Passionate Swans fan and author of My Lifelong Love Affair with the Swans, Jan Courtin, has died after a tragic accident at home.

Jan was a contributor to the Sydney Swans website through the Footy Almanac, always writing with wonderful insight and enthusiasm for both the game and all things red and white.

So passionate was Jan that in 2016, she was named as the AFL Fans Association’s Female Fan of the Year. It was fitting for a woman who had moved her life to Sydney to be closer to her beloved Swans.

The club was proud to host the launch of Jan’s book in 2016. Former Sydney Swans chairman Richard Colless AM penned the foreward to the book, while past and present players gathered at the SCG to support the occasion. At the launch, Jan read a love letter she had written to the club, saying:

“What I really love about you my red and white heroes is your resilience, your determination, your work ethic, your magnificent skills, and your hardness, discipline and relentlessness – in other words, all of the attributes in the Bloods culture you live by.

“What I also love about you is knowing that I am embraced as part of your family – the Swans family – and that I’m able to return that embrace.”

The club extends its deepest condolences to Jan’s husband Marshall, her family and friends.

Jan’s brother Tony Courtin has penned a tribute, that we have published below with his permission.

Jan Courtin, who has been a regular contributor to this format with many heartfelt articles about her beloved Swans, tragically left us on 4th August after a serious fall at home last week.

Her Swans’ love affair began in the late 1940s. As a curly-haired four-year-old girl fully kitted-out in red and white, she’d attend South Melbourne games at Lakeside Oval, Albert Park. Along with her dad and auntie she’d faithfully trudge along to South games every week of the footy season. As the years progressed, she’d be joined at South games by the majority of her six younger siblings. Despite her fervent support the Swans rarely enjoyed success.

Jan’s passions were South Melbourne/Sydney Swans FC, family (six siblings and her husband of fifty years, Marshall), sport generally (she loved Test cricket), fine art (she and Marshall owned an art gallery in Paddington), and classical music. Whenever she listened to Brahms it reminded her of our mum, a classical pianist, and always brought a tear to her eyes.

Our family’s Swans’ connections date back to the early 1900s. Our great uncle, Jim Caldwell, played 155 games for South Melbourne between 1909 and 1919, highlighted by captaining the 1918 premiership win over Collingwood. Articles about our uncle can be found amongst Jan’s trove of Swans’ memorabilia, spanning 75 years. Her book My Lifelong Love Affair with the Swans, launched by Swans’ luminaries at the SCG in 2016, speaks volumes about her Swans’ devotion.

Her dedication to the Swans was demonstrated when, in 1970, she returned from London (international travel was not common then) to watch South Melbourne play St Kilda in the first semi-final, the clubs’ first finals appearance since the 1945 Grand Final loss to Carlton. The words success and South Melbourne FC were rarely uttered in the same breath through that era.  Prior to the 2005 drought-breaking premiership win over the Eagles, Jan and I lamented we’d most likely leave this planet not having seen our team enjoy the ultimate success. Jan shed a few tears on that memorable day in 2005.

Football was always front of mind when we chatted or communicated via electronic media; in the 60s and 70s our footy exchanges were necessarily by landline phone or handwritten letters. As recently as a day prior to Jan’s tragic fall we’d exchanged texts on Collingwood’s succession of narrow wins preventing our Swannies moving into the Top 4. I can hear her uttering several expletives after Collingwood’s recent six-point win over Melbourne.

Jan absolutely wore her heart on her sleeve regards anything Swans. I could talk for days about her footy experiences but suffice to say the Swans’ family has lost a passionate true believer. To my beautiful sister, go Swannies. Tony Courtin.