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50 YEARS A
BULLDOG
H. A. x
de Lacy talks
of...
Unforgettable
In Football
For nearly 50 years William Harris
has followed the fortunes, good
and ill, of Footsaay Football Club,
hj his more athletic days he was
known to a host of admirers as
"Chinger" Harris—the mm who met
every assault on the Footscray goal
with a stout heart arid a broad chest.
He played the good old game. He
fought in many a hempen square. He
raced the best of them. He rowed at
the first Henley on the Yarra. He
won a swimming race at the ripe age
of 52.
A
-L in a.:, rfr.rn? was a
"broih a: a blicy" to
sportsmen ol' the Foold:strict
Actuary
thai ti'ib;:;e as no: sti-n'Uy
EppUcablc. :\t V.'a: : . von''. Uie
Trii'ri5 o: Scoi !2d. fit li:c impressionablr
£ Of I! 1 .
H.ir:^. ^iiior.%
tr; io:- rv.-o years
r.p: V -A":.';:'!"
'mstoli'r".-.
took to it like
tiie time whe:
coins sua rii;c
vine distric:.. I
job.
Altrfctfs Good Sides
net o
fE was soon into I'.'v
the sportinp aniv:;
H
1
' f
cistric: and ioinec Yarraviilr • ' '
Imperials. Many youiiptu' readers
may :;o". rtnieaice: tlit*. oii-inv,
Yarravjiie team*. I snw i-onie;:-.:^ o.
then: \v;ier. they v:-::.-;; Crox'o:.
Park te p;?v the now aritme: Ho^e .j'
xor-jxox. They "e:t alwsjv ^
sides.
Tliey wore a very str;:;::i;r untforr..
Imagine the present No-::: .Mdbsurm
blue and white stripes v:t:: a brj»a'
red saali across i'..
It was in thit uniionv. •.ho -
Harris
began his competition
He
was a b;2 success ana Feutscrny s.coti..-
vere soon alter him.
Hen 1 e\'er
the v
did no: know wnere he boarded aiii!
niarie lor tiis ni;:her's heme ut Co'nur.:.
His motile-. the canr.i Sco"..
flr.d p^MlIt'-s knowing somethittfr of
the un'.'-KiLLroi: naiiirp oj her sn::.
mistook tiiem lor police. She did
ever?.'tiiint in he: power to sidetracit
tnen:
However, he finally asreec to play
TYiLh Fooi.scray anc joined them ir.
1SS5. He finished v.-ith then: in iyiS—
20 years of veoniar: service
Tiie loliowmc season. lo9G. was tin
occasion of which the rVs^ociatio:.
people speak as "the great betrayal
when the League teams hcic e. secret
meeting and walked out. totaling the
present League. Willianistown
Melbourne. North Melbou RichnioiiG
and Poo.jeray W( ; re i 's :he
remnant o: the old body anc. tne
nucleus 0. the new. _,„,., f.v
Times T.'ere hard. Piayers
t'Jnatc- if the;- got the 2 G n-nmilr'r"
They were lucky • if they p.onu. ec.
lares to "away" grounds " leL
Many j time there was lartille
paulin muster ou the station plat
form to pruduee sufficient pence to
pay the fares of the team. Still
tliey battled ou.
Unfortunately at tins
iion games attracted
nssocii.-
undesirable mobs, amo
:t';::iui! o:
notorious "Crutchy" pus
::ieir. :ne
iltrlDGtinie. The old'r Nortn
i:-.:.ir::: oi
Welcome Tc Navy Man
JJACK PAYNH . Ctvecou .v. -> c.i.i-
"I!-, son" J V. Payne. Ot
tampiir In « letler jus- :. .. hm.a.5
asked :'.) tp.flni: Tr..- 'Jiu:. st'-i-i.
rictner."' .'•''.ad •.•• the ••:
ciynrette topers ue ha.-
Joyed.
