Shearing Shed Days

The craziness and chaos of sheep kept Pam Sherpa on her toes when she was a kid. [Nice memoir – Ed]

Almanac Event – Friday May 1: A chat with David Fyfe and others. All welcome.

Come and join the fun on Friday May 1. Nat Fyfe’s father David, the original Peter from Peterborough and a few more will be there for a chat. Read on for more info.

Wool Team: Talking footy and wool with the Coodabeens

John Harms recently joined The Coodabeens Champions to talk about the Almanac’s on-going search to name the Greatest-Ever Wool footy team

Ultimate Wool Team – Riverina: A better side from historian Rod Gillett?

How does this compare with the Riverina team picked so far? Rod Rocket Gillett, the boy from Rochy, has added a few names and gives some excellent detail about the players. [Thanks Rocket – JTH]

Wool Team: Nominations from Victoria (includes classic Tom Hawkins farm video)

The noms for the Victorian Wool Team are out. See who they are, and add your suggestions. Now how do we pick the team?
Does inventing the game (with a little help from his friends) make you a certainty (and skipper?) – Tom Wills
Does being Secretary of the National Wool Committee who coordinated the sale of wool to England during WWII get you a guernsey?
Does being able to class 4500 ewes in a day get you in?
Does winning the first Brownlow get you in?

Wool Team: Nominations from Western Australia

WA nominations for the greatest ever wool team so far. I think the South Australians may have more depth. Unless, of course, some more WA noms come in.

Wool Team: Riverina nominations

Here’s some noms for footballers who come from a wool background in New South Wales and especially the Riverina. We haven’t got a team yet. Please add local champions as well.

Wool and Footy: Remembering the blue and gold

The memory of Toolibin Football Club lives on. Here Syd Martin, Heidi Astbury and Janice Sieber tell the tale of the unveiling of Geoff Sims sculpture at the old Toolibin footy ground in the sheep-wheat belt of WA.

Greatest footballers to be associated with the wool industry (where was this all up to, March 2015?)

During last year we featured a series on old woollen footy jumpers and called for nominations for the very best team of footballers to have had an association with wool. We’re about to refine the process. We need more noms right now. And to help make sure we get all the best names I am heading to the Wool BBQ at Burra next Monday night. Details are in this article.

Old (woollen) footy jumpers: An early photo of KB the Bulldogs fan

Well that’s three things I didn’t know. Thanks to Neil Anderson for telling us (1) that KB barracked for Footscray when he was a kid (2) that KB went to Hawksburn Primary and (3) he’s hardly changed a bit. Ripper photo.

New (woollen) footy jumpers: Coleraine leading the world again

Old Mate Bill Bailey bobs up as Coleraine lead the world again.

Is this all the woollen footy jumpers in the world?

Rod Oaten has come clean and revealed the identities of all the teams in his Old Woollen Footy Jumpers collage (sort of like the Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band cover? – Ed.)

Old (woollen) footy jumpers: Warrnambool Technical School 1928 (Premiers)

Neil Anderson has sent in a photo of his father’s premiership side – from 1928. [Classic – Ed]

Poignancy personified: a postscript from Gerry Both

Gerry The Torp Both with a poignant postscript to his earlier piece on his old woollen Adelaide Uni Blacks jumper.

Yallourn FC Seconds c1963

Rod Oaten takes his place in the pantheon of Yallourn seconds sides.

Old Woollen Footy Jumpers: Blackburn High School, 1966

Sasha Lennon uncovers a photo of Blackburn High’s 1966 team featuring long-time Almanac supporter Roger Gibbins.

Old Woollen Footy Jumpers: Battlescars and Wonderful Wanganeen

An old woollen footy jumper, battle-scarred, takes Ged McMahon back to great days of Windy Hill, the MCG, and G. Wanganeen.

Woollen Jumpers: Simpler Times

Rod Oaten found a 60 year old picture of his younger self and brother pretending to be John Coleman in their Dromana backyard. Everything was hand stitched (including the footy). And if you tell the kids of today………………..

Old Woollen Footy Jumpers: Darren Jarman

Would Darren Jarman fit into this old Roosters jumper?

The beauty and function of wool (in footy jumpers, blankets and beards)

Clint Rule still wears his old footy jumper as a barrier against the Adelaide cold, to differentiate himself from Gen Y, and because he’s a tight-arse.