We went to the Melbourne Zoo on Mad Monday with our grandchildren. There is nothing like a child’s joy and wonderment at the tiger, the elephant or the giraffe to make you realise that there is so much in life to be grateful for. Even the swans were gliding gracefully on the lake, assuring us all that they will live to fight another day.
And as we look back over the last week we again realise how lucky we’ve been to have had such a busy and exciting time.
Last Wednesday we were woken at 5.30am by a text message which said: Through the magic of the Internet, I opened the Sydney Morning Herald here in New York and there you were…and indeed there we certainly were. You know the Swans are doing well when the Number One Ticket Holders and their elder grand-daughter take up half the front page of the Sydney Fairfax newspaper.
The publicity for the Club and the team was fantastic, and the by-product for us was the number of old friends who saw the photo and the story and got in touch.
Later that morning, three generations of our family flew to Melbourne, travelling early to soak up the Grand Final atmosphere, which pervades Melbourne at this time of year.
It allowed us, on Thursday, to join a lunch at the Rising Sun Hotel in South Melbourne with a group of Melbourne-based supporters, including a number who had been closely involved with the traumatic events of 1981 when the Club was relocated to Sydney. There were many stories. Club legend, Bob Skilton, spoke; Ken Boyd was there, figuring in a number of the stories - just as well he played in the pre-video review days. There was an air of excitement in the room and an expectation of a memorable Saturday coming up.
We had earlier collected our tickets for the big game from the Swans’ Melbourne Office where Tony Morwood and his team had been working around the clock for the past week on Grand Final preparation. We commented that their peers at other Clubs (except Hawthorn) would be in wind-down mode to which they responded that they would not have it any other way ... quite so!!
Friday was the colour, the noise and the excitement of the Parade through the city. There was a huge turnout of red and white, the Sydney chant rang out and our song was sung heartily. It’s a great Melbourne occasion with people hanging out of office windows, office workers on lunch breaks joining the throngs along Collins Street, nearly all sporting the colours of one of the competing teams.
Captain and Coach on Collins Street
In perfect weather, the captains, Kieren Jack and Luke Hodge, raised the Premiership Cup as Mike Brady sang "Up there Cazaly". A great event and a fine prelude to the last Saturday in September.
From the Parade we went to the Football Almanac lunch where that marvellous sports writer and broadcaster, John Harms, was MC at a gathering which typified so much that we all love about footy and why it is such an important part of our lives.
As their website says: The Footy Almanac is published at the conclusion of each AFL season and features a report on every game played in that year. But what makes the Almanac different is that each one of these reports is written by a fan, approached from their own personal perspective… it is a personal perspective of the game, a narrative of the interplay between the fan's ordinary life, the sport and its characters. And if you love Australian football, it is a must read.
The Football Almanac pre-Grand Final Lunch has become an institution. There were people from all over the world present, much laughter and joy in the room, and a brisk program of interviews – about 10 in all. As well as interviewing Hawks player Isaac Smith's father, Wayne, and discovering that his family includes handy tennis player Margaret Court, John spoke with representatives from GWS (Nick Johnston), North Melbourne (Geoff Walsh), the Vietnam Swans (Rod Gillett), Tony Morwood, Anthony Daniher and ourselves. The highlight was an interview of Hawks legend, Don Scott by Sam Pang.
That evening we joined a group of Sydney based supporters, for drinks, sensing quiet and, we hoped, well-founded, confidence in the outcome of the big game.
On Saturday morning we woke early and Peter went for his regular walk, following the river up to the Swan Street Bridge crossing over and then doing a circuit of the MCG. A lot of people were already there, all in club colours, patiently waiting for the gates to open. The vendors were setting up, while the coffee vans were doing a constant trade. The car park was filling and the barbecues in the car park were sending out a delicious aroma. All was set for a great day.
We attended the official AFL pre-match lunch, hosted by AFL Commissioner Mike Fitzpatrick, along with a huge number of other guests representing all the clubs, AFL sponsors, the media, major Swans’ sponsors and all those people who just seem to be invited to every major event there is. We met Dulcie Kennedy, wife of John snr, mother of John jnr and grandmother of Josh. Dulcie is the Number 1 (female) ticket holder of Hawthorn. Like Sydney, Hawthorn rotates its Number 1 ticket holders, annually. We had a good chat and wished each other well.
