Some years ago I played my first game of cricket for a Melbourne-based club known as The Eccentrics, against Jeremy Oliver’s 49-ers. I think it was at Hume and Hovell Oval at Strath Creek then owned and run by Don McQueen, and now owned and run by John Rogers, father of Chris.
We had the 49-ers 9-for Not Many and were thinking about knocking the top off the first refreshment at lunch. The bloke striding to the crease appeared to be a first class bunny. He looked like the entertainment at a gold rushes public house in Ballarat. Around 50 years old, he was wearing hob-nail boots that C.J. Dennis would have described far better than I can, dacks so short they left his ankles showing, rainbow braces, and hair half-way down his back. His chisselled face suggested hangover or general hard-living.
He proceeded to stroke a delightful 30-odd, which made us much thirstier.
Then, while I was square leg umpiring after lunch (as I was going in down the order) he engaged me with political theory, social critique and football. I was half-expecting him to tell me he was a personal friend of Fidel Castro.
Everyone called him Rocky. Jovial and open, he was Rocky Dabscheck.
Since then I have seen him around the traps. He is often at Fitzroy games, and occasionally rings me with a footy observation or two.
He is an entertainer – a musician. He once sent me a CD of his original songs.
Recently he sent me the link to ‘Time and Tide’. See what you think.
About John Harms
JTH is a writer, publisher, speaker, historian. He is publisher and contributing editor of The Footy Almanac and footyalmanac.com.au. He has written columns and features for numerous publications. His books include Confessions of a Thirteenth Man, Memoirs of a Mug Punter, Loose Men Everywhere, Play On, The Pearl: Steve Renouf's Story and Life As I Know It (with Michelle Payne). He appears (appeared?) on ABCTV's Offsiders. He can be contacted [email protected] He is married to The Handicapper and has three school-age kids - Theo, Anna, Evie. He might not be the worst putter in the world but he's in the worst four. His ambition was to lunch for Australia but it clashed with his other ambition - to shoot his age.
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