Richmond’s Woosha Squad flies again as the Tigers prepare for Friday's preliminary finalBy Damian McIver
ABC
16 October 2020John 'Tiger' Turner has had two great passions in his life — the Richmond Football Club and pigeons.
For one gloriously absurd time in the early 1980s, those two loves combined within the ragtag group known as the Woosha Squad.
The squad was made up of fanatical Tigers supporters, who prided themselves on getting to games early to support the reserves, and idolised the unfashionable players like Peter 'Woosha' Welsh, who played 46 games at Punt Road including the 1980 premiership.
"We didn't pick the star player," Turner said.
"We picked the player that worked 100 per cent. He was courageous and relentless. And that's the reason why we chose Woosha."
A grainy, old photograph shows a group of people gathered in the stands of a football oval dressed in yellow and black.
It is not unusual for supporter groups to have cult favourites, but the Woosha Squad went a step further than most, expressing their devotion through homing pigeons.
"It started at school. Everyone had pigeons back in the 1950s, and it was just a craze, a fad that went out of style, but I kept the pigeons," Turner said.
In the early 1980s, those pigeons started going to the footy too, in brown cardboard boxes.
"I'd get some pretty strange looks, especially on public transport," he said.
Now 70, Turner vividly recalls a suspicious security guard at the MCG, who was convinced he and his mates were trying to smuggle in grog.
"Of course I opened up the box and he was just amazed."
A pigeon with a brown head and neck is held by a man wearing Richmond's yellow and black colours.
While alcohol was problematic, birds were seemingly fair game, and from Lakeside Oval to Punt Road, and the MCG, the Woosha Squad let their feathers fly.
The rules were simple, after the first Richmond goal at their end, it was time to open the boxes.
"The pigeons wouldn't just fly off, they would do circles before going home, and then after the football I would go home and they would be sitting in the loft waiting for me," Turner said.
Callout for old tapes unearths historical flights of fancyThe exploits of the Woosha Squad may well have faded from memory had it not been for Richmond club historian Rhett Bartlett, who was looking for ways to stay busy during Melbourne's coronavirus lockdown.
He put the call out on social media for fans to share their old video tapes of football matches, so he could then digitise and share them.
A grainy, old photograph shows a group of people gathered in the stands of a football oval dressed in yellow and black.
"I got stood down from my role, so I had to keep my mind occupied," he said.
A woman named Linda sent him a 1985 reserves match between Essendon and Richmond at Lakeside Oval, broadcast on Channel 7.
"I was just excited it was a reserves match. I pressed record on my little DVD burner and about 15 minutes in [commentator] Sandy Roberts says, they're ready to release the pigeons! And I think I nearly fell off my couch."
Vision reminds fans of a 'bygone time' at the footballThe footage offers rich pickings for aficionados of 1980s footy. First we see the Woosha Squad with their tight shorts and polos, a visor here, a woollen guernsey there, a Choose Life t-shirt and a topless kid with St Kilda socks pulled up to his knees.
John Klug, another fan favourite who was part of Adelaide's inaugural AFL side, ultimately kicks the goal that leads to the birds being released.
In the commentary box, Sandy Roberts is delighted: "And there go the pigeons!"
Without missing a beat, the gravelly voice of Gary Dempsey chimes in to praise Klug's performance, likening him to Neale Daniher, before Peter McKenna then questions whether Klug might be "carrying a little bit of weight".
"I just sat there dumbfounded. I'd never heard of that happening at Richmond matches," Bartlett said.
"It's actually a snapshot of a bygone time of celebrating at the football, which I think is quite lovely."
Turner was swamped with messages once the footage was shared by Bartlett earlier this year.
"It brought back all those memories from about 40 years ago," he said.
Turner is still passionate about his pigeons, but now they stay at home, much like he has done, since the lockdown was imposed.
John Turner smiles, holding one of his pigeons inside a pigeon coop.
"I understand the lockdown is crucial and I understand all the values of that but as a supporter, it's really tough not being with your mates," he said.
Like thousands of Richmond fans, Turner will be watching Friday night's preliminary final from his loungeroom. He is nervous about Richmond's chances, but has found comfort in driving his car and listening to the replays of radio broadcasts of previous Richmond premierships.
"I know them word for word, but I'm just absolutely inspired by it."
The Woosha Squad no longer gathers at Richmond matches, but many of the old members remain close friends. If they were still active today, Turner said they would probably find a new hero in flinty defender Liam Baker.
"He's courageous, he's relentless, he's uncompromising, and he epitomises everything that Woosha did all those years ago."
As for Bartlett, he's waiting for the next forgotten gem to come his way.
"People would have at home VHS tapes, Super 8 footage that they took themselves when they went to the game, that's just gathering dust. There is a lot of football footage out there that is not online," he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-16/afl-richmond-fan-recalls-woosha-squad-pigeon-glory/12772332
