A search for two women of Fitzroy

The Fremantle Dockers had one of their finest times before and after round 22 of 1996. It was a sad time. Fitzroy played their last AFL game against Fremantle on 1 September.

The AFL didn’t do much to mark the occasion but the Dockers, in just their second season, realised its importance. They helped a small group of supporters and club greats Kevin Murray and Bernie Quinlan come across for the game and held pre and post match ceremonies.

At a breakfast on the Friday before the game Murray, Quinlan, former Lions captain Ron Alexander and Haydn Bunton jnr, representing his father all spoke. There were two other speakers and for purpose of my research I’d love to talk to them. They were young Fitzroy fans Tonya Stevens and Sian Bowen. If anyone knows how I could get in touch with them I’d appreciate it.
The 20th anniversary of the formation of the Fremantle Football Club is fast approaching and the story of Fitzroy’s last game is an important part of the history.

About Les Everett

A Footy Almanac veteran, Les Everett is the author of Gravel Rash: 100 Years of Goldfields Football and Fremantle Dockers: An Illustrated History. He is the footyalmanac.com WAFL correspondent and uses the money he makes from that role to pay for his expensive websites australianrules.com.au and talkingfrankie.com and fund the extravagant Vin Maskell at scoreboardpressure.com

Comments

  1. Les

    I always felt it was the ultimate kick in the guts by the AFL to schedule the Roys last game on the other side of the country.

    However, I agree that the Dockers covered themselves in glory in recognising the occassion so well. Ironic that such a young (AFL) club honoured such an old one the way they did.

    Earned a lot of browny points in my book that day. Wasn’t there a piper on the grandstand roof?

    Good luck tracking them down

    Sean

  2. Adam Muyt says

    Les,

    send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll point you in the direction of a couple of leads. Go Roys!

  3. Thanks… looks like we’re onto something.

    After the game WA soprano Sara Macliver stood on the roof of the southern stand and sang Auld Lang Syne. Brilliant.

    Freo won the game by 86 points. That meant Fitzroy’s last win and last loss were against the Dockers… forever entwined.

    Just had a look at Freo’s best player list for that game… Peter Mann was named as best followed by five players who ended up elsewhere Callaghan (St Kilda), Chisholm (Melbourne), Mitchell (St Kilda), Clement (Collingwood) and White (Melbourne).

  4. Radford White says

    Not sure if you are still looking but I believe Sian Bowen has done some work for Whitelion Inc ( https://www.whitelion.asn.au ) as a research assistant …

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