George, Stan & Rover Reunion

It is now 24 hours since the Socceroos dream was shattered by yet another "very ordinary" refereeing decision. Rather than vent my spleen on the standard of FIFA officials at the 2006 World Cup, here's a quote from an independent observer.

Rohit Brijnath of The Hindu writes:

Driven by dreams
Football is driven as much by dreaming as it is by tactics and fitness, thus leaving room for heartbreak. Ronaldinho has said that at 14 he realised his purpose was to win the World Cup. Australia's dream was just to arrive at a cup, and there is something grotesque about men striving for 95 minutes only to have their ambitions betrayed by a referee's error.

How tragic was Italy's penalty against Australia: it came with no time left for reply, it came because of a foul against Lucas Neill who did not put a foot wrong all tournament, it came because an Italian swooned on contact with Neill and the referee believed the performance. Cried Tim Cahill: "All the hard work and spirit has been for nothing."

Australia is possibly the story of this cup, for almost every other attending nation lives for football, in Australia it is only being discovered. Now the prime minister has been filmed cheering, and for a politician to turn a sport into a photo opportunity it must be important.

For all the imperfections of Australian football, its performances were almost perfect in their effect. They demonstrated to sceptical Australians the beauty of football (the thrill of three goals in the final eight minutes against Japan, the catastrophe against Italy), and advertised to the football world, where it is mostly unacknowledged, the boldness of the sporting Australian.

They will get over their heartbreak, but for us the tragedies of the cup remain. Like waking up to watch an ugly England, and then wondering why we did not sleep on.

Thanks for the memories boys.

I’m beginning to understand why some people find “blogging” a bit of an addiction. It does provide a means of blowing off steam on subjects which you are passionate about. So please excuse my rabbiting on about the World Cup again when I’m supposed to be organising a reunion….BUT, did you see this mornings football game between Australia and Croatia. It ended in a 2-2 draw but once again the quality of the refereeing has to be questioned.

You have to wonder if there was a conspiracy going on, in Germany, to deny the Socceroos their rightful place in the round of 16. The pommie Premier League referee Graham Poll, who was in charge of this mornings Australia match, was simply apPOLLing…. sorry about the pun, I just could not help myself. His knowledge of the rules of the game is sadly deficient. As far as I’m aware, a rugby tackle in the penalty area should result in a penalty kick. Not, apparently, in the opinion of Graham Poll. And he appears to be ignorant of the rule regarding which players are allowed to punch the ball in the penalty area. That’s restricted to the goalkeeper, Graham. Have a look at the rule book, mate. AND he can’t count. After getting TWO yellow cards, a player should be sent off the field, Graham. Not three!

And another thing, while we are on the subject of World Cup officials, might I suggest that FIFA review all offside decisions by linesmen (PC=referees assistants). There have been far too many incorrect decisions, and the worst offenders should be given a red card and told to pack their bags. Any marginal offside decision should go the way of the attacking side, not the defending side, which is what is happening at present. That will result in more goal scoring opportunities, which is what the public want.
There, I feel a lot better after getting that off my chest.

I did notice that the “Fat Man” had a bit of a yodel for Brazil in the Japan game and scored a couple of goals.

WARNING: Italy beware. The Men From Down Under are going to “Bite yer legs”.

It would appear that a new endangered species has been identified. It is the Brazilian Football Player at the 2006 World Cup. According to the Brazilian Spin Doctors the species is threatened by overly aggressive opponents, particularly the Australian species known as the Socceroos. In accordance with the Spin Doctors guidelines this newly endangered species is being given special protection....by World Cup referees.

The species can be identified by its yellow and blue plumage, often with a partially or fully shaved head. It has recently been seen in Germany, on football pitches, running around with one arm extended, to illegally keep its opponents at bay. Should an opponent come within an arms length of the species, it is liable to collapse in a screaming heap, at which point the referee will caution the opponent....for attempted murder.

Fair Dinkum! A magnificent performance by the Socceroos this morning. The 2-0 score line in favour of Brazil was not representative of the way the match played out. I think Brazil would have been flattered by a 1-1 draw.

On the basis of Brazil's first two matches, I cannot see them winning this World Cup. I am tempted to say that if Brazil do win this World Cup, I will walk the length of Collins Street, backwards, naked, and in a stooped position....but you never know when the "Fat Man" will decide its time to sing.

World Cup result:
Australia 3 Japan 1

That result again:
Australia 3 Japan 1

And especially for the all the knockers and "Doubting Thomas's":
Australia 3 Japan 1

They left it a bit late.
But I am chuffed.
And tired.
Bring on Brazil.

