On the death and rebirth of the code in Sydney
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Had there existed in 1894, or the year immediately prior thereto, a body similar to the present Australian National Football Council, it is certain the game would have gone on to pre-eminence in New South Wales, as at that period the game vied with Rugby Union for first place in public patronage (rugby league being then unknown). The years between then and the revival of the game, by the formation of the present League in 1903, found many of the leading players transferring to Rugby Union, in which code they have left imperishable records.
“Pity, ‘tis, ‘tis true,” but with the decease of the game in Sydney the magnificent edifice which had been built up in the Newcastle district where the game was almost supreme, also crumbled. The lesson from the foregoing is that firm administration, to the utter exclusion of anything approaching rabid clubism, is the only road to progress.
Fate and faulty administration during crucial periods, has played a big part in connection with the Australian game in Sydney. To old-time followers who can recall the period between 1881 and 1893 it seems almost incredible that no master-mind came to light to save the game from the destroying forces of club rancour and bitterness exhibited in the latter year by the then Sydney and West Sydney clubs, and which unfortunately brought the game to an untimely end — players and public being heartily sick of the win, tie or wrangle methods. How effective the methods of the clubs named can be was instanced by the fact that the late Dan Hutchinson (Carlton player and captain) came to Sydney early in 1894 and made an attempt to revive the game by advertising that a scratch match would be played at Moore Park. The effort failed lamentably.
Present-day followers of the game will, probably, be surprised to read that in the period between 1884 and 1889, teams from Newcastle and St Ignatius and St Joseph’s Colleges were regular participants in games at Moore Park and alternately, at the College grounds. The playing standard of the senior clubs was excellent, and when Victorian clubs visited Sydney (which they did more frequently then than now) they invariably made offers to some leading players. Among several who went to Victoria was E. Reynolds, who shone as one of Fitzroy’s best half-backs, and gained inter-colonial honours in games against South Australia. The most memorable inter-colonial game that took place in Sydney during the period 1886 to 1891 was that between Carlton and Tasmania in 1890 at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
It was a pleasurable sight to find an attendance of 15,000, each of whom thoroughly enjoyed the fine play. The game was graphically described in 'The Sunday Times' the following day. In that game Bob Dawes was one of the youngest players in the Tasmania side. He later took up residence in Sydney, and was an employee of 'The Referee' newspaper for many years. He has rendered wonderful service to the game by his writings, apart from the period he played the game in Sydney with the old Waratah club. Incidentally, he acted as field umpire in that bitter game, between Sydney and West Sydney which marked the demise of the game in 1893. It is worthy of note that after many disagreements between the clubs as to the choice of umpire, both agreed on the choice of Bob Dawes.
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On the following Saturday (after the Carlton vs. Tasmania match), South Melbourne, who had gone to Brisbane to meet a Queensland team led by Jack Gibson (ex-South Melbourne), were to meet Carlton at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and the most pleasurable anticipation reigned in my mind during that week of the coming clash between those great rivals. And, for many reasons. Not yet thoroughly weaned from the glamour and excitement of the stirring games I had witnessed in Melbourne in the early 1880s, I was all agog to see my early Ballarat pals, Peter Burns (left) and Harry Purdy, in action again, as I had oft seen them both in Ballarat and Melbourne. Again, had not Peter Burns brought discomfiture to Carlton in 1889, when he kicked that wonderful goal on the Melbourne Cricket Ground? Would we in Sydney have the pleasure of seeing him repeat it?
On the Friday night, while the Carlton and South Melbourne teams were being entertained, rain commenced to fall, and continued throughout the night and all day on the Saturday, with the result that the match had to be abandoned.
On the following morning, as the sun shone brightly, it was a disconsolate party composed almost wholly of South Melbourneites, which sat in Hyde Park lamenting with Peter Burns, Harry Purdy, ‘Dabber’ Decis and others of the vagaries of fate, and the ‘might have beens’ of life. Fate and faulty administration had much, if not all, to do with the loss of the Australian Football Ground, situated on the boundaries of Alexandria, Mascot and Waterloo municipalities. It was a glorious conception on the part of those responsible for the early moves in connection with the acquirement of the ground, but unfortunately, later movements nullified the early work.
