THE BULLDOG TRAGICIAN BLOG
  • The Bulldog Tragician Blog
  • Blog posts
    • 2016 finals collection
  • The Bulldog Tragician Blog
  • Blog posts
    • 2016 finals collection

'It was truly Footscray then': my mum remembers the 54 flag

2/11/2013

1 Comment

 
I recently worked out that my mother, who has been following the Dogs for 60 years, must have clocked up more than 1000 games in that time. 

But in only her third outing to the footy, she saw the game that started it all for her...and the rest of her family.  I have prevailed on her to share her story:

"I was 17 years old when Footscray won their only Premiership. 
I came out from Ireland when I was 14 and knew nothing about football until I met my late husband Frank when I was 17. I used to go and see him play for West Footscray. 

I got to know his sisters and cousins who were mad Footscray supporters. I became interested in seeing the Dogs playing through Frank and his family.

When Footscray got into the Grand Final, Frank was on his team's end of season trip to Warrnambool. I decided to go to the Grand Final with his sisters and cousins. I remember there were quite a few of us in a group. In those days there were no allocated seats so we had to queue to get in. We all got to the MCG at around 4.00 am. I cannot remember how many people were in front of us but when the gates opened  around 9.00 am we ran as fast as we could because they knew where we wanted to sit. (I don't think I had ever been to the MCG). We got our seats on the fence near the wing.

There was a huge crowd, about 90,000 and people were sitting inside the fence on the ground. They were allowed to do that as the MCG was being updated for the 1956 Olympic Games. The atmosphere was amazing and even though I didn't know that much about football I was very excited and got caught up in the magic of it all. I remember the team running out. We were playing Melbourne.  The majority of the crowd barracked for Footscray. Being a 17 year old girl I already had my favourite player - Ted Whitten No. 3. He was so handsome!! He played a great game.

I cannot recall much about the match itself. It was a bit one-sided. Jack Collins kicked 7 goals. Charlie Sutton and John Kerr played well but from all reports it was a great team effort.

When the final siren rang it was bedlam. People were running on to the ground and we were all hugging and jumping up and down like crazy. The players were carried off.  I remember we got a lift back to Footscray in a truck owned by one of Frank's cousins. People were beeping their horns and waving their colours everywhere. All the shops in Footscray had closed early, and all the shop windows were decorated in the red white and blue. It was  truly Footscray then. I think everyone in the west barracked for Footscray. 

What a day it was. I only wish I had known a bit more about the game itself, but at least I was there when Footscray made history.

We went back to the Town Hall and then to the Western Oval and the players were given a heroes' welcome by thousands of people when they appeared. The town was wild with excitement. Charlie Sutton was made Mayor and Jack Collins who had kicked 7 goals was the star. Ted Whitten was everyone's darling of course.

From that day on I was a mad Doggies' fan and when Frank was recruited to play with Footscray in the under 19s I went every week with his sisters and cousin and used to sit on the wing in the outer. The under 19s played the curtain raiser. Frank went on to play with the 2nds but I am ashamed to say I stayed with the seniors! Frank was 19th man one day for the senior Footscray team but did not get on the ground. His career was cut short by injuries. 
PictureMy parents.
I am 76 now. I've missed very few games in that time. 

Frank and I had four children who had no choice but to barrack for the Dogs. I am proud to say that they, and my nine grandchildren, are all Bulldog supporters and still share my love for the club. 

I believe I am the reason that has happened and I hope they will finally see a Premiership like I did......."

More about my mum (a story about the true believers)

**********************************************
From the Tragician: 
I'd love to collect more stories like this: about why you barrack for the Dogs or memories of the games that you especially cherish (even the ones that broke your heart). 

Drop me a line.  


1 Comment
Neil Anderson
3/11/2013 04:18:46 am

Thank your mother for her wonderful recollections of that glorious day in September 1954.
I was so pleased to hear from someone else who was actually there and confirmed most of my memories as I have recently posted on the Tragician blog.
I am amazed that your Mum queued up from 4am to ensure a seat. My father and I would have rocked up much later which is probably why we ended up standing well back in the crowd and my seven-year-old self could hardly see what was going on.
I didn't realize the team went back to the Western Oval to greet their adoring fans. I have said before, my dream is to see that celebration repeated after watching decades of other premiership teams on parade at their home grounds. Who knew that we would be waiting at least another sixty years for that to happen again.
I loved the memory of going on the footy-trip to Warrnambool. My father came from a dairy-farm near Warrnambool so all our school-holidays were spent back on the farm. Just a 'quick' four-hour trip down the single-lane Geelong road, lunch-stop at Colac and car-sickness for some as we went through the Stoney Rises.
I have returned to the Warrnambool district to live so unlike your Mum, I have not been attending matches. I did start attending regularly from 1992 for a while after being busy with family matters and after walking into the ground, I had that old familiar feeling of being 'home' again. I bought a membership that day which included a seat in the John Gent Stand. I felt like a real toff sitting up there after only ever standing on the terraces with my mates.
It would be interesting to hear from anyone else out of that 90,000 crowd who was lucky enough to see the Bulldog's glorious win.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    subscribe to

    ​this blog

    About the Bulldog Tragician

    The Tragician blog began in 2013 as a way of recording what it is like to barrack for a perennially unsuccessful team - the AFL team, the Western Bulldogs.

    The team, based in Melbourne's west, had only won one premiership, back in 1954, and had only made one grand final since then.

    The Tragician blog explored all the other reasons - family, belonging, history and a
    sense of place - that makes even unsuccessful clubs dear to the hearts of their fans.

    ​However, an unexpected twist awaited the long-suffering Tragician: the Bulldogs pulled off an extraordinary fairytale premiership in 2016.

    The story of the unexpected and emotional triumph was captured in weekly blogs and later collated in the book: 'The Mighty West' by the Tragician Blog author Kerrie Soraghan.


    ​Go to BlackInc books to order


    Picture
    subscribe now

    Categories

    All
    2016 Finals
    2016 Season
    2017
    2018
    2019
    2020
    2020 Season
    2021
    2022
    Adam Treloar
    Bob Murphy
    Clay Smith
    Cody Weightman
    Cordy
    Daniel Cross
    Easton Wood
    Jackson Macrae
    Jake 'The Lair' Stringer
    Jamarrah
    Liam Picken
    Libba Sisters
    Luke Beveridge
    Marcus Bontempelli
    Mitch Wallis
    Season 2013
    Tom Boyd
    Tom Liberatore
    Vs Adelaide Crows
    Vs Collingwood
    Vs Essendon
    Vs Fremantle
    Vs Geelong
    Vs GWS
    Vs Hawthorn
    Vs North Melb
    Vs St Kilda
    Vs Sydney
    Vs West Coast Eagles

    Tweets by @Bulldogstragic

    Archives

    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    September 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.