Sydney Swans ambassador Cynthia Banham has often spoken of her love of the football club and how the Swans became an important part of her life. On the latest episode of the ABC’s Conversations podcast she details this.
Banham had a life-changing experience 15- years ago, surviving a plane crash that claimed the lives of 21 people, while covering a tour by the Australian Foreign Minister in Indonesia.
The accident resulted in severe physical injuries and mental trauma, including losing both her legs. However, it did not dent her courage or her zest for life.
The highly esteemed journalist, author, solicitor and teacher has been a passionate Sydney Swans member since 2007. She was also the club’s number one ticket holder for the 2019 season and is a current member of the Swans’ diversity action plan committee.
In the latest episode of the ABC’s Conversations with Richard Fidler, Banham noted the role the role the Sydney Swans played in her recovery.
As a Sydneysider, Banham chose the Swans to support but her passion for the game developed while she was in hospital, in the burns unit, recovering from the accident in Perth.
“On Friday night the nurses would turn on the footy,” Banham said.
“As I got better I could eat pizza and watch the footy, it saved me.”
Going through what only few could imagine, Banham used football as her escapism in what was a a dark time in her life.
“I could lose myself in the game, and in the Swans, I didn't have to think about what happened to me," Banham said.
Her relationship with the Swans deepened when the club sent her a signed guernsey after hearing of the accident. But that small gift was just the start, with Paul Roos, who was Senior Coach at the time, wanting to connect with her.
“Paul called my partner and said that he wanted to do something for me,” Banham said.
“I remember the first conversation with Paul, I told him how I used to run marathons and he said think about what you can do and not what you can't do. It was something I needed to hear that day.
“From that day he has never stopped calling to check in on me - 15 years later.”
Further to Roos' calls and communication, when the team travelled west to Perth to play West Coast that year, Roos organised a special birthday lunch at Cottesloe Beach for her.
“There I was surrounded by these huge footballers: Adam Goodes, Brett Kirk, Craig Bolton and Paul Roos, they threw me a birthday lunch and it was incredibly special,” Banham said.
“They have all stayed in my life since. They weren't just fly-bys, they were in the for the long haul.
"The Swans make me childlike, when I have experiences with the team. I get more overwhelmed by the stars of the Swans than I would anybody.”
In September ahead of the Grand Final, Banham wrote a piece for The Guardian detailing just how important the Swans are to her.
It was a powerful and emotive piece which included the following:
“The fact is, the Swans are wrapped up in my identity. I feel a connection to the club that transcends the game, the players and people of the day.
“I cry because the Swans played a fundamental role in the remaking of myself, after the plane crash 15 years ago. You lose yourself when something so devastating happens and look around for how to piece your life back together again. Occasionally, unexpectedly, people offer you some of what they have, which is what the Swans did.”
The special connection Banham has with the club is evident and her relationship with a club filled with culture is a perfect fit given she radiates everything that it means to be a ‘Blood’ – resilient, tough and determined.
You can listen to the full episode of Cynthia’s story on the ABC's Conversations podcast here.