The Australian Football Ground – a title and location probably unknown to the present generation of followers of the game – a dream of football Empire unfulfilled. With the limited space, it is difficult to set out in proper detail the complete history of the venture. Suffice therefore, in 1910 the New South Wales League after being duly appraised of a scheme to purchase the old Rosebery Racecourse vested full control of its finances and other incidental auxiliary powers in the hands of a selected body of men whose work and love for the game was beyond question and reproach. Styled the League Trustees the body consisted of H.R (now Sir) Hugh Denison, H.C.Harte, A.E.Nash, J.J.O’Meara, L.A. and Otto Balhausen and J.J.Jagelman, all prominent men in the business and commercial world of Sydney.
Then, as now, the carping critic, both inside and outside the league was to be found attributing unworthy motives such as business considerations to one, or other, of that fine body of men who vision, enterprise and courage stands forth as the finest example in connection with the game in this, or any other State of the Commonwealth. So as to give full effect to my opinion, which time has strengthened rather than lessened, I shall have to introduce a personal touch that I was, at that period, and for many subsequent years, the writer for the game to 'The Referee' and 'Sunday Times' newspapers, and though I voiced opinions both through the papers mentioned and at league meetings, disagreeing with the early lavish expenditure on the ground by the Trustees, the cardinal fact remained that each respected the other’s views as in the interests of the game, and we became, if anything, firmer friends.
The purchase of the ground consisting upon 12 acres was effected at a cost of roughly £180/-/- per acre ($360.00). Within a very brief space of time its valuation had risen to over £400/-/- ($800.00) per acre. Meanwhile the Trustees had opened negotiations for the purchase of the land from the football area covering the whole frontage to Botany Road, with the idea of building shops and dwelling houses thereon. Unfortunately, a settlement as to terms was not reached. What a glorious vista had the scheme reached fruition. Let any reader of this brief article visualise the position today of the ownership of a beautiful ground within easy access to any of the present league clubs, North Shore excepted. So I turn, with a sigh from vision to reality.
On April 29th 1911, the official opening of the Australian Football Ground (situated on Botany Road Mascot) took place with ceremony due for the occasion. Mrs. J. J. Jagelman after unfurling the Australian Flag declared the ground open. Speakers following were, Mr. Albert E. Nash (President of the New South Wales League), Mr. R. Toucher MLA (Victoria), Mr. O. M. Williams (delegate of the VFL Melbourne University club) who said that Melbourne had many fine grounds, but it had none better than this future home of Australian football. Its future however, was short lived. Today [in 1938] after a lapse of 27 years, I gather no personal consolation from the fact that had my contention to be content with the purchase of the ground and to withhold lavish expenditure been followed, the League might still be in ownership of the ground proper.
However, on that beautiful autumnal day the playing ground, and its appointments (second to none in Sydney at the time), was a revelation to those present who had not watched its progress under the supervision of Mr. Tom Sheely, who in his early days had played the game in the Newcastle District where it was then all popular. As a result of his fine work in the planning and building of the ground he was, later on, engaged by Stanton and Sons to lay out and build the now beautiful and populous suburb of Rosebery. The match between Sydney and East Sydney clubs, set down for the occasion, was disappointing from a playing view point.
In commenting on the opening function I wrote the following for 'The Referee':
followers of the game in Sydney are wondering why the Victorian League, or clubs, after a splendid continuity of effort to popularise the game in New South Wales, failed to rise to the occasion in connection with the opening of the new ground on Saturday last. A golden opportunity has been missed, and, as a prominent interstate League official at Saturday’s gathering remarked, ‘it passeth understanding’.
During the day it was announced that the membership of the ground, at a fee of one guinea ($2.10), had reached the 200 mark, also that the Redfern Cricket Club, had arranged for a lease of the ground for cricket games.
The dimensions of the playing area — 194 yards in length and 156 in width - were not conducive to interesting club games, on the whole, but the contests were not altogether shorn of interest and some wonderful games were witnessed between leading league clubs in the final rounds in 1911 and 1912. In 1912, East Fremantle played a combined New South Wales team on the ground to the intense delight of a satisfactory attendance, although transport to and from the ground was far behind that of today. Having no data at hand I cannot give the playing personnel of the teams or the actual result of the game [East Fremantle 7.12-54 d Sydney 7.7-49] but after a lapse of a quarter of a century I can recall the brilliant play of C. Riley in the half-back division for East, also that the once brilliant Victorian, Percy Trotter, was in the team and greatest pleasure of all to me, 'Dolly' Christy, whom I had not seen since he and I were schoolboy opponents at football and cricket in Ballarat in the 1880’s.
In the same year Geelong played a New South Wales side on the ground, and a splendid match resulted in a bare win for Geelong (the scores are unknown). A fine attendance roared its approval of a thrilling game. Bill Eason captained Geelong while his brother Alec, whose name will receive mention when the best rover the game has seen is being discussed, was also with the team. At my request I was appointed timekeeper to act with Peter Burns who was Geelong’s official timekeeper. In spare moments we lived over again our days in Ballarat.