This is to update everyone on the telephone and email “goss” which has come my way in the last few weeks.
1. Chrissie Jobson, who was on the Aussie leg of the trip and now works for a large broadcasting company in the UK, will be coming to Melbourne to cover the Formula 1 Grand Prix next year. The race is provisionally scheduled for March 1 to 4, but needs to be officially confirmed. This date pretty much fits in with the time I suggested in my first email to everyone.
2. I am being pressed by Queenslanders to set a definite reunion date. Seems there’s been a sale of cheap airfares going on up North recently.
3. Peter and Jean Ide have been doing some great sleuthing work in NZ. They are hot on the trail of Rae (Lancaster) Drake and Don Clark, and have also got a lead on Colin and Carol Francis who were on the Turkey to India leg of the trip, travelling with Wendy and Barb Thomas in the Bedford van.
4. As I mentioned in the last post, Graham Strachan has sent me his journal/scrapbook of the overland trips, which will make recalling things a bit easier when I get around to writing something on the Africa and Aussie trips.
5. Marg Curry has been overseas for the last month, attending a wedding in the UK and taking a holiday in Europe. I believe she is due back in Oz next week.

That’s all for now folks. Need to get some sleep. I’ve got the watching of 64 World Cup matches to fit into the next month. Most of them late at night, or early in the morning.
Go the Socceroos.

I was day-dreaming a few days ago, trying to recall the time we were travelling in Western Australia, and we managed the travel arrangements so that all the “poms” spent the day together in the Land Rover. The reason for organising this subterfuge was to get together to compose a song which reflected our thoughts on the first few weeks of travelling in Oz. I was trying to remember the title of the song it was based on, and couldn’t, and was thinking that I might post a request for anyone who could recall the song and the lyrics.
A couple of days later, John and Sandy Smith called around with a surprise packet. John had recently contacted Graham Strachan, who is running a South American travel business in Croydon, Victoria – see the link on the right: Destination Holidays.
The surprise which John brought was Graham’s scrapbook of the trip in 1970-71, containing contributions from just about everyone who was on the trip. It was like being presented with the Holy Grail. And contained within the pages were the lyrics to the song I had been trying to recall a few days earlier.
With many thanks to Graham, and Sandie and Chrissie Jobson who had the foresight to write down the lyrics, and to the tune of “We three Kings…” here is…

The Poms Song

We six poms from England are,
Come to Aussie via Africa,
Streams and creeks, pisses and leaks,
Stopping at ev’ry bar.

Chorus:

Ohhh, land of nothing, land of shite,
Land of flies that torment and bite,
Eastward heading, clothes we’re shedding,
What will happen to us tonight.

Verse 2
We came here with hopes so high,
All we’ve left is a throat that’s dry,
The price of beer is too bloody dear,
And all we can do is sigh.

Verse 3
Land of sheep and kangaroos,
Waterless rivers and stupid emus,
Bushflies, bores and Hay Street whores,
Travellin’ our way right through.

Verse 4
Melbourne’s there, we could be late,
For we had three broken clutch plates,
This is the end, we’re round the bend,
So we’ll wish you “Hiya Mates!”


Unlikely to make the top ten, but not bad for a one day effort while travelling several hundred kilometres, in 40 degree heat, in remote W.A.

I thought it might be time to put up a list of the people who have not been mentioned in emails or discussions as being on someone’s list of contacts. I have been through my old address book, circa 1970, and come up with this list, with my last known address. If anyone reading this has any other information please let me know by email or through contact details on the profile page.

Here’s the list:

Australia
Barb Rosa (Cooper) – Hotham Street, East St. Kilda, Victoria
Wendy Thomas – Warringah Road, Forestville, NSW
Barb Thomas – Warringah Road, Forestville, NSW
Heather Storey – Peel Street, Manly, Queensland

New Zealand
Don Clark – Kibblewhite Road, Masterton
Paul Foster – Third Street, Masterton
Rae Lancaster – Browns Road Christchurch
Colin Francis – Papatoetoe, Auckland
Carol Francis– Papatoetoe, Auckland
Mike Jackson - Rotorua

Africa
Alan Boyd – How Avenue, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, S.A.
Roelof (Butch) Roberts – Harvey Street, Umkomaas, Natal, S.A.
Pat Harnden – Lambourne Farm, Chegutu (formerly Hartley), Zimbabwe

U.K.
Bob Martin


Could everyone put on their detective hats and make a big effort to try and contact these long “misplaced” friends. You could start by checking out this website - NetTrace - which has suggestions for lines of enquiry.
I’ll shout dinner to anyone who can come up with a contact address. But you’ll have come to Melbourne to get a free feed!