Collingwood

by Daley, Paul

  I sit on a bench in the sun as fresh-faced, lycra-clad young mums push strollers along the reserve’s pathways, and a dad kicks a footy with his little blond boy, dappled light dancing down upon them through the leaves of the tree canopy, and I wonder if the people who live here today know what I know.

  Just around the corner is Abbotsford Street. Today it is gentrified and home largely to working couples. It’s quiet, devoid of the life that characterised it when Doc moved in—kids on tricycles and playing marbles in the gutters, neighbours chatting over side fences, and barrow men selling their produce.

  A majestic jacaranda shades the front yard and the little verandah of the Seddons’ old place with a great flourish of vivid purple flowers. This is where Doc, supposedly as big a team disciplinarian as the great McHale and ‘Uncle’ Wal Lee, sat with the boys the night before some matches, him chain-smoking, having surrendered to their demands for Hughie Thomas’ stash of warm beer from the hat stand in the hall.

  It is only when you walk these streets that you realise how small the world must have been to the people whose lives, at once ordinary and remarkable, played out here. From Victoria Park to Smith Street, just a few blocks across—that’s all. Although for Doc and Percy there was also Egypt, Flanders and the Somme.

  As I watch Doc and Louie’s old house from across the road, I recall how, long after Percy had been buried on the Somme, a weary old man had walked along Abbotsford Street and knocked on the door opposite me. Louie and Doc let him in. He ignored the two young Seddon children completely. He had eyes only for young Perc and he gave the teenager a cardboard box.

  ‘I’ve brought this for you. It belongs to your father.’

  It held the silver tea service that the boy’s father had won as the ‘Most Popular Collingwood Player’ of 1913. The boy held it in his hands, inspecting it closely. And he wondered at the name that was inscribed on the precious thing: ‘P E Rowan’.

  Acknowledgements

  The story of Doc Seddon, Percy Rowe and Louie Newby is not mine. It belongs to the descendants of the protagonists, an exceedingly warm and generous bunch of people who welcomed me into their homes and lives so that I could recount, for a broader audience, the story that has been at the heart of their families for almost a century.

  I thank them for honestly sharing the details—at times very painful—of the remarkable and emotionally complicated relationship at the heart of this narrative.

  My task was made immeasurably easier by the archival work carried out over many decades by Shirley Monohan, the daughter of Doc and Louie Seddon. Her meticulous gathering and collation of Seddon and Rowe family histories made my job possible. Thank you.

  Thanks also to Shirley’s son Allan Monohan, the grandson of Doc and Louie Seddon, and his wife Lyn, for their openness and hospitality. Allan’s laconic approach and candour informed so many sensitive elements of this story. I’d also like to acknowledge Allan’s sister, Anne, and his brother, Ian Monohan.

  Meanwhile, another one of Doc’s grandsons, David Seddon, was endlessly helpful. He arranged for my meetings with members of both the Seddon and Rowe families and went to great lengths to answer my prying questions in good humor. His mother Dorothy—the daughter-in-law of Doc and Louie—always stressed the warmth of her in-laws and how they had welcomed her into the Seddon family. She graciously shared details of their lives and offered her incisive perceptions about the lives of Doc and Percy and Louie. Thanks, Dorothy.

  I am also greatly appreciative of the efforts of the other grand-children on the Seddon side of the story: Ronnie Seddon and Merrilyn—Lyn—Chamberlain. Thanks also to their dad, Malcolm Seddon Junior, who, like his father Doc, was a great footballer in his day.

  On the Rowe side of the family, I would like to pay a special acknowledgement to two in particular of the grandchildren of Louie and Percy Rowe/Paddy Rowan—Carole Schmidt (formerly Rowe) and Ian Rowe. Like his cousins, the Seddons, Ian welcomed me into his home so that I could prod and probe all elements of his family history. He was patient through this deeply emotional process, and very forthcoming. So, too was Carole, who was ever helpful with follow-up emails and phone calls that provided little details that helped breathe life into the narrative.

