What’s it like living in the forward pocket of footy history?
Vin Maskell took his camera to Waverley Park to see what happens when a stadium becomes a housing estate.
You’ll find the pics at:
http://www.23hq.com/vinm/album/6551185
About Vin Maskell
Founder and editor of Stereo Stories, a partner site of The Footy Almanac. Likes a gentle kick of the footy on a Sunday morning, when his back's not playing up. Been known to take a more than keen interest in scoreboards - the older the better.
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Thanks for posting the pics, Vin.
I find it hard to feel nostalgic about Waverley. It was built as a political manoevre because the VFL were being shafted by the MCC. It was built in a high rainfall area, Mulgrave receives on average 4inches more rain than inner Melbourne (I think per month). It is not the geographic centre of Melbourne despite assertions made by every VFL/AFL President/Commissioner from K.G. Luke to Ross Oakley. (Studies by Monash University Geographers found that the furthest South East that the “geographic centre” of Melbourne got was Ashburton and it has been moving in the other direction for the last 20 years) It was appallingly served by public transport, at least partly because State Premiers including Bolte and Jain Cain jnr reneged on promises to build a railway line from Huntingdale to Rowville. The architectural style of the stadium was accurately named as brutalist. The VFL used to employ parking officers to help orderly parking before the game and then not pay them to stay after the match. As a result leaving the car park after the game took forever and often became a game of bluff between aggressive drivers in large cars and cheeky drivers in small cars. No. I don’t feel nostalgic about Waverley.
And yet I found something very sad about Vin’s photo’s. Leaving the Luke stand and the oval while destroying the rest of the surrounds of the ground reminds me of Joni Mitchell’s song, Big Yellow Taxi;
“They took all the trees put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged all the people a dollar and half just to see ’em”
I have to agree with you Dave. It was a cheap and nasty stadium that often had the atmosphere of a mausoleum. I used to hate it when many of Collingwood’s big games were shifted there during the 80s and early 90s. Being at the 1980 Night Grand Final didn’t endear me to the place and the relationship was poor henceforth.
Nevertheless, some wonderful photos Vin that capture the reality of space and character in post-modern Melbourne. Great work.
Gents, I agree with some of your observations, but Waverly wasn’t all bad.
As a bayside boy, it was conveniently placed if you drove (early enough) although, yes Dave, you’re right about the car park post-game.
You could also be pretty much guaranteed to get in without having a reserved seat/membership/corporate connection. In that sense, it was more democratic than today’s options.
Its atmosphere was no worse than Docklands today.
And I saw a lot of great highlights there over the years. You just had to be prepared to be a bit cold and wet at times.
PS: Vin, nice work.
Beautiful photos, I wonder how much opposition scouts pay to access a flat. Could be handy come finals time with a closed session.