50 Year Anniversary, Neil Sachse Tragedy, April 12th 1975-2025

[josie]

Fantastic memories Jeanette54. Thankyou for sharing them.

Have you seen new museum at WO yet? I’ve only seen it through the glass. Some priceless & great doggies memorabilia including a wonderful dazzling cheer squad outfit.

[BornInDroopSt'54]

⁷
I am starting to realise that even my own memories of Western Oval are somewhat distant for so many of WOOF's contributors. And, of course, there will be some whose memories well pre-date mine. Its now (well on May 2nd) fifty-five years since EJ's last game, and 66 years since my first real recollections of a cold, dark, wintry Western Oval on a Saturday afternoon (it was almost always Saturday afternoon back then). I do remember one Anzac Day game against St. Kilda at Junction Oval. EJ played in attack with the wind, and in defense when we kicked against it. But it was a special day for another reason. At half time there was a ripple of applause from the Bulldog fans, gradually getting closer to us. The subject of this admiration turned out to be Footscray Brownlow medalist, Norm Ware, and because my Grandad knew him from cricket or something, I was given the singular honour of a hand shake from the great man. In those VFL days, it was truly a suburban game, with so many now defunct ovals. Victoria Park, Glenferrie, Brunswick Street, Albert Park, Junction Oval, Princess Park, Windy Hill and Punt Road. There were no ovals named after sponsors back then, and even the best footballers had full time jobs which kept them in touch with their local communities. Spectator facilities were abysmal, as anyone who used the corrugated iron clad, cold and flooded loos at the scoreboard end will attest. Speaking of loos, I remember the toilets at the MCG with their painted signs, detailing which armed forces units were authorised to use which facility block; a left over from WW2. The Footy Records were sixpence, and later a shilling, and all the keen punters (including some of the players) would pay attention to the race results which were displayed on the scoreboard for all to see, and note in the Record. The seats around the oval fence were "reserved" for their regulars, a bunch of fearsome old ladies, and woe betide anyone silly enough to sit in one of these spots. I am sure they contributed to an increase in my vocabulary, none of which I could use at home. And then there was the Police Horse, which was ridden from the South Melbourne stables every match day. During the game it "lived" in a small cyclone fenced enclosure, into which it was reversed after patrolling the oval each game interval. Then there was the Hide Street State Scholl band, and the big canvas sheet for collecting donations at three quarter time. The players dressing rooms held the greatest treasure of all, the Victorian Champions Pennant, on the wall, enclosed in a cracked glass case. No other club had one, it was ours. Which takes me back to another of my Granddad's Bulldog stories, he was at that game. Sorry I didn't mean to go on this long, but once you got me started.....

Thank you for recording this precious oral history of our times so long ago now, yet still alive as long as we can share them.
Every word was redolent with piquant memories of when we were young and in love with Footscray F.C. and it's community, Saturday Footy live at the oval with all sorts in the crowd going primal haha.
I cried when alone watching us soundly beat Carlton there and the crowd, the true faithful were joyous with victory like no other, the crowd moved me.
It is fitting that we share this history in memory of Niel Sachse.

[Jeanette54]

Great to have a dad with his generation's knowledge of the club and players.
He'd have plenty of cherished memories worth writing down

The oral history gets lost.

I can tell you that he rated Alan Hopkins as the best bulldog ever. But after he met Chris Grant at an East-West function, he could only talk about what a fine young man Chris was, and the respect he showed our elderly supporters. He also used to talk about the depression years at Footscray, and how they would all wait outside the ground until three quarter time, after which entry was free. With work so hard to find, and the evictions of so many renters a common site, even the small entry charge was too much for many supporters.

Like so many other supporters the history of this club was intertwined with our family history.