Stark contrast
All who visit the precincts of Assumption College Kilmore nowadays are high in praise of the modern buildings and superb sweep of playing fields, gardens and avenues of trees. It is certainly a far cry from the scene pictured.
This was pretty much the ‘landscape’ until the 1940s. Probably until around the 80s life remained fairly spartan but very few students from those past decades have criticised the life and times they were part of.
Almost without exception, they praise the teachers of the Marists and lay teachers they encountered, and so very many echo the sentiment ‘it set us up for our later lives and gave us priceless friendships’.
Footy again
The seasons come and go so quickly and now its footy once more – AFL in the southern states, rugby in the north. Defending champions Geelong may be the early title favourite in these parts but in an 18-team competition there will most always be surprises.
The modern game is a far cry from the VFL days when there were six games in Victoria every Saturday all covered in the evening by the long defunct Herald or Sporting Globe.
For most of VFL history, players had jobs, trained Tuesdays and Thursdays, probably had steak and eggs at noon on game day before turning up at their suburban oval to play in front of a full house.
Each team had only one coach then and there certainly wasn’t the modern-day support cast of ‘thousands’.
It was a long era when country and suburban footy really thrived with participation rates high and no shortage of volunteers.
Sport has always been at its best about rivalry and at least strong rivalries across the generations have survived – as the sketch below shows.
Varia
Across its 150 years history Australian cricket has thrown up a really great player once in a generation.
The latest and most timely such player is the West Australian all rounder Cameron Green. His debut century in the final test at Ahmedabad, India, was his breakthrough moment.
Good judges are high in praise for the young all-rounder, tipping he could be this nation’s best all rounder since the legendary Keith Miller.
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The test crowd record was far from broken on the opening day of the final test in India.
The vast stadium, named after Prime Minister Modi, holds 132,000 people. In searing 44-degree heat just 70,000 turned up. On the following days around 40,000 attended but were lost in the cavernous stands.
The MCG has the highest single day crowd record – 93,000 – for an Ashes test a decade ago. Melbourne also holds the record for a five day test – with an aggressive attendance of 350,000.
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Congratulations to Josef and Margaret Brida of Whittlesea who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the weekend.
Family members and friends gathered to pay tribute to a fine couple who raised three daughters Danni, Natalie and Tara, each of whom attended ACK and have progressed well in family and working lives.
