as a few other NM players in the series.

That's odd considering he stopped playing in 1927.

 

[royals1922]

There's a collection called the Wills 1933 collection of 200 AFL players which had then VFA and VFL past and present players and in those 200 it cards of Leo Tyrell, J Gregory, Barker, Neville Huggins, Frank Pearce, Richard Taylor, John Lewis and Charles Cameron

Here's a poor photo from that series:

 

[kangaroo7]

There's a collection called the Wills 1933 collection of 200 AFL players which had then VFA and VFL past and present players and in those 200 it cards of Leo Tyrell, J Gregory, Barker, Neville Huggins, Frank Pearce, Richard Taylor, John Lewis and Charles Cameron

Here's a poor photo from that series:

That's Syd Junior. The great man's son had a brief career with North from 1930-33. Like his father he died relatively young.

 

[royals1922]

Collections very good though...

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

K7 never misses a beat.

Neville Huggins was a ripper.

He was rumored to have gone on to become the highest player in Australia when he went to captain Williamstown in the VFA.

 

[royals1922]

K7 never misses a beat.

Neville Huggins was a ripper.

He was rumored to have gone on to become the highest player in Australia when he went to captain Williamstown in the VFA.

It also had a lot of the great Collingwood boys from that era, paid over the odds, but not often you see them around the traps.

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

I always thought the Crutchies were a later phenomenon: guys who'd been wounded in WWI who formed gangs. Handy with blades according to local legend.

Perhaps they were just using a long running local gang name?

When we were yobs.

​

Valentine Keating was the leader of the Crutchy Push, a standover gang who ruled the streets of North Melbourne from 1895 to 1905. The ‘Crutchies’ made their living by demanding drink, food and money, from pubs, shops and private homes alike.

Gangs were called ‘pushes’ in Australia at the time, and to qualify as a member of the Crutchy Push you had to have a missing limb, a thirst for drink and a fighting attitude. Valentine Keating, like most of his gang, depended on a crutch for not only mobility but also as a potentially deadly weapon when fighting pushes from neighbouring suburbs.

In 1953, the Sydney Morning Herald looked back on Melbourne’s most maligned gang in awe, noting that the Crutchy Push “with one exception, consisted of one-legged men. The exception was a one-armed man who kept half a brick in his sewn up empty sleeve. He led his followers into battle swinging the weighted sleeve around his head. Behind him came the men on crutches – each one expert at balancing on one leg. The tip of the crutch was used to jab an opponent in the midriff. With the enemy gasping for breath the crutch would be reversed and the metal-shod arm rest would be used as a club.”

Keating became leader of the Crutchy Push in 1901 after his brother-in-law murdered the former captain by beating in his skull with a piece of road metal. Other members of Keating’s family displayed a penchant for violence as well. In 1902, arresting officers found themselves under attack from not only Keating, but also his brother, mother and sister. Keating’s mother saved the day for the police when she knocked out her son with a mistimed attempt to smash a chair over one of the constable’s heads.

With pushes such as the Crutchies ruling the streets of Melbourne, a special task force of the ten burliest policemen in Victoria were assembled. ‘The Terrible Ten’ were issued lengths of hose and sent out to beat the pushes into submission.

The Crutchies remained unconquered until Valentine Keating, girlfriend Harriett Adderley, and fellow Crutchy member John Collins, were imprisoned for a murderous assault on Senior Constable Mulcahey. In court, Keating was quoted as saying to the constable, “I always did as I liked in North Melbourne and I will show you that I’ll bloody well do so too. I’ll knock your bloody brains out you bugger.” After dragging the officer to the ground, Keating called on Collins to “Crutch the bugger!” “Righto Val,” said Collins and cracked the constable over the head with the metal arm-piece of his crutch. Mulcahey complained in court that he was still picking pieces of skull from his fractured head.

On release from prison, Keating opened up an illegal pub in Fitzroy and went on to be one of the most notorious sly grog shop operators in Melbourne. A brutal man, he was well suited to the job of keeping bar in an establishment that couldn’t and wouldn’t call for police assistance when trouble arose. Keating died of tuberculosis at the not so gentle age of 52.

​

​

TIMELINE
1878 Born to Irish immigrant parents in the heart of Melbourne’s Chinatown
1890 1st conviction at the age of 12 years: assault
1898 1st of eight convictions for assaulting police
1901 Victorian Premier leads deputation to increase police force “to deal with pushes such as the Crutchies and Flying Angels”
1904 Five years prison for murderous assault on police officer
1917 & 1919 Prison sentences for sly grog
1925 Charged with receiving stolen goods
1927 Two weeks’ prison for drink-driving when covered in blood
1930 Dies of tuberculosis, aged 52


http://www.au.timeout.com/melbourne/aroundtown/features/1649/valentine-keating

This photograph is © State of Victoria 2012. Reproduced with permission.

 

[muttley45]

that was a great read, maybe we can have a Valentine Keating award for something one day

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

that was a great read, maybe we can have a Valentine Keating award for something one day

I'm hoping to see the roo shop issue a "Crutchy Push" retro line of clothing

​

THIS would make a shit hot t-shirt.

 

[Mr Reliable]

I liked the use of the word ''bugger'' as in "I'll knock your bloody brains out, you bugger.''

An excellent read.

 

[Grogg]

Great read and a fantastic addition to the best thread on Bigfooty.

Top stuff again Tef.

Two thumbs

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

It's a ripper read isn't it grogster?

I would very much like to research and write on the history of the Hotham/NMFC 1869 - 1973 when I find the time.

In particular, the pre WW II stuff.

 

[Grogg]

Yep.

Sad lack of detail on the early years and for me is the most fascinating aspect of our history.

