Countdown

 This time next week we'll be in the the middle of our move to a rental house in Gembrook's main street. With preparation for the sale of our house and clean up we've been busy and preoccupied mentally so I haven't posted for some weeks. Settlement day is 6 Nov, Friday week, but we'll probably have moved out next weekend. Leaving home of nearly 40 years is a weird feeling I have not quite come to grips with.

I watched some of the Grand Final on TV but as it became obvious Richmond would win I changed channels and watched Endeavour on the ABC. I'll ignore all thoughts football for a while, 3 Richmond premierships in 4 years is hard to take. AFL football has not been kind to me. 3 flags to Richmond, three to Hawthorn in the last 8 years, only interrupted by one to Bulldogs and one to the Eagles to give me some comfort.

Richmond and Geelong previously played in a GF 53 years ago and I was at that game, a 15 yo lad, I went with the Lamb family who lived near us in Mt Waverley. Mrs Lamb was friends with Sth Melbourne members who loaned her their membership tickets so she could get finals tickets. Mrs Lamb, Geoff and I camped overnight in a queue at the Lakeside oval (indoors) to get seats allocated to each club for sale to members. I'm not sure Mr Lamb went to the footy, he didn't see too well, he was a prisoner of the Japanese in WW2 and malnutrition ruined his eyesight. I think he was a Melbourne supporter while Mrs Lamb was strongly St Kilda who had won the flag the previous year. My friend Geoff Lamb who was six months or so older than me and his brother Robert a couple of years younger had leanings I think to both Melbourne and St.Kilda. So we were really impartial on the day but Mrs Lamb was hoping for a Tiger's win as they hadn't won one for 23 years whereas Geelong won in 1963 and also twice '51,'52. I was barracking for Geelong, it was an excellent game with Richmond winning with a small margin I think 10 points. We sat on the wing in the southern stand and a strong recollection for me is that of Geelong's Tony Pollinelee's run and speed.

It was nostalgic thinking back that far of the Lambs. My friend Geoff had mental health issues at that stage not diagnosed so had a turbulent time. That night in the queue at the Lakeside oval I had my work cut out trying to stop him fighting another bloke in the sleepover queue whose pretty girlfriend Geoff was trying to hit on. Brother Robert was a talented sportsman at both football and cricket. Later he and I both attended Camberwell Grammar and played a year together in the football team. He was a star although only 16 then and was later recruited by Richmond where he played some 50 or 60 games, in the early '70's. He kicked 8 goals from a forward flank in one game against Fitzroy. Mr Lamb went for an evening walk one day and had a heart attack and died outside the post office. My family left Mt Waverley in 1971, and the Lambs did also not long after and I lost contact with them. Some years ago, more than 10 I think, I saw a death notice in the paper for Geoff. I went to his funeral, a very small gathering of close family. Robert told me Geoff lived with his mother till she died, then by himself as a bit of a recluse. He was not found till some time after death so cause could not be ascertained, but Robert said it was not likely suicide as he had given no indication and only a short while previous had bought an outboard motor for his tinny, fishing his passion. Rob said Geoff had had a sad life, his illness was misdiagnosed and had wrong medication.

I remember blogging about this at the time but do not have time to research my past writings. This nostalgia is quite painful. My adolescence was also quite turbulent and for a few years there I was a lost soul. Many find a way through, as I did, but it gives me the horrors thinking back to how reckless and stupid I was. So many don't survive, or are deeply scarred for life. Possibly it's worse today. 

Anyway enough of that. Richmond have payed in 10 grand finals 1967-1920, winning 8. Enough of bloody Richmond. My strong dislike for them seeded in 1973 when they bashed their way to to the premiership against Carlton with viscous tactic that saw champion young full back Geoff Southby bashed out of the game with a broken jaw and severe concussion. He was brilliant, and never quite regained his brilliance after that assault, and suffered long lasting repercussions despite still having a good career. There were other incidents in that game, it was a blot on football.

I must focus on the job at hand, moving house and leaving or little peace of mother earth in good nick for the new owners.

I heard a bloke talking on "The Year that Made Me" this morning (RN621 Sunday mornings). He chose a Men at Work song from 1983, Overkill, because he was on a yacht, his passion was sailing and researching blue whales when a yacht went past that had on it two members of Men at Work. I had another blast of nostalgia. I was at school at Camberwell Grammar in the same year with Greg Ham who became a member of Men at Work playing flute and sax. He was quite famous but fell victim to stress alcohol and suicide after that plagiarizing controversy over 'Land from down Under'. He was a quiet, kindly person at school, especially to a new chum like me who came from elsewhere.

I'm not into Rugby but I hope Melbourne Storm brings home the bacon tonight.