Former Sydney Swans Chairman Richard Colless has penned a tribute to a wonderfully passionate Swan, Matt Mangan, following his passing on Friday.
On Friday we lost Matt Mangan, one of our most passionate supporters and advocates.
Matt and his brother Luke (a Swans ambassador), grew up as fanatical Swans supporters, attending virtually every home game at Lake Oval during the 70s and 80s.
While Matt was highly supportive of the relocation of his beloved South Melbourne to Sydney in 1982, he was at the forefront of reminding us all about the need to remember and honour our history from 1874-1981, as a powerhouse in the VFA and foundation member of the VFL.
Matt was never short of an opinion or advice. Because of his emotional attachment to the club, and because of his encyclopaedic knowledge of the club past and present, this was generally taken by every recipient in the spirit that it was intended.
He sent endless faxes - before emails and texts became the dominant form of communication - to then coach Rodney Eade.
To Rodney’s eternal credit, he treated Matt’s correspondence with respect and wrote detailed responses to every one of them.
He was such a prolific correspondent, that if you were a CEO, Chairman or board member over the last 25 years, and didn’t receive a note from Matt, then you simply couldn’t have been there.
In short, he was driven by the need for all stakeholders to see the Melbourne era and the Sydney era as a continuum. The same club, just with different locations.
He was tireless in this endeavour. He was a promoter of ensuring the Club’s South Melbourne heritage was permanently on display by promoting the idea of SMFC being placed on the back of jumpers. Other clubs with comparable backgrounds then followed suit.
With a number of fellow diehards, he helped establish the coterie group which took the name Melbourne Blood Brothers. He will always be remembered for his financial generosity, including the purchase of the original team of the century artwork in 2003 for in excess of $70,000, and then lending it to the club for permanent display in the Basil Sellers Centre foyer.
He was a regular attendee at Sydney games, but a habitual attendee of games featuring the Swans in Melbourne and Geelong. He particularly loved going down the highway to see the Swans play the Cats. Perhaps he was there in spirit with the other 9,500 fans on Sunday, watching his beloved Swans score a memorable victory.
This week the club will celebrate its rich heritage by wearing the famous red-V guernsey, first worn in 1932, in its clash against the Western Bulldogs. It is for people like Matt, that this acknowledgement of the past is so deeply important.
Vale Matt Mangan. A 24-karat true believer.
