What made us 'Collingwood people'? - Add your story

[TurkishPie]

I grew up in Wellington Street. So I am born and bred.

[Troppo]

Great post and good memories Troppo and a slightly belated welcome to the site.

Your cousin hung about here (at Nicks) for a couple of years, but we didn't get on too well and he was eventually encouraged to wander off. He has the distinction of being the first, and for many years the only, Collingwood supporter to get the boot from Nick's.

Thanks Mike.

I cannot imagine which cousin of mine you may be referring to - they're all true gentlemen! Must be confusing my cousins with some other miscreant.

I should also mention that in the late '80's I worked as a Hotel Broker with one of Syd's sons - Jack Coventry (may have had some reserve games at Vic Park in late '40's) - and he was quite a character. Often returned home by the Rozzers drunk in control of the family dogs while walking through Clifton Hill!

[3rd degree]

Troppo , jesus what an amazing post ! great tales and life in all that!

[KYPREO]

When my dad's family emigrated to Australia, they lived in Collingwood - my dad has been following the Pies ever since.

[Clemo]

Gee, I must be in there somewhere. Now what page was that ?

Let me see.....

[Troppo]

Troppo , jesus what an amazing post ! great tales and life in all that!

Thanks 3rd degree, I can see from your 'location' that you are Collingwood 'souled'! Anyone who has read Frank Hardy's 'Power Without Glory' would understand about John Wren's tote and his powerful influence on the Collingwood flats early last century.

Many are the faithful that could share their B&W lives here I'm sure. A lot of rot spews from the orifices of our detractors about our one-eyed fanaticism with many lurid suggestions about our lack of knowledge of who our fathers were and our less than polite badinage towards our opponents on match day.

I strongly remember being taken to a game at the original Fitzroy ground (remember Collingwood winning well that day!) and being led past the Fitzroy members stand and looking up at the rabid enemy. To a man they were all grotesque with misshapen heads and I knew I had seen evidence of living troglodytes. I went to my spot in the outer to stand on beer cans and cheer on our boys to victory - after the game when returning past the members stand there wasn't a soul there! I guess they all found rocks to slither under.

[jeff corfe]

Troppo , jesus what an amazing post ! great tales and life in all that!

Thanks 3rd degree, I can see from your 'location' that you are Collingwood 'souled'! Anyone who has read Frank Hardy's 'Power Without Glory' would understand about John Wren's tote and his powerful influence on the Collingwood flats early last century.

Many are the faithful that could share their B&W lives here I'm sure. A lot of rot spews from the orifices of our detractors about our one-eyed fanaticism with many lurid suggestions about our lack of knowledge of who our fathers were and our less than polite badinage towards our opponents on match day.

I strongly remember being taken to a game at the original Fitzroy ground (remember Collingwood winning well that day!) and being led past the Fitzroy members stand and looking up at the rabid enemy. To a man they were all grotesque with misshapen heads and I knew I had seen evidence of living troglodytes. I went to my spot in the outer to stand on beer cans and cheer on our boys to victory - after the game when returning past the members stand there wasn't a soul there! I guess they all found rocks to slither under.

I have taken the journey down the back lane ways associated with John Wrens tote the shop is still there albeit these days some run down mechanical repair shop, was an awesome experience imagining the cops on the walk from Russel st to get Wren and of course Wren having his men on the lookout..what a sensational chapter in the history of collingwod.

[3rd degree]

Yeah its a very cool feeling isn't Joffa I remember going down there not long after reading 'Power Without Glory'. You could just imagine Cauliflower Dick giving the coppers the slip and the tick tacks signalling when the coppers drew near. I love hearing how Wren would drop in and see Bobbie Rose I think that's mentioned in Bobby Rose's book.

[Johnson#26]

Great topic, love the old classics to be bumped up every now and then.

What made me a Collingwood person? It's in the blood. It was Dad's way or the highway.

When I was seven I used to threaten if I didn't get what I wanted I'd change alligences to Essendon. Dad was disgusted!

