Almanac (Life) Puzzles: How’s your sleuthing?
The young chappie in the photograph above standing in front of a group of men is none other than the Footy Almanac’s own, Citrus Bob Utber. The photograph means a lot to Citrus Bob and it is one that is very close to him.
Now, Citrus Bob loves nothing better than setting puzzles for fellow Knackers to ponder and hopefully solve. In a break from watching the Test match in India Bob came across the photo above and decided to use it and put readers to the test.
The question CB poses for readers is relatively simple: ‘What are the men up to?
Respond in Comments If you think you know the answer.
Good Luck!
More stories from Citrus Bob Utber can be read Here.
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About Bob Utber
At 84 years of age Citrus Bob is doing what he has always done since growing up on a small farm at Lang Lang. Talking, watching and writing sport and in recent years writing books. He lives in Mildura with his very considerate wife (Jenny) and a groodle named 'Chloe on Flinders' and can be found at Deakin 27 every day.
Citrus
Nice task. I’m going to open the batting to say they are a team of wool classers.
Cheers
6 dour and stern men and one young boy – what could it be?
Presumably the boy is 4yo CB – with pater familia?
Lining up outside the MCG for tickets? Not a Boxing Day test given the heavy garb. Perhaps the 1937 GF (given CB’s advanced years) when the Cats trounced the Magpies. Reg Hickey at full back and Joe Sellwood at CHB starring for the Pivotonians.
The photo is strictly posed. None bar the budding Almanac poet laureate looks pleased to be in the spotlight.
If it is a lineup for sporting tickets – shouldn’t the men be queued facing the ground? Why is the background a factory or apartment building rather than a stadium?
The stern faces lined up looks like those team selections for a school match when 2 captains picked you out of a lineup and I was always 21st man (first emergency). Perhaps that’s why they look so unhappy – they are the Left Right Outs? But no – men of the Depression era had little to celebrate – no matter the occasion.
The name on the building says “Joe(?hat obscured) DARLING – &son (?brylcreem obscured). Joe Darling was an outstanding left hand batsman (batter goes on fish) and captain of Australia at the time of Federation. But he was South Australian and died on his sheep station in Tasmania in 1946. CB may have seen Bradman bat but I doubt he saw Joe Darling – and there is no reason for him to have a large city building in his name.
Perhaps the lineup is famous? The bloke second from right with jaunty angled hat, slight build, folded arms and quizzical face looks a bit like Lindsay Hassett. A team photo of players returning from losing the 1953 Ashes in England? Taken at Melbourne docks on a chilly September day when the team returned?
I don’t recognise any other faces – but Australian teams of the era were loaded with Victorian and NSW non descripts. Who could pick Doug Ring or Jim De Courcy out of a line up these days?
Anyway that’s my best guess. Good to stretch the brain cells and the imagination. Someone has to open the bowling and send a few wides down the leg side – as Steve Harmison used to say.
In the tough times of the depression my dad would act as a ‘cockatoo’ for his mainly drink affected father and his mates who were involved in illegal SP bookie operations in the pubs and backstreets of Footscray. Dad often carried the bets and tickets with him as they went from venue to venue, it was thought the police would not be suspicious of a young lad looking after his drunk father. Although young CB looks too young to be a ‘cockatoo’ the image reminded me of stories my dad told me late in his life. Perhaps CB is training to be a ‘cockatoo’?
Up to no good I reckon
That is the Darling Flour Mill, 74 Sydney Street, Albion. VIC in the background
Trugo players? Champion team photo?
JTH- using Megan Ponsford’s analytical skills from her book “Has-Beens and Never- Will Be’s” you have looked into the background and come to the conclusion they are wool classers. That is where your Geelong mind takes over as we did have half the team made of wool classes in the early sixties. The background is the flour mill at Albion as “Swish” said. Sorry you are out!
PB – wonderful attempt but as you would be aware I would recognise Doug Ring (World of Sport) and the swathe Jimmy De Courcy who I always liked as a dour batsman (Correct for 1953) who followed Barnes, Morris, Miller et al in the batting order. The group looks more like Bradman’s team embarking in England in 1948 sans suits and overcoats. Sorry you are out but played some fine shots before your dismissal.
BOMBER- how true. Once (as a youth) I questioned a man waving awhite hankerchief in Degraves Strre and he told me to p… off. Found out later he was probably your dad!
SWISH – correct with the location. However they were up to good as the day went on.
LUCAS – Welcome to me, don’t think I have seen your utterings before. Trugo? Do they still play it in South Melbourne. Once the week commenced on Monday they were the delight of many women who did think they were champions.
Apologies for the spelling, so excited to get so many responses.
If you would like a second innings I will speak to Albo to see what he has to say without giving an answer!
It seems like yet another difficult conundrum has gone unsolved. I have not yet spoken to Anthony A Prime Minister but I reckon through all his humming” and “harring” he would flick me the answer in a second. Meanwhile I am watching a South African XI do battle with NZ. They have taken 2 early wickets but oh dear, one can see the Kiwis mounting a huge score. They are in a different playground.
Agatha Christie where are you when I need you?
Being such a great sportsperson Albo would have the answer in a flash. Much quicker than playing tenns against JA to improve his game! Fair Dunkum Albo v JA?
You will be green ith envy when you read the answer becuase you would have heard a million times in a pre-amble to the last election.. Even the Sydney Swans would know the answer except the BSA.
I have spoken with Holmes, Pirout, Christe et al and they have all come up with the same answer.
The gentemen plus one were actually preparing to go catching rabbits to supplement families eating habits.
Apparently meat was in short supply and my Dad (Col) and my uncle Leo Fisher had a butcher shop in Sunshine and to make ends meat (brilliant) they regularly went out with their ferrets to catch bunnies. This day they were heading out to Rockbank to get their haul. QED