Carn theBlues!
Fyansford Football Club
Earliest surviving Australian Rules footage: 1909 VFL Grand Final, South Melbourne vs Carlton
NFSA Films Published on Sep 26, 2013
I was recently asked by John Stoward, Australian Rules Football Historian, whether there had ever been a Fyansford Football team.
Well, I'm not one to let something like that go unanswered...
While I assured John that I recall having read of such a club, I felt the need to find evidence of its existence.
My initial readings indicated that the Fyansford Football Club had, in fact, participated in the Leigh league.
According to Leigh.Life.com the Leigh & District Amateur Football League was born in 1903 consisting originally of church and Sunday School teams. Unfortunately, however, it seemed to have terminated around 2004.
With help from the National Library of Australia (TROVE) I found ongoing references to the club from 1898 - 1925.
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Geelong Advertiser (6 May, 1919)
Where was the Fyansford hall?
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A Geelong Advertiser article (13 July, 1925) makes mention of the fact that the Australian Cement Company … “has earned a good reputation for improving the environments for its employees. It advanced £3000 in order to have a hall erected so that recreation clubs and self-improvement clubs could be formed for the benefit of the men. The hall is nearing completion, and will be officially opened on Saturday, August 8. On that occasion Mr. Noske, one of the directors, will entertain the employees by providing a picture entertainment with his own machine. The employees have formed cricket and football clubs and are looking forward to playing billiards, bowls, tennis, etc., when the complete plans have been carried out according to the policy of the directors….”.
Football???
Also, it is interesting to note...
Some of Fyansford's more familiar family names are mentioned...
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Mr. A. McCurdy
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Mr. M. Synot
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Cr. N. McCurdy
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Mr. L. Carroll
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The Geelong and District Football League makes no mention of Fyansford.
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Does anyone know when Fyansford last participated in any league?
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Did the team have a name, a logo...?
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What were its colours (blue as in 1898)?
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Does anyone have any photos, anecdotes or facts they'd like to share?
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Excuse my ignorance but ~
I'm fundamentally ignorant when it comes to football...
Fyansford Football Team, Premiers 1922
Back Row: M Synot (Snr), J Grayland, G Lewis, R Harvey, J Houghton, W Wilks, C Beck, A James, J Ryan, H Doherty, J Bellis, L Riddett, H Freeman, A Cork, W Graylane
Centre Row: E Thorley, W Grayland (Jnr), R Briers, C Synot (Capt.), D Smith, F Currie, C Everett, F Scott
Front Row: E Palmer, W Flowers, T Ryan, M Ryan
Photo taken at Queens Park
Thanks to Evert van Dreven for his Fyansford collection.
Image posted on Geelong in Historical Pictures, 18 April, 2017
Thanks to Jacob Clark and an un-named "old fella who does a bit of prospecting" a fresh lease of life has been given to G. Lewis,
a member of the Fyansford Football Team which won the 1922
Leigh & District Amateur Football League grand final.
Front of medals
1921
1922
1922
Rear of medals
G. Lewis, by my reckoning, would have been born during the early 1900s.
It'd be great if there is someone out there, perhaps a grand-son or grand-daughter, who can tell us more about George (! ) George was the fourth most popular boy's name in 1900)
See: What's in a name? G. Lewis
I can be contacted at: Fyansford.com@gmail.com