  Thanks also to Carole’s husband, Norm Schmidt, not least for helping me with a few more details about the short, eventful football career of grandfather William Bourke, but also for providing a loving home for my long-abandoned collection of vintage Richmond football cards.

  Bob Johnson, the husband of Percy’s deceased granddaughter Sandra, was also extremely helpful, with his recollection of golden anecdotes that his wife had passed on to him—and not least by producing for my benefit the silver trophy awarded to ‘PE Rowan’ as Collingwood’s most popular player for 1913.

  The Collingwood Football Club President, Eddie McGuire, has for a long time cherished the story of Doc, Percy and Louie. I thank him for giving me carte blanche access to the resources of his club archive so that I could look behind, deconstruct and reconstruct (complete with all its sometimes unpalatable earthiness and complexity) a story that is so dear to the heart of his club.

  Thanks to all at the Collingwood Football Club Archive, who meticulously worked through my long list of queries, but especially to the club’s chief historian, Peter Furniss, and to Tom Wanliss and Pat Overend, who scrutinised the manuscript for historical accuracy.

  It was many years ago when I heard a vague story about a horseshoe that was fashioned on the European Western Front from a downed German aircraft, and of its connection to a couple of Collingwood players, and one woman. I thought little more of it until the chief executive of MUP, Louise Adler told me she had recently bumped into Eddie McGuire who had told her ‘this fantastic love story . . . and don’t you think it would make a wonderful book?’

  Louise’s interest was infectious, especially given my Collingwood heritage. Collingwood: A Love Story was born. Thank you, once again, Louise.

  I was fortunate from the very beginning of this project to have the enthusiastic backing and practical support of Foong Ling Kong, an exceptionally creative editor, who helped me to shape the narrative in the face of a formidable deadline. Thanks also to Paul Smitz, who guided me through the final edit so seamlessly (and painlessly), always with empathy for my intent and approach, and to Cathy Smith, the editor who managed the production of this book at Melbourne University Publishing. Thanks also to Jacqui Gray at MUP and to Caroline Finch, who helped with my research at the State Library of Victoria.

  And thank you to Barrie Cassidy for reading a late draft and responding so quickly with feedback, and to Ian McPhedran and Peter Fray, two mates who were constantly encouraging of this project.

  My sincere appreciation also goes to Harold Mitchell and Tony Smith, Carlton die-hards, who generously gave my son Joe the most memorable twelfth birthday present possible.

  I want to express my sincere gratitude to Mike Bowers, a great mate who gave enormously of his time and energy to shoot and collate the photographs for this book. Mike accompanied me to France in the depths of a bitter European winter, to help me journey in the footsteps of Percy and Doc as they fought on the Western Front nearly a century ago. While there, we had the extraordinary experience of helping to remove the body of a World War I Australian soldier from the mud. In the first person narrative used in this book, it is ‘I’ who helped remove the digger’s bones. But we were there together and not only was Mike equally involved in the process, he managed to photograph it, too.

  On the Somme, Vic and Diane Puik generously assisted me in my quest to trace the movements of Doc and Percy. I thank them for their generous help and warm hospitality. Thanks, also, to Dominique Zanardi and Barbara Legrand for sharing their insights and guiding us around the battlefields.

  I read widely during my research and drew on the rich lode of archival material about the birth and growth of Collingwood at the Coll
ingwood Library. A Short History of Collingwood by GM Hibbens (published by the Collingwood Historical Society in 1997) proved to be an invaluable background text. Richard Stremski’s Kill for Collingwood (Allen & Unwin, 1986) also proved to be an essential resource when it came to the history of the Collingwood Football Club, as were several books by Michael Roberts and Glenn McFarlane—The Official Collingwood Illustrated Encyclopedia (Geoff Slattery Publishing, 2004), The Machine (Collingwood Football Club, 2005), Collingwood at Victoria Park (Collingwood Football Club, 1999) and A Century of the Best (by Michael Roberts, Collingwood Football Club, 1991), and I acknowledge quoting from the last of these.