• I Mi.- sen-, five pure. ,.
etr.. ..lid tic- has Iece".rt
;:ij)polntec
remembering Lhose ciuy
:uiP(i :o nssfirir.ie pome cl^^h^
lenient
Vry.-.'cc upainsl the ac:-
Assocmrjon.
•he lnc; that the clubs
;;;(>or;ec by the pickets
Flatted
T
' members
S'.iil something ol the
.- s;uc'R to Association fooinns
who was secretary c:
m the early aavs. teU> the
hov on one occasion : n-'
Vt liie money lor Ihe larc^
r:ve .n: the appointed piaei
t:u mone> was raised but
f were rebellious when the',
the crounci only to finri
other incidental hud been
for J/- Each
HERE Were only 16 of then:,
and they refused to strip
Then tin official of thp club
arrived and promised the player?
' — ch it thev would play. So loreigi;
:>! money tiiat they wen
'.nv.loniis in double quick
:nie and played like demons
One daj
iv Foots.-ray ground The "Crutchies "
isc a "dec; o: honor" to wipe off. The*
om. rrned torce. stonmnj; the gates o:
Tliey then jumped the fenec and
headed for the grandstand. The
raretakt'r tried lo reason with them,
but a quirkiy-swuiig erutoh disposed
of him.
local
had
lornied up anc wiicn a trooper arrived,
aetwee.'i then:, they herded the
"Cititciues" ou; ol the district
During these stirring davs "Chinge-"
Harris was a stalwart in tile red. while
and blue horizontal stripes ol Footscrai
The Association were first lntc the
field in arranging interstate matches
as thev have always being first iv.
organising lor the good of the came
Harris selected to represen
Vic: oria It Adelaide He Vis vice'
captain to Her.rv ciiase m a Victorian
team that made a successful tour ol
Bendigo
big occasion camp in 190S
.'•hen the Association stole a march ol
n- Leacue and arranged a match or.
.he Melbourne Cricket Ground on the
arrival of the American
r;ee.
is estimated that 40,000 saw the
P""" 1
between Footscray and Brunsdav
ail(i
bumper gate ol
£1090 was tnket:. Hi that game Harris
was a ciiampion lor Footscray.
Tlii war finished the career ol Hal -
s in 1915 The Association disbanded
: the duration and Harris laid aside
s togs He had gner. 20 years' prone
service to the Biiiioogs and has never
ios* ins love for the- club. It is men oi
the Harris mould that made the piefai-
Footscray club possible.
Any Satardav. Hams can tie found
wiieveier the Bulldogs are playing. Hi
,., „. keei. as ever about football but
wii:i» ins lo; al:v is unchallengeable he
reiltcts oi'liintH disgust when he talks
'- ],c ginni today. Like many another
oic-'.imer he resents the way the rules
o; ihe g&nie have been, as he puts n.
in'icked up "
"Yi.ai by year I see the old panic
cie:,.!-jo:'atii.g i.n sumdarc." he says.
oetween Footscray anc
. Melbourrn Saturday was the
o. f senior fooibaU J
k\&s on the paddock
up boiler enlerUimlisyerj
follow ba!!
^ I iv 36 play erf on tiv
fuClilt ;o find moro tiiai:
!• correct posllion?"
one •inp of thcgrounc
inf-r. go kick-hunt.mp
I pet ."0 annoyed Thar J
fchking "Doesn't air» one
Jic.sr Barge or Bash!
K
IDP io6ay. and senior players
ju>:t won't take 'the
to learn the game.
Everyth'.i.i: is slummed—their kickmg.
ihei: murkn^g They run when
they shouiu uvm into trouble as
ii it was nobody v. basjjifss. Evasion
xuif been lost Today yoi: bai-ge or bash
your way through.
"I heard a hian b-n fino&her ou
SaLurda> that the ball would be kicked
inio the man on the mark five time*
game. He collected belorr
!threc-quaner time. Imagine that!
