3 replies to this topic

[Caveman]

The Prime Minister from 1975-1983 Malcolm Fraser died on Friday. He actually definitely went to one game at the Western Oval whilst Prime Minister. It was

 

1980: Round 3, Footscray v Carlton back on Saturday 12th April

 

He sat near the front of the John Gent Stand at the far extreme northern end of the JGS which is nearest the E.J. Whitten Stand, so # true center when watching the game.

My old man just for a laugh yelled out to him

 

'How you going Mal'

 

and I will give Malcolm Fraser credit here, he actually acknowledged my father by looking around to see where this Footscray voice came from and then waved to him. 

 

There were a few blokes with him this day but nowhere near the security you will see now with VIP's in these times. I have seen Julia Gillard at the footy and there were loads of security staff/minders around her. and this was before she became Prime Minister.

 

 

 

 

 

# Back in those days the TV commentators sat on a rather ramshackle like platform above some scaffolding just outside the southern end of the JGS. That is why games at the Western Oval before 1984 look lopsided because the cameras were physically closer to the Geelong Rd end. For 1984 the press area was put inside the JGS right at the back and it was true centre. You will notice this when watching Footscray Tube, look at the Western Oval games from 1983(and before) then 1984, where you can really notice the difference 

[Rodc]

Great stuff, Caveman.  Perhaps not the stuffed shirt everyone thought he was.  Wonder what it was about Carlton that attracted Prime Ministers?  Carlton even built a special viewing area for Menzies to watch Carlton games from his car between the George Harris Stand and the Gardiner Stand.  (Or was it the Robert Heatley Stand and the Harris Stand?)  I used to think that might have been an urban myth but have seen a photo of him watching a Carlton v Footscray game - can't remember the year but it was in one of the Carlton history books.

Interesting to read where the commentators were situated at Western Oval.  My memories from the old replays were that the commentators at Windy Hill and Victoria Vark must have been in the forward pockets because you would get a wide panoramic view of one end of the ground and were almost side onto the goal posts at the other end.  I believe Glenferrie Oval games were broadcast from the back of a truck parked on the Linda Crescent wing.  Princes Park, Kardinia Park, Lake Oval, Junction Oval and Moorabbin all appeared to be fairly central, although if you remember Moorabbin the right hand goal post on the left of screen, (follow that?), had a light pole directly behind it that made it look three times higher than the other post.  Those were the days when they actually showed you the scores on the scoreboards instead of graphics at the bottom of the screen.  Some of the scoreboards were in awkward positions for the cameras as well.

Great memories again, Caveman. 

[Amelia Jane]

Caveman,  lovely that he replied to your Dad.  I actually have come to respect Malcolm a lot as he endeavoured to do what he considered to be the right thing later in his life and stuck to his principles.  Plus,  loved reading how both he and my favourite politican of all time - Gough Whitlam - became close friends later in life.

[Caveman]

He was despised by many when in power, especially for his tactics in 1975. Perfect case of the ends justifying the means. Yet subsequent leaders of his party have taken his Liberal Party to be more like the Republican party in the USA which has been infiltrated by the far right wing ideologues of  'The Tea Party.'

 

They, (The Republican Party) are now so far away  and removed from their first President- Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Same here in Australia where the Liberal Party of Malcolm Fraser has now become more Darwinist- the 'Survival of the fittest' policy.  So looking back now, Fraser and his era is considerably different from the likes of Howard, Reith, Costello, Abbott, Heffernan, Bernardi and a few others.

 

Anyway this is a footy board, so politics and ideology shouldn't really be discussed here, but nevertheless Malcolm Fraser wasn't the big bad bogeyman that many believed back in that 1975-1983 era, when you look at his side of politics now.

 

At least he went to the Footscray ground and never complained about it, unlike a former president of the Northern Blues, who in his autobiography devoted quite a few lines as to how unpleasant the Western Oval was for him, when he watched his Northern Blues sitting in the E.J. Whitten Stand. Yet he was born in Williamstown! He should barrack for Footscray, shouldn't he?! As lacking in the corporate capabilities that the E.J. Whitten Stand was for people of his tastes, I wonder if he ever ventured to the "bathroom" behind the goals at the Scoreboard end at Princes Park. They didn't have a roof- this was in 1995. You can only wonder what the ladies 'bathrooms' were like there?

 

Anyway John Elliott got the last laugh, another bloke who was later to become President of an A.F.L club,(Footscray) was also unimpressed about the  'lack of corporate facilities' at our Footscray ground, so John Elliott never had to venture here anymore after 1996# as our new President got us to move in with John Elliott's Northern Blues at their ground. So Footscray supporters (and visiting teams supporters playing the newly named Western Bulldogs at Princes Park) got to play their part in helping Carlton Football Club pay off their new Legends Stand which was positioned where those " no roofed bathrooms' where at the Scoreboard end of Carlton's ground.

 

John Elliott deserves credit here though-  he annoyed plenty of people when had their ground re-named Optus Oval to get a few bob, but he was totally aghast at the thought of Carlton playing under another name.

 

Jack Collins asked him once, what would happen if someone at Carlton  suggested that they change their name?

 

"They would be hung up by a yard arm" replied John Elliott.    

 

    

 

# Carlton's last game at the Western Oval was in 1991, (we nearly kept them goal less for the game, the previous time this happened was in 1960 when Richmond were kept goal less by St Kilda at the Junction Oval)

 

Carlton never played Fitzroy at the Western Oval during Fitzroy's 3 seasons (1994,1995,1996) at Footscray. So John Elliott got his wish of never coming back to Footscray after 1991. Of Fitzroy's 15 opponents in the then 16 team competition, all played Fitzroy at least once at the Western Oval during those 3 years. All EXCEPT for Carlton.