  I also quoted directly from—and acknowledge—the following books and their authors: In Those Days—Collingwood Remembered (Yarra Libraries, 1979); To the Last Ridge—The World War One Experiences of WH Downing (Grub Street, London, 2005); Joshua Levine’s Forgotten Voices of the Somme (Ebury, 2008), and Ron Austin’s Black and Gold (Slouch Hat, 1997). I also acknowledge drawing on several articles about Collingwood by Martin Flanagan, published in The Age. One, in particular—‘The Magpie Method’ (28 August 2010)—was especially instructive in my use of the term ‘the Collingwood method’. Thank you, Martin.

  I could not have written this book without re-reading both Power Without Glory by Frank Hardy and The Real John Wren by Hugh Buggy. Thanks also to Chris Wren QC and Arnold Thomas, whose knowledge of amateur boxing in Victoria at the turn of last century proved to be highly instructive.

  I also acknowledge quoting from a range of newspaper archives, especially those of The Argus, The Herald and Sporting Judge.

  Last, but perhaps most importantly, I’d like to thank my wife Lenore Taylor, who is an exceptionally talented and committed journalist and writer. She has been endlessly supportive of my writing and she keeps our family together when I’m at the ‘pointy end’.

  Foreword

  Contents

  Author’s Note

  Index

  In this index, LN is Louisa ‘Louie’ Newby (later Louisa Rowe and Louisa Seddon), MS is Malcolm Seddon Sr, and PR is Percy Edward Rowe, alias Paddy Rowan.

  1st Australian Imperial Force 76, 117

  4th Australian Division 137

  5th Australian Division 87, 137, 143–4

  5th Field Company Engineers 131–2, 150

  12th Field Company Engineers 151

  29th Battalion

  casualties in 158

  in Zenith trench line 164

  moved to Tel el Kebir 137

  MS and PR volunteer for 87

  on Western Front 103–4, 134

  A Century of the Best 113–14, 212

  Abbotsford Juniors Football Club 33–4

  Abbotsford Primary School 33

  Abbotsford Street house 43, 208, 218, 251–2

  Aboriginal inhabitants 10

  accommodation in Collingwood 11, 22–3

  Albert (town) 152

  Alexandra Parade 10, 230

  Anzac biscuit souvenirs 194–5, 195

  Argus system 105

  Ascanius 134, 136

  Athletic Pavilion 50

  Atkinson, Graeme 115

  Austin, Ronald 115–16

  Austral Theatre 28

  Australian casualties in World War I 134–5, 148, 155

  Australian Football League 61 see also Victorian Football League

  Australian Light Horse 136

  Australian Rules Football 66, 193 see also Carlton Football Club; Victorian Football Association; Victorian Football League

  Bailleul Base 152

  Bapaume (town) 189

  basic training 97–8, 104

  Baxter, Tom 58–9, 65

  Bean, Charles W 195–6

  Beazley, William 25–6

  Bendigo League 59

  Bernafay Wood 160–1

  Beveridge, Jack 228

  ‘Birkenhead’ see Abbotsford Street house

  Black and Gold (battalion newsletter)

