1954 was certainly a great year for Australian sport as Allan Grant remembers some of his sporting heroes from that year.
Almanac Life: ‘But what will I tell John?’
May 20, 2021 by 10 Comments
Andy Thurlow contemplates just how he will reply when John Harms inevitably asks him about the details of his playing career. (But he undersells himself, so the record is corrected!)
Almanac (Military) Life: Expect to be shocked
April 25, 2021 by 16 Comments
Greg Andrew served in the Australian Army for four years, straight from school. He offers his personal insight into how military life impacted his sense of identity as a young man, in particular in the years after he was discharged and how he and his loving wife worked through his lack of identity. He explains why he thinks he was one of the lucky ones.
Formula One: Spin! Spin! Spin! Round! Round! Round! Remembering Murray Walker
March 15, 2021 by 4 Comments
An icon of sporting commentary and fixture of Formula One for an era, Dennis Gedling pays tribute to the voice of F1, Murray Walker.
Almanac Boxing: Vale ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler
March 15, 2021 by 11 Comments
One of the best boxers of all time, Marvin Hagler, has passed away at the age of 66. Greg Andrew is an aficionado of the sweet science and considers ‘Marvelous’ Marvin his favourite pugilist. Here is his tribute.
The Tent Hill Tennis Club
February 19, 2021 by 9 Comments
A beauty from Glen Natalier; memories of tennis in the Lockyer Valley [One of the kids in the photograph c1948 is Cecil Logan, my (late) uncle. He was as big a character as Uncle Stan. Glen Natalier, is a former teaching colleague of mine – he grew up on the farm just up the road from my grandparents’ spud and watermelon farm. You haven’t played tennis until you’ve played on antbed – JTH]
Almanac Life: The Yachts
December 2, 2020 by 3 Comments
Smokie fondly remembers some of his teenage exploits as a budding yachtsman on Hobsons Bay.
Balcony Banter: Fifty years on
December 2, 2020 by 5 Comments
John Harms recalls the first summer of Test cricket he can remember properly. (This piece is from the MCC’s Balcony Banter blog)
Almanac Memoir (and Music): Shadow Boxing at The Argyle Hotel
November 20, 2020 by 1 Comment
Kevin Densley revives memories of Geelong in 1980 with his band Murmurs at The Argyle Hotel.
Almanac Music: Dave Kimber – Scavenger hunts in Beverly Hills and Malibu.
November 10, 2020 by Leave a Comment
More adventures from Dave Kimber and his mates on scavenger hunts around Beverly Hills and Malibu.
Almanac (Footy) Memoir: Hanging up the boots after 34 years
October 1, 2020 by 6 Comments
Roger Collins-Woolcock has hung up the boots after 34 wonderful seasons. This is his tribute to footy. [Well played Roger – JTH]
Almanac Memoir: Dankness on the Edge of Town
September 25, 2020 by 1 Comment
Who was that band? Kevin Densley tries to remember the name of the band who sang ‘Varicose Veins’ at a Geelong gig in 1981.
Almanac Flashback – ‘Creeket iz life’: Mathilde de Hauteclocque
September 7, 2020 by 15 Comments
Fathers’ Day has come and gone, but there are always more stories of family and fathers from the Almanac archives…
Mathilde de Hauteclocque tells the story of her love of cricket and in doing so reveals much about her family, especially her father, the French Count, and his deep appreciation of the game (‘Creeket iz life’). A great tale of where life takes you and what it offers when your eyes are open and alert to possibility.
Almanac Life: ‘Chilla’ Porter, Colac, and childhood memories
August 21, 2020 by 8 Comments
The death of Olympian ‘Chilla’ Porter rekindled many memories for Peter Fuller of the Melbourne Olympics and growing up in rural Victoria around that time.
Everyday Obituaries: Onya Pal – a tribute to Kelvin Reynolds
July 26, 2020 by 27 Comments
Luke Reynolds pays tribute to his grandfather Kelvin on what would have been his 90th birthday.
Almanac Footy Memoir: Worse Than This
July 22, 2020 by 6 Comments
In spite of the mud, the lashing rain, and the whipping gales, John Gordon misses those winter footy Saturdays.
Almanac Life: Looking back in lockdown
July 17, 2020 by 21 Comments
Nostalgia, going home, the innocence of childhood, living life – 50 years down the track, Dips O’Donnell remembers and relishes a rich tapestry.
Almanac Life: Recollections of a Garbo
July 8, 2020 by 34 Comments
After he finished high school, and before he headed off to uni, Frank Taylor worked on the Eltham Council. He had a stint as a garbo. These are his recollections of life as a runner. [Superb – JTH]
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