Fibre of Footy Sundowner at Burra footy ground Photo: Stephen Feighan
It’s Monday evening and wool-growers from around South Australia have gathered on the Burra footy ground, home of Burra Booborowie Hallett, who play in the North Eastern Football League.
The marquees are up. The pens are in place and the rams have been unloaded.
I am having a beer – a XXXX of all things – with Geoff and Val Power (from Orroroo) and Stu Hodgson (an Aussie who managed the All Blacks for a while). I am meeting locals like Paul Cousins, and some who have travelled. Tom Ashby.
Blokes with crook backs, and wonky hips. Women who have seen the sun. Hatted. Jeaned. Booted. Some with mutton chops appropriately.
People are talking football. Remembering good players, great players, hacks. Getting their head around this Fibre of Football thing.
They like the concept of finding the best footballers to have come out of the South Australian wool industry.
There are some formalities. Catriona Rowntree breaks the record for most words in 20 minutes at a wool function. (At any function really) The Chinese delegation are bamboozled. They’ll have to wait for the video and put it in slow motion. She has so much energy.
Throughout the speeches the waft of loin lamb chops on the barbecue has everyone off the bit.
Salads are brought out, red wine replaces the beer, and, on a truly balmy autumn evening old friends catch up and new friends are made.
I talk to Sid Weckert, 87, from up the road. He says he wasn’t much of a footballer, despite being 6’ 4 in the shade (still). But he tells me of a few who were.
It’s a terrific night. The South Australians are keen. They don’t give the Vics a chance.
I have added the new nominations to the list.
Please continue to add your SA noms in the comments section at the end of this article.
Noms for other states can be made HERE (CLICK).
The South Australian Wool Team Nominations:
Paul Bagshaw Mt Pleasant
Tony Burgan McLaren Flat
Mildy Chandler
Justin Clarke Melrose Booleroo Centre, Brisbane
Steve Copping Glenelg/Essendon
Richard Cousins
Kevin Cousins Norwood
Neil Craig crunching?
Michael Dalla
Joe Darling Norwood FC, Australian Test cricket captain, Tassie farmer
Rick Davies broker
Grenville Dietrich rouseabout for Michael Redden?
Kevin Duffy
Roger Dunn Tumby Bay, Sturt
Corey Enright Kimba
Roger Fiebig
Len Fitzgerald Australian Wool Testing Authority
John Fogarty mid-North
Gary Gum shearer
Shannon Hurn West Coast, Barossa?
Will Hurn Central Districts, Shannon’s Dad
Damian Kitschke Spalding Gulnare
Peter Kitschke Jamestown, 500 games, sheared his own sheep, run home from the siloes
Brendan Lade Port Adelaide
Sid Lawrie Tumby Bay
Don Lindner meat?
Rodney Maynard Lameroo
Andrew McKay Lucindale, Carlton, vet science
Gillon McLachlan
Rod Miller broker
Tony Modra
Chainsaw Monfries (Monfries family) Naracoorte
Bronte Mumford
John Mossop Geelong, North Melbourne
Lachie Neal wool connection?
Dean Ottens wool?
Greg Phillips
Michael Redden North Adelaide, Pekina
Shaun Rehn between Cleve and Arno Bay
Jay Schulz Yorke Peninsula, Richmond, Port
Peter and John Shepherd Kybybolite, Sturt? West Torrens?
Gordon Short Karamulka
Trevor Sims 200 games for Sturt, Port Broughton
Peter Sullivan South Adelaide
Barry, Wayne, Allan Stringer Koolunga
Paul Taheny
Luke Tapscott
Jack Trengove Kybybolite/Naracoorte, Dad Colin is a vet, Grandfather Ken, Uncles Glen and Ian run the family property
Bernie Vince Yorke Peninsula, Crows, Melbourne
Fos Williams Quorn – scratched
About John Harms
JTH is a writer, publisher, speaker, historian. He is founder 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 can be contacted [email protected] He is married to Susan. They have 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.
Can confirm that Shannon Hurn is of Angaston stock. His dad played for Centrals and his grandfather apparently went alright too.
re: Peter Kitschke
http://www.sanfl.com.au/hall_of_fame/peter_j._kitschke/
His mother was a Schwerdt
I can see this is going to turn into one great big SA celebration and family reunion. Very much looking forward to getting over to Burra tomorrow.
I reckon Bronte Mumford is from near Curramulka on Yorke’s peninsula. And I think he and Rick Davies (near Port Victoria) used to share a car to footy training in Adelaide each week.
Think the Wakelins farmed sheep at Kimba
Can scratch Fos Williams. His father was the district clerk of Quorn and Fos himself started off as the message boy for the GPO (a post which he took over from my grandfather):
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/127300183?searchTerm=fos%20williams%20quorn&searchLimits=l-australian=y
I think Fos went on to be in charge of the Adelaide Mail Exchange, a job later filled by my father in law, who was in his earlier days, postmaster at Kimba, home of the Wakelins, where Mickey once taught.
Three degrees of separation.
Daryl Hicks – I’m pretty certain had a gig as as an Ag Science teacher at Cleve during his time winning premierships with Sturt. Sheep, cattle, grain – he would have taught it all! His time spent herding sheep would have useful experience for the Centrals coaching job he picked up in the SANFL years later.
Roger Dunn definitely has a Tumby Bay connection, but I thought it was limited to owning/running one of the towns pubs????
Correct on the Wakelins Swish.
Add Corey Enright and that makes three AFL footballers in recent times out of a town of about 600.
If Melbourne had produced footballers at a similar rate its tally would be 22,000 players.
Three degrees in SA May be a bit generous, Swish.
While others are adding I can probably subtract a couple more – pretty sure Rocket Maynard and Justin Clarke are croppers.
And doesn’t a loin lamb chop go well on the barbecue?
Great interview on SA ABC Country Hour John. Top stuff
Michael Burford: originally a Peterborough saints junior he continued on to play for North Adelaide & Perth Demons. He then played for the SA State country side after moving home to take over his family sheep station in SAs mid north, being 6th generation in his family to do so.
Here’s the link to the SA ABC interview
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-08/football-team-chosen-from-wool-industry/6455228
Embarrassingly forgot a good mate in Darren Woolford. Played SANFL for North Adelaide aswell as local footy in the Mid North for Laura-Wirrabara, Booleroo-Melrose-Wilmington and Jamestown-Peterborough. Grew up on a mixed merino sheep, cereal grain farm at Murraytown at the foothills of the Flindedx and farmed with Dad Sam for a while
455 games between whyalla and eastern eyre footy league, A grade record holder for west whyalla and fourth generation Marino wool producer.
Heard about the team on the ABC interview, A few names you could consider…
Bill Wedding from around the riverton district SA, a great Norwood player in the 50s
Another, my son in law Dave Snodgrass, the Snodgrass family from Wallaroo Kadina area have been cropping and sheep farmers for 3 generations..Dave has played 397 games for Kadina and 45 for Bute. Played in 8 G/Fs and won 5 in B grade. May put on the boots again this year after seeding to get that 400 (if Monique lets him)
Just did a bit of research on Don Lindner – the family business “The House of Lindner’ were / are predominantly stock agents. Don’s speciality was pigs. Sheep for wool may have been in the mix at some point, however.
You can ink Lachie Neale in – he grew amongst the ewes in Kybybolite according to this article
https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/sport/a/28274998/rivals-now-on-same-side/
neil kerley was from barmera not a bad state player of 32 games