A lot of our younger followers might get a real understanding of the shinboner spirit and why there is some genuine hatred still amongst the supporter group for a club like Essendon.

 

[Mr Reliable]

Yep.

Sad lack of detail on the early years and for me is the most fascinating aspect of our history.

A lot of our younger followers might get a real understanding of the shinboner spirit and why there is some genuine hatred still amongst the supporter group for a club like Essendon.

I'm not convinced that too many of us really understand the Shinboner Spirit. I don't (and I'm not one of the younger followers these days ).

Anything which sheds light on our past, like HtB's historical contributions, gets the Grogg double thumbs up award from me too.

 

[GarnerSmash]

Love it Tef.

Keep 'em coming.

 

[muttley45]

this would be a good subject for arch's next movie project " Gangs of Nth Melbourne "

starring martin pike as valentine keating, and adrian anderson as senior constable mulcahey, maybe even a cameo role for the shinboner of the century himself, a few more cast suggestions please............

 

[GarnerSmash]

this would be a good subject for arch's next movie project " Gangs of Nth Melbourne "

starring martin pike as valentine keating, and adrian anderson as senior constable mulcahey, maybe even a cameo role for the shinboner of the century himself, a few more cast suggestions please............

Ah, Andy D as Fat Tony?

Surely there was a a Fat Tony.

 

[Passmore]

Kat Stewart can play Harriet Adderley. She played that dirty scrubber quite well in Underbelly.

Jacki Weaver for Valentine's mum.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Ah, Andy D as Fat Tony?

Surely there was a a Fat Tony.

Yeah, he captained the Colliwobbles to the 1990 flag.

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

As posted by sross elsewhere:

Ins and Outs

The decision by the Coburg City Council to kick the local football club off the Coburg City Oval before the 1965 season in favour of North Melbourne produced a split that threatened to finish off the Coburg footy club. At the time, the Lions had a senior committee and a seconds committee. Many members of the senior committee were keen on the North Melbourne proposal; half a dozen of them joined the North Melbourne committee. Before the Roos’ arrival, the Coburg people helped improve the ground by building the press box, the scoreboard and a toilet block, and encouraging citizens to dump landfill at the ground for use in building the terraces. About 12 metres was lopped off the north-west forward pocket, bringing the oval into its present dimensions of 169 x 151 metres, which is considerably larger than the MCG, and the goal posts were shifted about 20 metres clockwise. According to Graham Douglas, a seconds committee member who later became president, council workers completed the improvements £8000 at a time; that was the limit on spending before approval had to be sought through a vote from elected councillors.

Ins and Outs (2)

During the 1965 season, Coburg trained at Brunswick, played at Port Melbourne and held committee meetings at the Moreland Hotel, on Sydney Road. Fundraising events were held in the Coburg Town Hall and pleasant Sunday mornings were held by Coburg Lake, which is a dammed part of Merri Creek. Every Monday night, the seconds committee and a few dozen supporters attended council meetings to push their case for a return to the Coburg oval. After training, players delivered pamphlets in which citizens were urged to vote for pro-Coburg Football Club candidates at the next council election. At the election, Labour members were voted out and independents were voted in. The new councillors duly booted North Melbourne out of Coburg, prompting a return to Arden Street, and the Lions returned home.

Big Day

The day before Melbourne journeyed to Coburg to play North Melbourne in round 13, 1965, Melbourne captain Hassa Mann rang rookie teammate Stan Alves to warn him that all hell would break because Norm Smith was about to be sacked. Mann warned the wingman against getting caught up in club politics. At 19 years of age, Alves found the advice easy to heed. On the morning of the match, Smith made an emotional appearance on television, prompting Melbourne players to go about their preparations in near silence. “It was very flat in the rooms,” said Alves. “To be honest, I don’t think the blokes wanted to play.” Alves started on the bench and sat next to Hughes before being sent on to play on Bert Johnson, an Aboriginal wingman who threatened to point the bone at him if he got a kick. “I was terrified,” Alves said. The final siren signalled the Roos’ only victory at Coburg for the year; it also began the process by which Smith would soon be reinstated as Melbourne coach. In the rooms, Johnson asked Alves to the post-match party. On one of the most turbulent days in league football, the pair started a lifelong friendship.

Final Word

“Both clubs benefited in a way. There was a shake-up all round.” -Maurie Brophy, former Coburg committeeman and subsequent North Melbourne committeeman.

Part of this article http://www.austadiums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=48738&sid=8453bd304af08d404637f7639639d092

 

[fabulousphil]

When we were yobs.

The pushes came out of the 1890's depression really, street kids who grew up, they made a comeback in the early 1930's when that depression hit.

Great read, had read a bit about the Crutchie push, but had never seen a photo of Valentine.

 

[royals1922]

It's a ripper read isn't it grogster?

I would very much like to research and write on the history of the Hotham/NMFC 1869 - 1973 when I find the time.

In particular, the pre WW II stuff.

You can actually do that online. Go to the National Library and do a search of the digitalised newspapers. Do not search for the Argus however but do a search of articles from the North Melbourne Advertiser in re lation to Hotham Football Club. The North Melbourne Advertiser was a local newspaper in the Hotham district and ran from about 1870 to 1893.

It is a treasure trove of publicly available articles about Hotham in that time.

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

The moment of elation when we rolled the Pies in 1977.

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Left to right: "Crackers" Keenan, ??????, Injured captain Keith Greig, ??????, R. D. Barassi, Laurie "Twinkletoes" Dwyer and Max Ritchie.

 

[Hard_to_Beat]

The great Malcolm Blight watches on from the bench in the 1977 drawn grand final

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