Almanac Footy: The Bennetts from Cora Lynn

 

 

THE BENNETTS FROM CORA  LYNN

 

Last Sunday I received an email from Des Dineen  et al in regard to Ken Bennett who died last year on the 1^st September in Darwin.

 

Obviously we had missed all the death notices that were around at that time.

 

This is an email snapshot of my discussions with Des Dineen et al which have become overnight a valuable historical document of  the Bennett family and Cora Lynn Football Club.

 

The first inkling was an email from Michael D on Monday –

 

 

MD:  See attached personal information on Ken Bennett 14/2/1940 died 1/9/2023.

 

CB: ‘Ken Bennett was my nemesis!! He was my opposition player when I played my first games of competitive football both against Cora Lynn and when my High School played games against Dandenong High. We were regarded as future champions. Between us we played 56 games of VFL and kicked 37 goals.

 

Ken’s number for Collingwood was 33 except for the winning Grand Final in 1958 when all players except Ray Gabelich (13) had to wear different numbers.  The VFL in their wisdom decided to change the players numbers when the Sun News Pictorial published the 2 teams and their numbers on the day of the GF. Imagine what Barassi would have said!. The Pies did not have a jumper big enough for ‘Gabo’ to wear.

 

 

Collingwood FC 1958 Premiers

 

Melbourne was going for their fourth flag in a row to equal Collingwood’s record in the twenties. Bennett kicked 2 quick goals in the second term to bring Collingwood into the game.  He played 2^ndrover to Thorold Merrett. This was the day that Barry ‘Hooker’ Harrison stopped Barassi from being the usual champion that he was.

 

VALE Ken Bennett

 

DD to ME:Ken Bennett played 5 games in the seconds in 1954 – so he was only 14 years old!

 

The family must have left CL in 1954.

 

DD to CB:

 

So he family moved from CL to Dandenong in 1954

 

Was Les and older brother of Ken’s father?

 

What was the family occupation?

 

I guess we could say that Geoff Lane (jockey) and Ken Bennett were the two most prominent sportsmen from CL?

 

James Scanlan Olympic bronze medallist equestrian 1968 Olympics Mexico

 

 

DD to CB:Les must have been a very good player 75 games over 4 years (1951-54), 115 goals and 40 best player [times mentioned] and to represent WGFL,

 

CB to DD: Ken became a school teacher>

 

DD to CB: Sadly I missed your address to the CLFC, but I was able to get your notes which included ‘bloody Kennie Bennett’.

Just querying your recollection that Ken won the WGFL Reserves B&F in 1954?

 

“ By 1954 I was running around in the Reserves (seconds) trying to get the ball from another 14 year old in bloody Kennie Bennett. I also played against him at High School. Could he play. Won the WGFL Reserves B & Fthat year and 4 ears later played for Carringbush when they won the VFL premiership against Melbourne.

 

Perhaps he played more than 5 games that year?

 

CB to DD: Des,  just keep reading emails!

 

Yes he did win the Best & Fairest in the Reserves in WGFL. In those days only one player got votes. I will chase it up and let you know how many votes he got and who he beat.

 

DD : Thanks for all these gems Bob.

 

Obviously it was more than nor, to have 14 and 15 year olds playing in the seconds in those days.

 

I played in the U16 Thirds in its inaugural year as an 11 year old and played in the 3rds for 6 years. You can imagine little 11 YO Des looking at a 16 YO Frosty Miller! It was scary! One noted celebrity who I played with was Gerald Quigley who played a similar amount of games as me at CL

 

 

Playing on the Sunday in the 3rds made it very viable to also play in the 2s on a Saturday when I got to 16. One weekend I played half a game in the 2s then got taken off to play in the 1sts and then played in the 3rds on the Sunday.

