Randwick "Rolls Royce of" Rugby [Union]

   I'm sticking with the Rugby Union theme for another week... with this prized t-shirt!! It goes along with a Randwick Playing Jersey and Cap from the early to mid 1990s... a golden period for the Club.
   When I first became interested in Rugby Union the Wallabies were beginning to challenge the All Blacks more regularly through Tony Shaw, Greg Cornelson and an array of back line talent. At the same time a stunningly good Australian Schoolboy team under the coaching of Geoff Mould went on an undefeated tour of the UK/Europe and included a number of young blokes from Matraville High School amongst the usual smattering of Sydney and Brisbane GPS School representatives. A striking memory of that tour was the number of games played in complete fog. One on the weekend sports programs showed the team disappearing on field into that fog and reappearing at the end of the match and no footage of the game was available... It was the 1977/78 side which included players like: Glen, Gary & Mark Ella; Wally Lewis; Michael Hawker; Tony Melrose and even local Dominic Vaugh from the Waratahs Newcastle.
   Schoolboy representation is no certain path to the Wallabies but the Randwick club benefitted from a whole generation of talent when you toss in Lloyd Walker and others.
   Then came David Campese, Simon Poidevin and the list goes on... I still fondly recall my day at the SFS in the late 1990s and 'that try' scored by Chris Latham who handled several times in a movement started from a looped pass 'in the tackle' by Campo and stretching the length of the field!! Just too good...
   Thanks to entry courtesy of Tom Towers I enjoyed the Club's post GF celebrations back at Coogee as well!!

   In recent years the Wicks have been up and down, with player equalisation from the Super side, Sydney Uni with degrees and postgraduate studies on tap coinciding with their old boys volunteering to sort the place and some expert coaching... leading to several premierships in a row.

   The Club can also be a bit self seeking as I recall in some years we played Randwick trials that for them was a scouting and recruiting trip as there might be more Stuart Pinkerton's up here!!

   So, in short, the running game, the club history and the characters it creates are all part of fond memories of Randwick!! The galloping greens!! I am still a member of the Club!!
 

Wanderers Fourths "Just Run It"

 
   In the mid 1990s when I started my long and enjoyable stint in Rugby Coaching there were a mixture of things I had learnt [and continued to learn] from my experiences as a player, from playing under other coaches and from everything I knew about 'teaching' and hanging around with a bunch of rugby players in a club with a strong identity.
   Lower grade teams need some extra effort in team building... you have a mix of 'old heads', players who feel they should be playing up higher, youngsters with talent, others just learning and you usually have more than you need any given week, until it gets cold and deep into the season. You have to manage people getting 1/2 games or 20 mins, the fact that it being a game for people of all sizes, some positions require bulk etc etc
   In this particular year I thought 4th grade wasn't particularly valued by other grades and we were all packed into a training ground where 4ths were left with the dodgy corner. One way of growing a unique identity was to strike a t-shirt celebrating 4ths and adding our club philosophy of "just run it"... The cartoon was our 1991 World Cup winning Wallaby front three that I kept from a book or magazine at the time... It features right to left, Tony Daly, Phil Kearns and current Wallaby Coach Ewen 'The Link' Mckenzie and became a sought after item only available to those with our squad for a while!!
   It sits on my trophy/memorabilia shelf with some other cups, shields and mugs...
Our traditional rivals The Slime and Maitland were tough to overcome and Uni gave us grief but it was a rich decade of 4th Grade premiership tilts that we all enjoyed!!
   I share it this week as I sign on to give some time to the Club helping others to deliver on 'player welfare' and the Prez and I head off to the two day 'Mental Health 1st Aid' Course!! I look forward to assisting 'House Captains'  in delivering some significant "Tall Tales" with food and beverages during the season!!

'Ferrari'

   Probably in the top few for brand recognition [alongside the All Blacks, Man United] the red t-shirt is synonymous with Ferrari and motor sport. This is also the simplest 'fancy dress' costume I've ever worn...
   My brother in law's birthday party had a German theme so I chose to go as Michael Schumacher [and so sorry for him and his family and friends that he is so gravely ill]. So to be clear, I wore my normal jeans, joggers and t-shirt which in this case happened to be red with the Ferrari stallion logo on the front. I used to have a Schumacher cap but just had a generic Ferrari one for the occasion... and left it in the car!!
   Since starting this blog it's a reminder to enter this t into the rotation alongside my predominantly black t collection!!

Midnight Oil "One for the Homeless"

   You might add two nights at Newcastle's Palais in Hunter St West to the list on this shirt!! 24th and 26th March 1991 served as warm ups for the 'One for the Homeless' Benefits and the Palais shows were amazing!! Seriously they were up there with Selina's at the Coogee Bay Hotel but not quite Sydney's Capitol Theatre.
   It was a strange venue with side metal rails and the bar along the wall, a former dancehall and later the beginnings of 'The Loft' youth venue. It was run down, hot and uncomfortable, but yet we sat on the floor waiting for the Oils, I can't recall a support act that night, might have been a DJ...
   This shirt reminds me of 'The Oils' whole organisation revolving around a Foundation and a range of worthy causes coordinated as part of their efforts in 'giving back' from Glebe Point Rd upstairs... and it reminds me of the chore that was being an Oils support act. It was an endearing feature of the passionate crowds that a few songs would be tolerated and eventually the mob would begin to chant "Ooooiiills Ooiillss!!" and drown out many a talented performer.
   At the Enmore Theatre for 'Scream in Blue' live album the band even sought applause for 'Tall Tales & True" after their opening salvo, recognising that the chant had started early and even the band tried to placate fans by claiming their own Oils fandom. I think 'Horsehead' heavy rock band were booked for Coogee one night because they might be loud enough to drown it out... instead one punter was so loud and insistant that the lead singer challenged him to take it out to the car park and threatened to throw a beer can at him mid song.
   'Nitocris' did well the most frantic night I've ever experienced at the same venue and 'Diesel' was stunning the last time I saw them live at Manly before Peter left the band [before WaveAid and Bushfire Relief brought them back] His sound was crystal clear and his vocals haunting... it was a celebration of contrast upstairs at Manly Leagues and it was the night I knew it was all over... just something about the vib and the best I'd heard the band for a couple of years.
   Back to the Palais, it was a night with a few friends and a chance to introduce a few mates to the genuine article live... they thanked me by shouting a ticket to the second night!!
 

"Stark Industries" The Ironman

   Tony Stark isn't happy to discover that his weapons and technology are for sale to the highest bidder and he attempts to shut down that part of Stark Industries while needing to maintain his own work to ensure the electro magnetic dynamo in his chest prevents his death... a brilliant acting performance from Robert Downey Jnr makes this corny series of films work!! 'Ironman' is also a great vehicle for Gwyneth Paltrow... Pepper Potts is a great character. As a Redbubble t-shirt this one is a bit disappointing, it's dulled a bit quickly and is not a genuine size BUT I still wear it in between seasons and look fwd to it fitting a bit better this year... It is one that's starts shop counter conversations though!!