"Do tliat once when lootball was
. .football and you iied to give an
o'
jjUuuuior, Do it ivaec smri ere ;
10
lootball—to vaMe a ^d-eanwd '
"The scienrr has been bashed
•rut of football. W> had roujrh
rallies. W> had In put up with primitive
renditions and unruly mobs,
but. believe me. the vinous thing*
1 see done rarh week would nol
have been tolerated for a minute
in our day.
"It seems to nie ai times Uiat tile
that ,f you can't beat a
lairiy malm him.
ules are m the most unintellhpible
ncie thai one chii imagine We never
and the worn about life holding-llie-
have seen the Association games
Thev have over the bufbear. In
they are encouraging the real oldloot
ball again—last-moving ooa-
T. that take a quick loot or liana
ss Then game is never bungled up
o ai: inexplicable muadle.
Their i-ules against knocking a man
down and wastfie tune are real win-
Weli. it is just
have lo judge
for nils! ii lias done to the game.
1
{jack''the "llf* l^oth' fet-fl™™^
__il that is The real Australiaii
game. It has rid the game ol aUI this
knock-down stuff we see every day in
the League. 1 am all lor the throw. I
think the Association rules will prove
the salvation of the game."
Talking o! the players today. Harris
Hunks thai Ware and Torney are two
cs the best big men he has seen. Ol
'-he small men he likes Harry Hjckey,
says he lias all the football sense ol a
'eal top-notdie- He pairs Hickev
a P « JrmS Essendon P pla er Rolv
Wm: as two of Lhe cleverest small
me'i he has seen
\ ft fitter iA'tlder
T
...
ALKING or the players over
the years, he considers that
the came has never had a
finer Jeader or a better general
ti.iiii Dookie McKenzie.
Of all the half-forwards and centres
lie has seen. Alau Hopkins Mood alone.
However, he has a soft spot lor Hen
chas e the
' Brunswick fiver. rid
in defence he has found no man to.
equal the stout-chested Joe M.irRiothe
streatest hall-back the game producea.
he says. Ii is noteworthy iliat
many other old-timers spree on
prowess of Marmo.
including
Peter
Burns.
" Marmo ran-ipd a defence
his
dash and his brilliant shepherding."
Hams savs
"1 plaved behind hrni m
S^l 3 know how good lie was."
There were many other alhletic sides
to "Chinger" Harris He was a member
of "Nicky" Peach's pytnnaslum along
Willi Uie late Billy Palmer—lather of
Ambrose, It was a hard school. Every
boy was a "good-un" and as tough as
nails
Hams fought Eddie Kevs to a points
decision in 12 rounds at the old Demo-,
crauc c!ub in Exhibition Street. He
josi on a k.o to Fred Pitman, but desealed
Billv Isles and Joe McCanhv.,
He sparred with all the best men o! his'
day and gave as much as he collected.
They were roaring days "Nicky
Peach':
.
He rowed No. 4 in svwsrrav n,iv
19)5 !n 8
^
half-mile
10 McMas
known ^ T ^runner.
^ l
, * rs - a i
At 52 years he came bark and
won a handicap swimming rare In
nod company—not bad for an oldun
we nurht say in praise of the
performance.
The breed of the "Chiuge_t Harri:
ver be forgotten They gave
- - fnlmdannn, „(• onr „amp-.
w lne
and
our foundations ol our game.
P"eat sporting institutions a solid-
''>. will withstand the clmllenges
0 l J; lme ', , ,
7116
old-timer played ins part, and
took his knocks lor the glory of the
same. He licked his sores and went
back lor more, and in doing so gave to
Australian AU3LJ ttitdll playing fJiajtilUL fields a code—an UNS All
Australian plays ., it u> the ' bitter "end,
J
and never quits.
lie davs of professlonahsm it is'
good to stop and" think of the old-;
tlmers and the heritage they have given;
| WILLIAM "Chinger" HARRIS Help
|
WILLIAM
"Chinger"
HARRIS
$