Bulletin #46 20 June

Presidential Ponderings...

Some things happened 50 years ago – Jaws; German Parliament moved back to Berlin; Nicole Kidman’s birthday, and Queen Victoria’s coronation.

 

URGENT REMINDER - NO MEETING NEXT FRIDAY MORNING -  IT'S THE GALA CHANGEOVER AT LUNCHTIME INSTEAD!

Guest Speaker - Bob Beercroft - 'Out of the Frying pan into the Fire'

Bob Beecroft, is a celebrated League player played for three states, was selected in an All-Australian side, and has been inducted into the Hall of Fame among many other accolades. Bob has written an autobiography detailing his life from the age of four up to two years prior to the talk. The book, which took 14 months to write, recounts his experiences, including his upbringing on a farm 12 miles from Williams and 20 miles from Narrogin with his Latvian mother, father, and sister. He also touches upon three life-threatening incidents from his childhood.

• He was hospitalized after consuming custard that contained fungicides and arsenic, mixed by his sister Ingrid, requiring his stomach to be pumped with what looked like a green garden hoswe.
• He was severely electrocuted by a hanging electric wire in a dark bunkhouse, which stuck to his foot. He described his knees hitting his chest like a piston. A guy who tried to get the wire off him was also shocked. The incident occurred due to a big powerhouse driven by a huge diesel engine with a huge flywheel, and he survived because it wasn't 240 volt.
• His sister pushed him into a deep "Blue Dam" while he was in half a 44-gallon drum. Unable to swim, he remained still for about 20 minutes until he was rescued by his mother. Upon returning home, his sister received a severe "flogging" with a sapling from their mother as corporal punishment.

While in high school with his friend Charlie, Charlie suggested they go to Perth for state school boy trials. Their phys ed teacher, Ian Humphreys, dismissed his potential, saying he was 'too skinny' and would be a 'waste of time,' which the speaker found deeply humiliating and motivating, vowing to make Humphreys "eat his words one day."

While working at the Bank of New South Wales in Narrogin in 1969, at 16 or 17 years old, he was approached by Billy Walker, the coach for Swan Districts and a champion footballer, who was "like a movie star" in those days, and signed him up. He also mentioned hanging around with Neil Short, who predicted he would make league football.After playing for two years at Williams to get accustomed to playing against men, he had a very strong pre-season and form in practice games. He made his debut in his first league game in 1970 for Swan Districts at Eastern Manilow against Brian "the Wild" Roberts, playing "extremely well" and "giving him an absolute caning."

Bob's time at Fitzroy was a memorable part of his life, marked by helping the team rise from the bottom, winning a premiership, and feeling the deep connection between the club and its supporters, despite its eventual demise.

When he arrived, Fitzroy was at the bottom. He, along with other recruits like Ronnie Alexander and Ian Mill, helped lift the team up the ladder under coaches Billy Stevens and Graham Campbell. They won the night premiership in 1978 against North Melbourne, who were current reigning premiers, beating them by "something like 15 goals."

Bob expressed great sadness about the club's eventual demise, stating that Ross Oakley and his men "wound up" the club, which "really, really affected the people badly and still affects them today." He emphasized the devastating impact it had on its loyal, tight-knit community of supporters, who "loved this club," especially given the club owed $2 million while $100 million was poured into Brisbane.

He fondly recalled the experience of playing in a final in front of 90,000 people at the MCG against Collingwood, still able to "picture it all and feel the emotion."

Bob's book is a candid and at times harrowing account of his life, starting with a violent domestic incident and covering his entire life story, but also includes lighter moments. He clarified tht the book is not entirely dark and also includdes light-hearted stories and extensive details about his football career across three states - Swan Districts, Fitzroy in Melbourne for five years and ended in Adelaide where he also coached.  

When asked who were the best players he ever played against, he named Malcolm Blythe and Bernie Quinlan. He described Blythe as being able to "do anything with a football" (though coaching "not so good") and Quinlan as a "magnificent athlete," "six foot, three, run, solidly built, kicked like a mule," who "would do it all."

Bob met Prince Charles and Prince Philip in 1972 during an All-Australian team tour, virtually playing Collingwood in exhibition games in London, Greece, and other locations. He met them at the Oval in London, shaking their hands. He also mentioned Barry Crockett was filming "The Adventures of Basil McKenzie" at the same time and that he hung around with Mel Brown, who his mother asked to look after him.

Bob is now happily married to Amy and is now retired living in a renovated 100-year-old cottage in Mount Barker, which took him 18 months to fix. He is the captain of the Mount Barker Bowling Club, finding it "nice and peaceful" with "no traffic."

  Directors' Reports and Member Announcements

David: 

• Kelly sends his apologies but would like to let everyone know about the tree planting at Champions Lakes on Sunday 19 July. Let Kelly know if you can make it.
• Changeover luncheon - meeting today to finalise deatilas with the Club.
• Record number of RCMP Rotarians attended District changeover for Veronica and here's the proof - thank you all for attending. 

 Lyn:

• Annual subs are due by Monday 23 June. 20+ till outstanding. 

It's a Fine(s) Line...

• David – for messing up the order of the day.  Wayne is hoping that the matching president with David is Goliath.
• Geoff - District Changeover – auction with a bottle of wine.  Geoff offered $200.  He is meant to bank the fines but where did the wine auction money come from?
• Scotty – won a magic walnut in a glass.
• Everyone who forgot to come to the District Changeover.
• Everyone who has been to Iran and managed to get out – you’re lucky
• Joy – 4^th July, Joy will retire and that will be a big problem for Charlie.
• Rick bought the box – while Gorby has been away Rick has been getting bread from Baker’s Delight and while Rick was away Scott took over but when Rick got home one of his plastic boxes was broken.  Baker’s Delight was glad when Gorby came back as apparently there were cockroaches in the plastic box.
• Ian bought the box – Wayne won’t stop talking about starting a group for colour blindness so hopefully this will stop him from talking about it.

Winner of Heads and Tails - Rick Sneeuwjagt snagged the grog by a winning - head? or tail? or both? Thanks to Lyn and Margaret Metcalf for supplying the wine.

Attendance

32 attendees in all, including guest speaker Bob Beercroft , and visitors Charlie Burnett and Pam Beercroft.