The bell was used for Trade Week to signify "time's up" at Optus Oval. Prior to this it was used to let Alan Espie's children on their Wandin property to come home.Why Al chimes in for Carlton Tony De Bolfo, Carlton Media Feb 20, 2014 11:05AM Alan Espie with the famous bell. (Photo: Carlton Football Club) Alan Espie with the famous bell. (Photo: Carlton Football Club) Related Etched into the rim of the bell Alan Espie has rung at every trade week gathering since 1994 is a touching quote attributed to his grandson. Dear Pa, May you always ring true blue, Love Harry Just thinking about that inscription often brings big Al to tears. The story of the Espie bell has its origins at the old family property at Wandin in the picturesque Yarra Valley, in the days when the Espies’ kids were at the neighboring creek fossicking for local platypus. “If they got too far away we’d ring an old cowbell,” Espie recalled, “and years later, my daughter Jo brought me this replacement bell from some second-hand naval place”. “Not long after Shane (O’Sullivan) asked me to officiate at trade week and that’s when the bell came into vogue.” A permanent fixture at trade week, Espie would ring the bell to signal the opening of trading when club recruiters gathered – initially within the confines of the Carlton Heroes Stand at Visy Park, more recently at Etihad Stadium. In those early days at Carlton he caused a stir as bell ringer, drawing curious responses from officiating journalists, recruiters and coaches alike. “I even remember (Kevin) Sheedy asking me if I was selling muffins,” he recalled. Then, when trade day was relocated to Etihad, Espie’s daughter thought it appropriate to get the bell inscribed. “Because the bell was leaving Carlton, Jo got it inscribed on my grandson’s behalf, because he was only four or five then. When I saw what was inscribed I was tearful,” Espie said. “The bell is very important to me, particularly at this time, because Jo is battling health problems at the moment, my grandson is autistic and she’s fought like hell to get him through.” Espie joined Carlton’s Under 19 committee on the eve of the senior Premiership season of 1979 and managed the club’s junior squads, the Bert Deacon Squad included. “I worked very closely with Geoff Southby, ‘Swan’ McKay and Trevor Keogh when they were coaching the Under 19s and I was recruiting as well,” he said. “In 1981 and ’82 I forward scouted for ‘Parko’ (David Parkin) and later on I did the same for ‘Wallsy’ (Robert Walls). After that I coordinated recruiting in central Victoria and it was nothing for me to do 25,000ks a year in my own car – and I loved every minute of it.” Espie’s passion for Carlton and empathy for its wartime players Bert Deacon, Ollie Grieve and Jack “Chooka” Howell can be sourced to his childhood years. His grandparents lived not far from the old ground on Wilson Street “and that’s how I got in for the ’45 Grand Final”. “My uncle, who had just got back from the war, grabbed a ladder from Wilson Street and set it up against the barbed wire fence at the ground. I climbed the ladder and caught my arm on the barbed wire, but I got over the top and saw the game while I straddled the fence,” Espie said. “What I saw was what you would today call ‘spotfires’ and I reckon it took football 20 years to get rid of it.” Today, Espie continues to ring in the yearly trade talk days at AFL headquarters (with the notable exception of 2012 when he was hospitalized), but he’s in no doubt as to where the bell belongs. “This bell has had nothing to do with Wandin but everything to do with Carlton - and with the 150th year of the club I think the bell stays here (at Visy Park). I still hope to ring the bell for the AFL this year, but at least I’ll know where it is,” Espie said. “I’ve told Jo about this and she tells me Harry’s rapt, because he’s a big Carlton supporter and he’s so happy his name is on the bell.”Wooden handle attached to a brass bell."Dear Pa, may you always ring true blue, Love Harry"

