Almanac Tribute: Rulebook’s tribute to Fred ‘Chocka’ Bloch

 Chocka with his much loved also late dog – Scooter
(Photo – MA)

 

Give us a dollar.

 

Fred Archibald Bloch – I joined the club in 84 and quickly developed a close relationship with Chocka and became his right hand man for 33 years.

 

Chocka had the unique ability to make anyone feel like they were the most important person in the world even when he was invariably taking the mickey out of them.  Chocka was different, he always answered my phone calls while ignoring everyone else’s.

 

Chocka is easily the most organised  person I have ever met. Every photo, lecture notes, records, minutes of meetings were always filed and he could find anything in two minutes. In reality it was why he could run the commerce department at the uni, and the footy club at the same time. [ Hey Rulebook finished that commerce crap we’ve got more important things to do we’ve got the worlds greatest footy club to run.]

 

Chocka’s love of music was incredible – ridiculous knowledge, and yes, everything was catalogued. He had arguably the most number of records after Allans stored in the Presley room.

 

 

He loved the guitar – jazz, he was just a gun.  Chocka music wise wrote the lyrics of the club song to the
timeless classic – ‘California Here I Come’.

 

Financially,  again everything done spot on by Chocka, if something cost $5.88 you were reimbursed, ONLY if you provided the receipt – that was always stapled to the credit/debit sheet and filed. We were easily the most organised and accurate club financially in the country.

 

Administratively we did a lot of things together both Adelaide Uni FC and amateur league and it means a lot to me that Chocka valued my input.  Chocka always gave a person a chance, never minded throwing someone in the deep end and showing confidence in them – quietly observing from the background and only intervening if necessary.

 

 

We think back to great memories.

 

Gerald Patrick Ward’s entry in his 1949 Morris Minor to Chocka’s place each year for VPs barbie trophy count.

 

Darryl Gogel and Tim ‘Waterpipe’ Wilson doing a tad bit of damage with a peg, water gushing out everywhere. Maida rushing out, Chocka turning the mains off. Where would they be Maida? Maida shaking her head in frustration, getting the tools out and fixing everything herself, we just carried on drinking.

 

Hold your bowlines was unique. It really was a vaudeville act each week loosely based on football with several players having songs about them which appeared regularly, ‘Our Don Haslam’, ‘He’s Fatty Little Darren Graetz’, ‘Valdemeer Valdemar Hansen’ and  Sandy ‘Climb Every Mountain’ Hancock.

 

Notorious acts such as Clinton Rule diving into the River Torrens to retrieve a trolley after a drunken night at the Uni bar to save himself a substantial fine. He received far more kudos for that act than an A grade player kicking a goal after the siren to win the game showing how different Adelaide Uni FC is. It is something I’ve appreciated even more as I’ve gotten older.

 

John Griffen watching on from Darwin made the point he’s gone to the toilet beforehand, Chocka hated anyone leaving the room during presentations – that’s the PC version anyway, I’m sure a lot more will come out at the wake at The Cathedral.

 

From my Chocka article. While every Blacks’ player past and present cares about the success of the A grade side, the club’s folklore has been built on the vigorous sense of the ridiculous and an ethos that showers glory on the meek and demands humility of the mighty.

 

There’s no better example of this ethos than Bob Neil which Chocka embraced in reality. He was the ring leader the rest of us were just willing disciples. ( I’m so glad I wrote my article on Chocka when he was well enough to take it all in, I detest this Aussie bit you don’t tell anyone you love them until they have passed away when it’s too late, it’s bloody ridiculous.) While the Bob Neil ‘bit’ had been around, it was the ’86 Grand Final A grade breakfast,  then during the game when the ‘Bobby Neil, Bobby Neil, Bobby Neil…’ etc chant got the A grade home that it really exploded.

 

Adelaide Uni and Riverside had a special relationship presenting each other’s club Best Clubman trophy. The HYB when we played Rivvies was brilliant with unique fellowship between the clubs as always. Chocka was the leader. I left the legend Bobby Neil dead drunk ‘Down By The Riverside’ will get sung during the night.

 

After the 86 A grade grand final is one of my favourite moments. The late Brenton ‘Nose’ Eckert had missed a sitter, luckily a hanger from Darren ‘Keg’ Foster saved the day. It was Nose’s idea to burn his boots on the centre wicket at Adelaide Oval.
John Griffen, Stephen ‘Skittle’ Parker, Michael Dadds, John Homburg, Nose, and myself were merrily doing the deed when Chocka walked up and said we had just beaten a club that spent $52,000 on player payments, no one said a word, we just smiled at each other.

