by Graham Jackson
Having just read and enjoyed ‘The Stats Revolution’ I thought I might revisit a poem of mine published in the Winter 1974 number of ‘Canberra Poetry’. It’s called ‘Ted Hopkins: The Twentieth Century Identity’. I first met Ted in 1968/9, but only got to know him in the early 1970s, in Albury, some time after he left Carlton and had re-established himself in the sticks.
Ted Hopkins plays football…
Ted Hopkins, the poet:
for me, it’s hard to think
of him as one without
the other,
But as Jekyll and Hyde,
who are both essential
to the smooth running of
the man they call Hekyll,
or Hokyll or Hopkyll
or Hopkins, my good friend…
Ted Hopkins, the fooet,
the first star of poeball,
of footpo
and ballet.
Ted Hopkins and John Harms will appear together tonight at 6:30 at Readings in Lygon St, Carlton.
I’ve recently retired from my day job and am currently engaged in family history research. Last year I published a collection of my father’s letters to my mother in 1941, from Malaya, prior to his capture and incarceration in Changi. My current project is to demonstrate that my grandmother (father’s mother) was one of the 16,000 spectators at Victoria Park in 1892 when Collingwood played its first game in the VFA. She was 12 years old at the time and lived in nearby Palmer Street. Research for this project is proving to be challenging. Over the years I’ve had a number of works of fiction published, including three by UQP in the early 1980s and three by Letao in the early 2000s. My first book had been published by long-time friend Ted Hopkins (Champion Publications) in 1977, continuing a disturbing connection with Carlton. In the late 1950s my family camped at Balnarring Beach each summer, across the track from the Deacons. I remember Graham Donaldson and Sergio Silvagni visiting Bert’s family tent. At this time the Carlton cousin who camped with us nicknamed me ‘Beasy’, after I’d unwisely admired the Blues’ half-forward. Not that ‘Thorold’ would have been a satisfactory nickname, but the Collingwood wingman/rover remains my first and finest memory of matches at Victoria Park.
G’day Graham, Thanks for sending us this wonderful ancient relic which I read out at Readings tonight. It was very well-received. Ted was in sparkling form and the people who came along enjoyed his theorising and his story-telling. I really like his book. Thanks again. JTH
Ted Hopkins was my hero as a girl of 14 years of age. I remember the gran final and his goals like yesterday. Thankyou for the memory and the premiership teddy. You were fantastic !!!!!!