 

ME to all:  Ken Bennett was the youngest child of Tom and Nell Bennett, who lived on the 7 mile, resulting in a Nar Nar Goon postal address.  They were staunch Cora Lynn people, committee man, tuckshop lady, and total involvement by their 3 children.  Shirley who married San Riches, Les, who was one of our better footballers and was signed by St. Kilda, and Ken who showed signs of a rising star. Before he was old enough to play seconds football, he would position himself inside the fence and alongside the goal umpire so he could get a kick of the footy after a score was registered.  One day we were playing Pakenham at Cora Lynn and at the northern goal he got in the way of the goal umpire, Viv Dowell, who gave him the message to piss off nd gave the kid a kick up the arse….. Cora Lynn full forward Jim “Tiger” Kelly in defence of the kid, who only wanted a kick of the football, jobbed the goal umpire and was duly reported. Dan Kinsella was sent to the tribunal to defend Kelly and he convinced the three wise men; it was ok to job the umpire and he escaped any  penalty.

 

The Bennett family moved to Springvale for work purposes and we lost the whole family. We must off cleared both Ken and Les to Dandenong. When Ken became famous in 1958, the press interviewed him and asked the question, “ Where did you start your football Ken? “and he did a JUDAS.  His reply was “Dandenong”.  I ceased to be a fan of his from that day on. He received a lot of publicity during his life, including coaching Albury, but in any interview he did, Cora Lynn never got a mention.

 

DD: I wonder if Les Bennett played any senior games with St.Kilda?

 

CB to all: Thanks for that info Mike and Des.

 

 Les did not play any senior games for St.Kilda?

 

As an aside Mike to ‘Dandenong’. Mark Riccuito (Adelaide Crows) in his induction acceptance speech into the SA Hall of Fame  mentioned his home town Waikerie 40 times (according to locals).  I had a lot to do with Mark when PMD was playing with the Crows and he was always talking ‘Waikerie’ his home town. See more to the story in my book A View From Fine Leg (published shortly).

 

ME to all:  Les Bennett was signed by St.Kilda in the days of open choice. Who went here or there was no option.  St.Kilda had his signature and that warded off all the other clubs.  There was no zoning those days. I think the first year of zoning, Latrobe valley, or maybe central Gippsland as formerly known, was zoned to Footscray, and they picked up 2 kids the first year, namely Kelvin Templeton from Traralgon and barry Round from Buln Buln (Warragul). Les Bennett did not exercise his option of trying out with St.Kilda. He was yet to reach his peak, when his father accepted an offer of FULL TIME WORK with Kelly & Lewis at Springvale, as did Stan Lane, the father of Geoff Lane, the famous jockey, who learnt to ride a horse on one of FRANK EGAN’S Clydesdales. (And that’s another story) M.J.E.

 

DD to all:

 

Enclosed 1958 Grand Final Age newspaper reports

 

What a different world it was then.  They covered the whole story in one small front page report and extra photos spread on other pages.

 

Looking at the stats, Ken had 17 kicks, one of the highest after Thorold Merrit[t] and (Ken?) [Ken] Turner.

 

Ken [Bennett] was even featured in the cartoon.

 

 

CB to DD: I would say and I followed his career closely that he played 99% of his games as a rover. A friend of mine Brian Gray, whose dad was bank manager of ES&A Bank in KooWeeRup also played in that premiership team.

 

DD to CB: Yes Brian Gray featured high in the stats in 1958 GF also

 

CB: this could keep going forever!

 

Notice one of the best players for the Hawks in their premiership reserves win was Ron Cabble who came from KooWeeRup.  He played 33 games and kicked 14 goals for hawthorn. He played in Hawthorn’s first ever final (seniors) and kicked 3 goals.

 

My games against KB at Dandenong High School . Those games were umpired by Harry Beitzel who kept talking (as he always did) to us right throughout the matches  ”Ah yer there Tommy?”

 

Love nostalgia Des, can you find anything else I might add too?

 

Noticed RAY SMITH was one of the best for Willy against Port Melbourne that weekend.  [Ray Smith became a paid player at Cora Lynn later in his career]

 

CB to TD:  we have made him a celebrity a year after his death!

 

 

ACRONYMS

CB  Citrus Bob         DD Des Dineen    ME  Mike Egan   TD Terry Dillon  MD Michael Dillon

 

 

More stories from Citrus Bob Utber can be read Here.

 

 

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