Four items were added to the Sydney Swans Heritage List during Tuesday night's Guernsey Presentation and Hall of Fame Dinner, presented by Volkswagen.
Announced in front of hundreds of guests including Bloods Legend Bob Skilton at Sydney's The Star Events Centre, the four items will from tonight be forever stitched in the Club's fabric.
1. Five VFA Premierships
In May, 1877, the Victorian Football Association was formed.
During the 20-season period from 1877 to 1896, the two dominant clubs within the VFA were Geelong and South Melbourne with Carlton, Essendon, Fitzroy, Footscray, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Richmond, St Kilda and Collingwood also part of the competition.
South won five premierships during that period – in 1881, 1885, 1888, 1889 and 1890 – with the Club also finishing runner-up four times and finishing in the top four 12 times.
The Club was known for much of the period by those barrackers as “those red and white beauties”.
In 1897, eight of the then 13 VFA clubs broke away to form the VFL which ultimately became the principal competition in the land.
2. 1909-1918 Premiership Jumpers
At the end of the 1906 season, South Melbourne changed its jumper design from red and white vertical stripes to a white jumper with a red collar and red sash.
This is the jumper worn by the Club between 1907 and 1931, and the one worn by our premiership teams of 1909 and 1918.
Without any previous success, it took a gallant effort in a hotly contested grand final against reigning premiers Carlton to secure the Club’s first piece of silverware.
It would precede a strong era for South Melbourne with the Club reaching another three grand finals (1910, 1912, 1914) before enjoying ultimate success again in 1918, also against the Blues.
Hall of Fame member Jim Caldwell, who heartbreakingly missed out on the ’09 flag, would captain the Club to victory.
3. Round 1, 1982 – The Sydney Swans’ first game in the Harbour City
For over a century, the South Melbourne Football Club had been a big part of Melbourne’s football fabric.
That all changed in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s when an idea to dig the Club out of trouble and relocate to Sydney gained momentum.
Despite heavy protest by the Club’s faithful, the newly formed Sydney Swans played their first official game at the SCG.
In front of 15,764-strong crowd, the Swans led for the whole day to run out 29-point victors – 20.17.137 to Melbourne 16.12.108.
The foundations would be laid for the next 33 years and beyond.
4. Pash Family Christmas Party
In 1992, Graeme and Julie Pash hosted a small Christmas party at their Beauty Point home in an effort to provide the club with a circuit breaker from another poor season.
As the years pass the number of attendees swelled from 10 to over 200, becoming an annual event for the next 16 years.
It quickly transforms into more than just a gathering, but an annual Club tradition and rite of passage for players.
Graeme had a 20-year association with the Club, first as an investor (1988) and as Deputy Chairman (1993-2002).
His warm and welcoming nature towards his guests would lay the foundations for the way all Swans functions are conducted.