 

I was in Chocka’s office on a Friday morning, it was Uni holidays and we were struggling for numbers. I was on to chasing up extra player duties when the phone rings,

 

“Howdy, Hi Chocka it’s Graham Stanway, I can’t play tomorrow ( after he had trained on the Thursday night and ticked the availability sheet ).
Chocka, “Why’s that ?”
Graham, “Ohh I’ve been a bit crook and I have to work tomorrow”.
Chocka, “C’mon Graham, we’re short, go in to work early get to the game as soon as you can and start on the pine for the A 3 side”.
Graham,  “I can’t”.
Chocka, “Why not?”
Graham, “Ohh I’ve got a wedding to go to”
Chocka,  “Don’t worry about that, just go to the reception, no one will know”.
Graham, “I can’t Chocka”.
“BLOODY HELL, WHY NOT”?
Graham, “It’s my own wedding”.
Chocka actually dropped the phone, we literally were rolling around the floor laughing.

 

Inter varsity which I know Chocka massively appreciated the roll up of his winning 68 side at the ‘Chocka Roast’ night to celebrate his gong.

 

At a IV in Sydney, Chocka walks up to the bar in the grandstand orders a butcher. The lady behind the bar asks Chocka how much are they ? Chocka deadpan replies, “20 cents”. Chocka rushes back, “get on the butcher’s boys”, we proceeded to drink the bat dry of butcher glasses.

 

At my wedding in 92 I had 2 wishes. It wouldn’t be in a church and Chocka was MC. The great man truly delivered doing up a book of rules for the wedding.
Rule 13.2 B – not normally needed at a wedding, playing his 100th game today,  and winning 2 jugs of beer. The footy table yell out, “courtesy of Mr and Mrs Bertram, goes to Paul ‘Hi Top’ Baker”.  Bakes walks up grabs the mike>
“I’d like to thank all of you people for coming to my 100th game dinner especially people I’ve never met before. I just think head waiter Rulebook you could have invited a few more of my mates!”
Luckily Emma liked Bakes, Emma’s dad loved it.
The footy table are pissing themselves laughing while the rest of the so called audience jaws dropped in silence.

 

Chocka nicknames. Those stories will continue long in to the night. One game Chocka gets there, “hey Book you’re in charge, I’ve picked the best players, give the scorecard to me at the pub.” Guys who were playing, Wayne, nickname ‘Redundant’ King,  Mark ‘Hmmmm’ Headland,  Eric Sniffer ‘the Greek kangaroo’, – Jeremy ‘Dosa’ Clapp, were playing, no more words needed.

 

Uni exam time. With Blacks’ players regularly featuring meant guys would go to an exam eagerly waiting to see who would get a mention. Chocka walked up to Kym King of passion Murchison, “Hey King, question 8”. King,  “Piss off Chocka, I’ve got an exam to do”. Chocka,  “King, question 8”. King reluctantly thumbs thru the exam to question 8. King of passion enterprises,  King smiling shaking his head.

 

From Tom Colebatch – these words are poignant.

 

Chocka allowed the formation of The Bastards in 2002. Not too many 21 year olds get the chance to coach but he had unwavering faith and was incredibly supportive. We were the happy middle ground between the hugely stacked socialists and the Scum and to the right of the FGA. We were a team for those that didn’t quite fit in but needed somewhere to fit in it was supreme vision on Chocka’s behalf. We went winless for weeks and weeks, it was miserable at times, flogging after flogging.
We warmed up to a Peter Combe cassette tape at PHOS Camden much to his amusement. ( We still got belted. ) When we finally won down at SMOSH I rang Chocka first ( sorry dad ).  The joy across the phone for us I can still hear.

In 2023 The Bastards are in their 22nd consecutive season helping those who don’t fit in. I often wonder where I would be if Chocka hadn’t allowed The Bastards to come about.  My teens and early twenties were deeply unhappy,  messy,  dark coaching gave me purpose and in time opened my eyes to a wonderfully rewarding career in education. I don’t know where I would be without him.

 

Back to my words. It’s impossible to estimate the number of students, footballers, and cricketers Chocka has influenced, guided and helped along the journey in their lives.  Chocka was a man’s man showing affection family wise wasn’t his greatest strength he made up for that with his granddaughter Lily, it was truly special to observe.

 

Dementia is a bastard of a disease. To watch the greatest man I know to not know anyone in the end was truly cruel. It was sad watching him struggle through a few jigsaw pieces over several hours, and then Maida break them up before going to bed so Chocka could do it all over again the next day. This was not how Chocka should have left us but I can hear him now, “Hey you bastards, join the Greys, buy Rulebook’s book !”

 

We farewell A LEGEND.

 

Read more from Rulebook HERE.

 

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