Good speeches were delivered. Jonathan Brown, recently retired Lions champion and the 2014 Premiership Cup ambassador, told us "Why I love Grand Final Day" in a humorous, whimsical speech which tugged many memories as to why we all love it too. His speech can be found on The Age website.
The match followed.
We went to the rooms afterwards - very sombre. We felt it was important that the players and coaches just had some quiet time with their parents and close friends, so shared time with other supporters all admitting that we just didn't see the result coming.
That evening, the Swans’ official Grand Final function at the Melbourne Convention Centre was subdued. But a great welcome by Adam Spencer and a brief, quite stirring, speech from our Chairman, Andrew Pridham, restored some perspective, noting that there were only two clubs which had earned the right to have functions this night. The band was great and the focus for the supporters was on a season-long achievement.
Sunday morning saw us at Lindsay Hassett Oval to greet the players. Peter "Grubby" Stubbs was compere and John, Kieren and Jarrad spoke, promising we'd look, learn and come back stronger for the experience next year. All fairly low-key before the players left to catch their plane back to Sydney.
Sunday morning at Lindsay Hassett
And so we too are now back in Sydney where, in a couple of days, we will pass the baton to the next incredibly fortunate person or persons who will become the Sydney Swans Number One Ticket Holder/s for the 2015 season.
To the next person/s that will have this great honour we say good luck. If you have half the fun we had, you’re in for a great time. You have our warmest best wishes for a wonderful year.
Before handing over, we want to say publicly to the Swans’ Chairman and Board, CEO, management, staff, coaches, players, Cheer Squads, supporter and coterie groups, past players, players’ families and all the Swans’ supporters right around Australia, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving us this rare privilege and such a sensational year.
Thank you for taking us into your world, for sharing your stories and reflections. The memories and friendships will go with us forever.
It is a great honour to be part of such a well run organisation and we had such an insight this year into how truly professional the whole organisation is. We saw first hand how much goes into running a successful football team, and of how many different facets to a club there are. We understand why the Swans are the benchmark.
Thank you particularly to Janene Thoma for the many things you did for us with unfailing efficiency and good will.
Thanks, too, to Tony Morwood and Sarah/Anna and all the Melbourne crew. We’ve so enjoyed the things we’ve shared this year and all that you have done to make our travelling experiences special and enjoyable.
Thank you to Joan Herring for your red and white linen scarf which became Maree’s good luck charm; and our dear friend Anne Davies who offered her beautiful red and white necklace that was worn by Maree to every function and match (and much admired).
Thank you to Josh Berriman who patiently and cheerfully proofed and loaded our Number One News and photos on to the website; and to Jonathan Monasso and Jordan Laing for all your help.
Thank you to all the past Number One Ticket holders, especially Philippa, who gave us their friendship, unqualified support and lots of good ideas about how to make the most of the year. We are proud to join this alumni.
Thank you to our daughters who have been coming to the footy with us for 33 years; to Madeleine for keeping us grounded and supported in Sydney, to our grand-daughters who already love the Swans, and our beautiful little grandson who became a member of our football club on the day he was born, and so conveniently arranged his entry into the world in time for us to get on the plane for the Brisbane game. Thank you to Georgia for your so generous care of us, and for sharing the southern Swans experience with us.
Thank you to our regular footy friends who got used to not watching the away games with us or sitting with us at the home games and functions. We hope you’ll let us back into the circle. You have always been and will continue to be the heart and soul of our footy experience.
Our signature was writing the Number One News which we loved doing. It has given us a written and pictorial record of the year, and we hope it brought some of the far flung and unheralded Swans’ family to prominence. It will eventually become a publication for the Swans archives.
2015 will find us back in the Brewongle Stand, yelling at Ray Chamberlain, feeling anxious when Hanners is slow to get up after a hit, cheering Lance’s or Kurt’s or Sam’s or Benny’s latest goal, telling everyone who’ll listen that Nick Smith is an extraordinary player, Jake Lloyd showed true Blood’s determination to get on the list, and wondering if the latest debutant will go on to play 200 games. And we’ll still be wild about Harry!
And finally to the wonderful 2014 Sydney Swans football team – all 45 of you. You will all eventually move on from the Swans, go your various ways and, we hope, live long and happy lives. But whatever life brings, you should know that your names, your faces and numbers will always be in our hearts. We will never forget you. You have given us one of the best years of our lives.
Your 2014 Number One Ticket Holders
Peter and Maree
