2/
Jimmy "Charcoal" Parker was repairing a pump plunger at a coppersmiths on Flinders St on Sept 19, 1911 - when a workplace accident took his life. He was 38. He had played 170 games (at least) for us from 1891-1900, over 10 seasons....
3/ At his death, the club annual report eulogised him as our 'one-time champion footballer'. The Ballarat Star said 'he was regarded as practically the backbone of the team'. He left behind a wife, and 5 (!) children -the youngest being only 6 weeks old...
4/ The Richmond Club formed a 'relief committee' to raise funds for his family, and the end of their fundraising had raised 460 pounds for them. And from then on, Jimmy Parker faded from the memory of Richmond's history as his teammates, officials passed on....
5/ Until this year, when I ran a report of every 150+ games player in Richmond's history from 1885 - 2018 who WASN'T a life member. Only one name came up. Jimmy Parker. For 107 years he never received what he was rightfully entitled to. Until tonight.
6/
Bill Mahoney started for Richmond in the VFA in 1906 and continued on into our VFL team, finally ending his career in 1920. (1906-1911, 1913-15, 1920). He played 139 games and kicked 75 goals...
7/ Ruckman Hughie James (our future Hall of Famer) wrote in 1920 that 'unhesitantly the best man he had ever hit the ball to was Mahoney'. I ran a report of all Richmond players to play at least a senior game for 10 seasons who WEREN'T Life Members. 2 names came up...
8/ One was Jimmy Parker (yep, he was eligible for LM consideration across two criteria), and the other was Bill Mahoney. Mahoney most likely missed Life Membership back then as his 10 season spanned the VFA + VFL. The club didn't have a historian back then...
9/ And in 1939, Mahoney died aged 54. So for 98 years, Mahoney had missed out on what he rightfully deserved - a Life Membership. Until tonight.
10/ And then we come to
George Henry Bennett.
He was born in Buckie, Scotland 1850, migrated to Australia and ended up owner of the Excelsior Brewery, which manufactured aerated waters and cordial in Richmond/Abbotsford....
11/ Such was his standing in the area of Richmond, he successfully became the Mayor of Richmond in 1886, and in 1887, was appointed President of the Richmond Football Club. It was hugely importantly the figurehead of our club back then was respected in across the suburb/s...
12/ Bennett served as RFC President for 22 years. No person since has served longer (and never will). During his time, the club won the 1902 and 1905 Premiership. But he also stayed as President during rough times - when the club, say, in 1897 had 47 members...
Yep, 47...
13/... and in 1908, he was there when Richmond achieved its then most significant advancement - inclusion into the VFL. Can you imagine the thrill he must have felt. The club he was the figure head of for 22 years was now in the prominent football League...
14/... Richmond's 1908 season ended on Sept 5, 1908. George Henry Bennett died 3 days later. It's a story/life arc that seems incredible to write. "Not our club alone, but all Richmond have lost a noble-hearted , generous citizen", the Richmond Annual Report said...
15/ "Though taken from our midst, the memory of his kind deeds will live with us for all time". George Henry Bennett served more than the required 20 years as an offical, to be eligible for Life Membership. And tonight he was finally made one. 110 years later...
16/ But finally, consider this... At the AGM tonight, Peggy O'Neal - born in Killarney, West Virginia - and our most recent Premiership President, bestowed a Life Membership to George Henry Bennett - born in Buckie, Scotland - and our first ever Premiership President.
17/ These 3 Life Member elevations could easily have been swept to the side by the club. Or relegated to a footnote. But such is the passion of our current board to re-assess our history, that they EMBRACED the ideas of these posthumous Life Memberships. I know no finer club. 🐯
18/ The complete list, of all 392 life members of the Richmond Football Club can be found at my TigerlandArchive site:
https://tigerlandarchive.org/tiki-index.php?page=Senior+Life+Membershiphttps://twitter.com/rhettrospective