[Clemo]

Joffa...great idea mate

Well...where do I start.
It all began on the GF of 1966, when I was four months from being born. The Pies had lost by 1 point. Well would you believe, if tell ya that...it all began back when I was 5 or 6 in primary school, and after Richmond's premiership in 1973 or 1974. My school friend was a Richmond supporter, so I thought I would become one too. I asked my mum and dad to buy a jumper for me. But instead of getting me a Richmond jumper they got me a Collingwood jumper by mistake. My parents were early immagrants from Italy and knew nothing about footy at the time. My dad still calls Collingwood "Collin-good" as a stir. I never asked them to return the jumper. I thought to myself. "Hmmm nice colours...I may as well support them". It was fate. But I never really got serious about supporting Collingwood until I turned 10 in 1977. I was visiting my cousin Rena's house and he would always listened to them on the radio when were were young, and coicendently they were playing Richmond that day. I'm not sure what round, but they beat them well and I was hooked. Ever since that day, I have got more and into them. My cousin and I are inseperable and have watched the Pies together on TV or live for many years. We have progressed from being supporters to season ticket holders to social club members. We've had our highs of 90 (although we missed the GF as we couldn't get tickets) and lows of 77 (and the replay), 79, 80, 81. But I can see a big future for the Pies. Look out.

Well I found it my post of 2001.

Kind of right - 2002 & 2003 were big...not so big 2004 & 2005...but look out for 2006....I hope

[lethalburns]

err double post

[skaman]

Great post Troppo. You must be following me all over Australia!. My brothers and sisters went to Bennetswood (I went to Narmara), then we all went to Burwood High. My Cousin is David Flintoff (Haw/Melb.), cousin of Gary Lyon (Melb). Half my family are converted Hawtorn to Melbourne supporters, whilst my immediate side are dyed in the wool Pies! I remember sometime back in my youth, a drunken uncle at Xmas bought me a Hawthorn jumper to convert me, to which I replied, "piss off", much to the horror of my poor ol mum.
Black and white just happen to be my two favorite colours. Ska music, signified by black and white checks, and of course the striking, famous black and white stripes of the greatest team in Australia!

[Troppo]

[quote="skaman"]Great post Troppo. You must be following me all over Australia!. My brothers and sisters went to Bennetswood (I went to Narmara), then we all went to Burwood High. My Cousin is David Flintoff (Haw/Melb.), cousin of Gary Lyon (Melb). Half my family are converted Hawtorn to Melbourne supporters, whilst my immediate side are dyed in the wool Pies! I remember sometime back in my youth, a drunken uncle at Xmas bought me a Hawthorn jumper to convert me, to which I replied, "piss off", much to the horror of my poor ol mum.[quote]

Thanks skaman! I guess there is a certain karma in our mutual links. After I left Bennetswood I also attended Burwood High for a year before going to college in Adelaide for a while. Returning to Melbourne I went to MHS and then out to Blackburn High - quite a rotation in secondary education - but you can only follow your family fortunes can't you. While I was at Blackie High I played in the school basketball team with Don Scott who of course went on to a great career with the Hawks. I always felt his temperament was more suited to Victoria Park - he was always a mongrel!

Don and I caught up in the 80's when he had a horse property in Melbourne's outer east. He was involved in show jumping at the time and had built a massive indoor training arena which was widely used by other horse clubs for shows and I used to compete there on my Quarter horses. Don was still his mongrellish self and was very put out when my Rotty demolished one of his prize watch dogs! He was further pissed when he found my dog's name was 'Weideman'!

Now we are both in the dry tropics metropolis of Brownsville - must catch up at some time.

[Jamie loves Collingwood]

My support for the Mighty pies goes back to 1996. Being in west australia i get persecuted every day for being a pie supporter. 10 yr anneversary this yr! Let's cap that off with a flag!

[favourites 2008]

Fantastic Topic.

What makes me collingwood??
Well my love for collingwood begun as a little kid, my parents were collingwood supporters (although not die hard), they took me to my first game Round 21 1992, i was 5 years old and it was at waverly Coll vs Carlton!! i would never forget that day and to this day i still get shivers of the roar that of the first bounce, i cant remember how many were there but i know it was upwards of 70,000!! The thing got me hooked was at that time Gavin Brown, what an absolute champion!! I had my first jumper after the game and took up aus kick in the next season!! It was an unbelievable experience that as a kid you thought was the best thing ever!! Now 14 yrs on n im still loving my footy, ive passed it onto as many as possible and now coaching at under 13's level it really pleases me to see people enjoy the game i love. What makes anyone Collingwood?? i think its the fact that when we lose it hurts, but we get up the next week and get behind them, we sit through the bad times and enjoy the better times, i went to GF in 2002 and it was the most heart breaking ive ever felt! Now 4 years on i understand what a magical effort that was and the moment of Josh fraser kicking that banana goal in the goal sqr will live with me forever. Its exciting to watch this year the new arrivals of players such as Swan, Thomas, Shaw and its exciting to know that the Rus isnt far away, Harry is learning and Goers such as Lockyer are finally regaining some form.