April 28, 2017 ·
Tim Booth
·
Old Colleagues
OLD COLLEAGUE NEWS APRIL 2017
LONG LUNCH BOOKINGS ARE DUE
Long Lunch Friday 28th April 2017
The Long Lunch (Blue Giant Day) is on our doorstep.
Numbers need to be finalised this week and payments need to be arranged this week.
If you haven’t got yourself organised on a table please do it this week.
If you don’t have a table captain we can organise that for you contact
Tim Booth: tim_b@bigpond.net.au
Rich McGrath: richard.mcgrath@kemosabe-capital.com
Jen Blair : jen.blair@iinet.net.au
The Long lunch is a prepaid event
The preferred method of payment is through the try booking link below
click on the link it will guide you though the process. (simple process)
www.trybooking.com/260050
The long lunch is a great opportunity to reunite Blue Giant friendships and to celebrate being part of one of the great rugby clubs also it an opportunity to support the club as this lunch is an important part of the season’s fund raising.
Ticket $200
Venue -Doltone House at Tatts in Elizabeth St
Start -1.00pm
Dress -Rugby tie (preferably Colleagues Tie, sports coat optional)
…………………………………………………………………….
Old Colleagues On Tour
(Tour Report from Jeremy Nesbitt)
Old Colleague stalwart (200 games) and former premiership winner and successful Club coach Robert Rush recently found himself leading a Blue Giants and friends tour to the Hong Kong Kowloon Rugby10s (part of Hong Kong’s week of rugby madness incorporating the legendary Hong Kong 7’s). It was a great chance for some old Colleagues to say g’day, drink beer, sing the club song and in some cases even put a jersey on and get involved on the the field or just lend a hand on the sideline 1
The Social Hand Grenades (a HKFC team) featured Colleagues Ben Radclyffe, Lee Curtis and Tim Shrimpton. While the Aussie based Busted Old Bastards’s BOBS (with a healthy helping hand from HKCC Rugby) had those Colleagues magnificent men, Adrian Morris, Adam Upton, Ben Garland, Tony Scott and Jeremy Nesbitt putting on the boots.
Also former Blue Giant, Damian Dunn was seen supporting heavily on the sidelines.
Apparently the Blue Giants and the BOBs both got knocked out in their semi-finals, sadly preventing what would have been a block buster of a Bowl Final.
Our fearless tour reporter Nez reports that he was not sure how the Social Hand Grenades (with Colleague influence) finished. It seems that the BOBs didn’t catch the rest of the semis or finals due to their commitment to their traditional after match performance inquiry (otherwise known as “kangaroo court piss up”).
From the Vault
Poem for Old Colleagues (With thanks to contributor Brian Wood)
A Poem for old rugby players………..
When the battle scars have faded
And the truth becomes a lie
And the weekend smell of liniment
Could almost make you cry.
When the last rucks well behind you
And the man that ran now walks
It doesn’t matter who you are
The mirror sometimes talks
Have a good hard look old son!
The melons not that great
The snoz that takes a sharp turn sideways
Used to be dead straight
You’re an advert for arthritis
You’re a thoroughbred gone lame
Then you ask yourself the question
Why the hell you played the game?
Was there logic in the head knocks?
In the corks and in the cuts?
Did common sense get pushed aside?
By manliness and guts?
Do you sometimes sit and wonder
Why your time would often pass
In a tangled mess of bodies
With your head up someone’s arse
With a thumb hooked up your nostril
Scratching gently on your brain
And an overgrown Neanderthal
Rejoicing in your pain!
Mate – you must recall the jersey
That was shredded into rags
Then the soothing sting of Dettol
On a back engraved with tags!
It’s almost worth admitting
Though with some degree of shame
That your wife was right in asking
Why the hell you played the game?