In 1912, a team of second grade players from South Australia also visited Sydney under the managerial reins of Mr. Fred Adams, a well-known football identity of those days. The local Junior Association was a virile and powerful body, its President being Mr. E. W. Quinn, who for the past 20 years, or more, has been located in Victoria, where he is a leading light in the Timber Employers’ Association. Mr. A. D. S. Provan was Hon.Secretary of the local body. There was keen rivalry between the opposing teams and a stirring contest resulted in a narrow victory for the local team.
And so high hopes was centered on the 1914 season. The Australian Football Ground had received its playing baptism. It was acclaimed by all who played on it as the best football ground in Australia. Enthusiasts were agog. Would the carnival games be played on the ground? Cold reasoning however, pointed to the then poor facilities for transport of anticipated crowds that would flock to see the game. Eventually it was decided to hold the carnival games on the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The carnival was due to open on August 6th. On August 4th when all the state teams were assembled at the Australian Football Ground for the purpose of selecting competitors for the goal and distance contests at the carnival games, the news was flashed by cable that England had declared war against Germany. Fate had stepped in and dealt the game in Sydney a cruel blow. Had England’s declaration of war been made a few weeks earlier or later all might have been well as regards the continuity of ownership of the Australian Football Ground by the New South Wales Football League.
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Sensing that a greater game had to be played, the players of the various State teams in the 1914 carnival played brilliantly throughout the full series. Medals donated by 'The Referee' newspaper were awarded the following as being the best players for their respective States:— G. Heinz, Victoria (right), J. Pennicott, Tasmania A. Tapping, West Australia, J. W. Robertson, South Australia, R. Robertson, New South Wales, P. W. Jones, Queensland.
The financial loss from the carnival was irreparable, and in due course the League Trustees tendered their resignations. That step resulted in the Australian Football Ground passing into the hands of Sir Hugh Denison who had generously relieved his co-trustees of their financial obligations in connection with the ground.
With the advent of the 1915 season, a small body of enthusiasts met in the Sports Club, Sydney. Mr H.C. Harte, one of the original Trustees attended the meeting which eventually decided to carry on. The principal executive officers appointed were Messrs E.W.Butler (since deceased) President, Mr H.Chesney Harte (Treasurer), Mr. J.E.Phelan (Secretary).
With the flower of our football talent overseas, and Death’s cloud resting heavy and black over the homes and hearts of the people the outlook was a dark one, but due to splendid co-operation on the part of everybody concerned the League successfully weathered the storm and at the end of the war period, as the Australian Football Council was not functioning and the propaganda amount received from that source to but £40/-/- ($80.00) from 1915 to 1919.
During a part of the war period the Botany Road ground was tenanted by a gun club for pigeon shooting purposes and the once beautiful grand-stand became almost a wreck.
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In 1922 Mr. Con Hickey who was a great admirer of the ground as a playing area, and who also visualised its future possibilities, had an earnest talk with myself over the position. After a lengthy debate at the Australian Football Council held in 1922, a motion – “that all profits made at Carnival games be held in trust by the Council to finance carnivals in which losses may occur, and to acquire ownership of playing grounds,” was carried on the casting vote of the Chairman Mr. Charles Brownlow. That was encouraging to Mr. Hickey and myself.
On my return to Sydney I secured an interview with Sir Hugh Denison and subsequently on March 19th 1923, he wrote to me that he was agreeable to the offer I had submitted him for the use of the ground for that season, with the option of purchase later on.
On March 23rd, the New South Wales League in its collective wisdom gave the proposition short shrift. Looking back over the years I cannot recall any decision of the New South Wales League that hurt me so much. I felt that the labour of years on behalf of the game in Sydney had been in vain; that vision had departed to be replaced by petty present-day considerations.
In 1925 or 1926 the ground passed into the ownership of the YMCA Society at a figure which was well within the powers of the New South Wales League on the proposals submitted to me by Mr. Hickey in 1922. In 1927 or 1928 the YMCA Society sold the ground to a Dog Racing Company at a reported figure of £23,000 ($46,000). It is now [in 1938] known as Shepherd’s Bush.
One may well quote Shakespeare and say, “none so poor as to do honour” to the sincere old time enthusiasts who put the Australian game before petty and personal considerations.
Footnotes
Text reproduced from, Australian National Football Record, NSW, August 6th 1938.
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