  on arrival in Europe 140

  on Broadmeadows route march 115–16

  on departure from Australia 135–6

  on Flers 156

  on Fromelles battles 144–5

  on trench foot 158

  Bois Grenier 141–2

  Bourke, Ed 248

  Bourke, Margaret see Daley, Margaret Bourke

  Bourke, Matt 248

  Bourke, William Meskill 27–9, 31, 86

  Bouzencourt Ridge 171

  boxing by PR 49–50, 136, 139

  Brisbane Bears Football Club 26

  Britannia Football Club 25–6

  British Imperial Oil Company 46, 51, 55

  Broadmeadows camp 107, 113–17

  ‘brotherhood’ 63

  Bryan, Ernest 134

  Buckley, Nathan 64, 111

  Bull’s Road Cemetery 162–3

  Cairo, Australian troops in 136–7

  Campbell, Lyon 9–10

  Campbellfield property 9–10

  Carlton Football Club

  1915 season 105

  1919 season 209–12, 211

  alleged conspiracy by 110–19

  during World War I 80

  losses to 26, 71, 108, 210

  victories over 65–6, 214–15

  Carman, Phil 246

  Carter, Otway 104

  carting business 218, 226

  casualties of World War I

  at Heilly 171

  Australian troops 134–5, 148, 155

  due to venereal disease 196–7

  German troops 146

  retrieving bones of 153–5, 154

  Somme campaign 155, 158

  Cavanagh, Arthur 139

  Century of the Best, A 113–14, 212

  Ceramic 151

  Chesswas, Harry 228

  cigarette smoking, by MS 38, 70

  city status 146

  ‘Claire’ (PR’s great-great granddaughter) 188

  Clayden, George 228, 237

  Cleworth, Jim 145

  Clifton Hill 8

  Cluny Castle 198, 209

  Cobbers (sculpture) 143, 148

  Cohen, Alf 164–5, 167–9

  Collier, Albert 228, 237

  Collier, Harry 228

  Collingwood (suburb)

  colonial era 19–22

  early years 7–13

  opposed to conscription 85

  Collingwood Council, MS elected to 233–4

  Collingwood, Cuthbert 9

  Collingwood District Football Team 230

  Collingwood Football Club see also grand finals; premiership seasons

  aids LN financially 188

  club ethos 5

  ‘Collingwood method’ 5

  cricket teams 71–72

  during World War I 80–1, 191–3

  early grand finals 60–3

  formation of 25–6

  horseshoes 191

  in 1920s 227–30

  legends of 249–50

  magpie crest 59–60, 99

  MS appointed selector 217

  MS falls out with 238–9

  MS plays for 57

  Percy Rowe Jr plays for 221

  photographs 58, 80

  player payments 71, 81

  PR plays for 57

  season ticket sellers 226

  supports Army recruitment 102

  volunteers from 76–7

  Collingwood Historical Society 78–9

  Collingwood leather 85–6

  Collingwood Mining Company 7–8

  Collingwood Railway Station 26, 41

  Collingwood Town Hall 12, 251

  Collingwood Trade
s Football Club 27

  Combined Churches Women’s Cricket Team 47

  Commonwealth Government Saddlery Works 86

  Condon, Dick 34, 61

  conscription debate 84–86, 155–6

  Copeland, Ernest ‘Bud’ 80

  Corlett, Peter 148

  Courage Book of VFL Finals 1987–1973 115, 215

  Coventry, Gordon 228, 237

  Coventry, Syd 228, 230

  Crapp, Ivo 61

  cricket teams 36, 58, 71–2

  Daley, Margaret Bourke 28, 171

  Daykin, Percy ‘Dubs’ 215

  deaths in war see casualties of World War I

  Defence Act 85

  Delangre Farm 144

  Delville Wood 160

  depressions, economic 23, 30, 228–31

  Dickens, H 161

  Dight, John 9–10

  Dight’s Falls 9, 36

  Dight’s Paddock 10, 24–5

  Dobson, Charlotte see Rowe, Charlotte Dobson

  ‘Doc’ nickname 15

  Downing, Walter 159–60

  droughts 133

  Dunne, Twiggy 246

  Easter Uprising in Dublin 83

  Eastern Road 8 see also Smith Street

  Eastman, GF 230

  Edward of York, Prince of Wales 137–8

  Egypt 136

  Elliott, Pompey 145

  Ellis, Alexander 139, 142, 145

  factories in Collingwood 21–2, 36, 85–6

  ‘Fanny Durack’ sculpture 152

  Fitzroy Football Club

  1915 season 105

  during World War I 80

  rivalry with 26, 65

  victories over 108, 214

  Flanagan, Martin 249

  Football Record 243

  footballs 24, 237

  Forgotten Voices 157–8

  Frederick Charles of Prussia 189