Why you’d always rock home legless
Like a cow on roller skates
After drinking at the clubhouse
With your low down drunken mates
Then you’d wake up – check your wallet
Not a solitary coin
Drink Berocca by the bucket
Throw an ice pack on your groin
Copping Sunday morning sermons
About boozers being losers
While you limped like Quasimodo
With a half a thousand bruises!
Yes – an urge to hug the porcelain
And curse Sambuca’s name
Would always pose the question
Why the hell you played the game!
And yet with every wound re-opened
As you grimly reminisce it
Comes the most compelling feeling yet
God, you bloody miss it!
From the first time that you laced a boot
And tightened every stud
That virus known as rugby
Has been living in your blood
When you dreamt it when you played it
All the rest took second fiddle
Now you’re standing on the sideline
But your hearts still in the middle
And no matter where you travel
You can take it as expected
There will always be a breed of people
Hopelessly infected
If there’s a teammate, then you’ll find him
Like a gravitating force
With a common understanding
And a beer or three, of course
And as you stand there telling lies
Like it was yesterday old friend
You’ll know that if you had the chance
You’d do it all again
You see – that’s the thing with rugby
It will always be the same
And that, I guarantee
Is why the hell you played the game!
February 1, 2017 ·
Tim Booth
·
Old Colleagues
OLD COLLEAGUE IN
AUSTRALIA DAY HONOUR LIST
Old Colleague and founder of the Sydney Convicts Andrew “Fuzz “ Purchas has been awarded the Order of Australia Medal in this years Australia Day awards. A big congratulation to “Fuzz” from all Colleagues. It is worthy recognition for his commitment and service to rugby locally and internationally, Andrew has been the driving force especially in Australia repelling homophobia in all sports, his efforts spanning more than a decade have given “gay” rugby and inclusiveness in sport a new level of prominence it deserves.
I remember Andrew bravely “coming out” mid season while playing Burke Cup for the Colleagues in the late 1980’s. (Andrew played both Kentwell and Burke Cups and over 100 games for the Colleagues) It was symbolic of things to come that nothing changed that season for the team and for “Fuzz”. We went on to play typical Blue Giant hard rugby and Andrew was always in the thick of things (including having to push behind me in many dominating scrums!!).
Andrew “Fuzz” Purchas, a great Colleague, a great Sydney convict and a great Australian!
VALE BARRY McFADZEAN
Sad to convey the news of the passing of Old Colleague Barry McFADZEAN earlier this month. Barry died peacefully aged 72 after many years battling Alzheimers/dementia. He had been in a care facility in Canberra for the last few years. Our thoughts are with his family at this time
Barry played in the late 60’s up to about the mid 70’s, By all accounts Barry was a very good breakaway who came to the Club after playing 1st grade across the creek at the East Beasts. He played in the premiership winning Kentwell side of 1970, and at that time was known as the fittest player in the club.
Barry will be remembered as one of the nicest and most genuine blokes you would ever meet, Old Colleagues of that era say never a bad word could ever be said about him. (Pictured middle row seated second from your left 1970’s Kentwell Premiership team)
Old Colleagues Mike Fitzgerald and Mike Clifford represented the club at the service for Barry which was well attended indicative of his well liked personality. R.I.P Barry
DIARY DATES
BONDI 10’S (this week)
Friday 3rd February The 14th annual Bondi Tens charity tournament returns in a new one day “party in the park” format. Rugby, live music, BBQ and refreshments from 12.30 to dark. A great way to kick start the weekend!
SEASON STARTS
First games against old foe Drummoyne at Drummoyne on the 22nd April. Training has started in ernest at Blue Giant Park.
LONG LUNCH
Lock this date away Friday 28th April Tattersalls (Doltone House). One of the best days of the year, contact your table captain and get ready for another memorable afternoon.
…………………..
MERCHANDISE
Plenty of merchandise at //www.colleaguesrugby.com.au/merchandise
Order on line – merchandise- will be mailed next day after payment
Go the Colleagues
Boothie