Souvenir Football Optus Oval Farewell Game May 21 2005The Football was issued to commemorate Carlton Football Club's last game at Optus Oval/Princes Park in 2005. Farewell Princes Park Damn football! It’s just a game and it’s just an oval; dirt, grass and a few bumbling stands. Oh and there is the ghost of dad standing under the clock, smiling, dancing his jig, God love him, he loved his Bluebaggers. Oh and Pop's over there too, his scissors in his hand; he's rushed across from Lygon Street again to see the boys play. Both, like the ground now, gone for good - never to be seen again though their memories shine still. And then there's me as a lad, surrounded by men, the cans wobbling beneath my feet, my neck stretched up; I can see, I can see Ragsy!!!!!! and brave Gary Crane and Quirky on the wing and…. and it’s just a ground, just dirt and grass and the distant sound of trams. And there I am as a young man standing with my brothers, all of us singing wildly this GF evening as another flag is brought home! And there I am with Keith standing, always beer in hand, and watching Kouta and SOS and dear beloved Motley flying. But it’s only a ground just dirt and grass and late afternoon sun. There I am now, older, sitting beside me is my son, he holds the record and marks the goals, though these come far fewer nowadays. But it is only a ground and dirt and grass and memories that linger and the taste of shared drinks and the voices cheering in the outer. But it is only a ground, a ground whose moment has passed, who’s time in the sun is now time in shadow and no more balls to be bounced on that dirt nor football boots running across that grass, for there will be no more games played at Princes Park. Never again the tram down Royal Parade, never again a beer at The Rising Sun or the sound of the fans cheering madly in front of the Heatley Stand. But it is only a ground only dirt and grass and the memories, the sum total of all of us. I feel like a friend has passed...... Farewell Princes Park, time makes memories out all of us. Contributed by DannyboyNavy Blue & White Leather FootballOptus Farewell Game May 21 2005, Carlton Emblem,

Clive enlisted in August 1914 in the Public Schools Company of the 5th Battalion. He was killed in the Landing at Gallipoli on April 25, 1915 and is commemorated at the Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli. He was 26. To honour his memory, the Clive Wellington Were Cricket Trophy for 'the boy who plays the game' was presented to Mentone Grammar in 1936, by his sister, Jessie, wife of Headmaster, Charles Campbell Thorold. It was awarded to Henry Watson Leslie, in his first year at the school.Silver cricket bats on silver dome mounted on bakelite basefor 'the boy who plays the game'

Australian Rules football had been played in the Bacchus Marsh area from at least the 1870s. The first meeting to form a club was held in Bacchus Marsh in 1874 but it was not until the 1880s that regular matches were played in the district. In 1912 it was decided by representatives from a number of football clubs in the district to form a football association to better organize and promote the development of the game in the district. Hence by 25 May 1912 the Bacchus Marsh District Football Association was formed comprising the following clubs: Bacchus Marsh, Deer Park, Melton, Parwan, and Maddingley. This image shows the delegates from the various clubs to the newly formed association. The individual people in the image have been specifically identified but the clubs they represented have not. The unnamed umpires in the image have been identified by the honorary historian and statistician of the Australian Football League Umpires Association, David Flegg. Left, Fred Lucas (Goal Umpire), centre, Evan James (Field Umpire), and right, James Smith (Goal Umpire). The date of this image is 9th August 1913. Newspaper reports in the Bacchus Marsh Express on 9th August confirm the participation of these umpires in a Bacchus Marsh versus Melton match on this date. The match took place at Maddingley Park, which appears to be the location where the picture was taken.This item has historic and social significance as an image of one of the early sporting administrators of Bacchus Marsh and District. It is a typical example of group photographs of this era. It is evidence of the transition of football from a social informal setting to an organised activity and signals the growth of importance of sport, in this case Australian Rules football, as a cultural and social activity central to the Australian ethos. It reflects the pride local districts invested in their local sporting clubs. A sepia photograph mounted on a cardboard mat, showing a group of sixteen men arranged in three rows in a park setting. Twelve men are dressed in suits, collars and ties, a thirteenth man is wearing a uniform coat with epaulettes. Several of the men are wearing ribbons which may indicate their membership of the Association, and/or their status as delegates. In the front row, three men are crouched, two wearing white coats over their suits, and holding white flags, denoting their role as goal umpires. The middle man, the field umpire, is wearing long-sleeved top, shorts, socks and laced-up athletic shoes. On the front, under the photo, hand-written, the words: Delegates 1913. Bacchus Marsh District Football Association. Beneath the title: Top Frank Winderlich. H Connors (s deleted). G.Coburn. P. McDonald. McKenzie? Grant Morton. Edgar Smith. Mid: Roy Edwards. J.J.Barry Snr. Ross. Robert Dugdale. Cunningham. J.B. Doherty. Bottom Row. Not inscribed but have been identified as VFL accredited umpires. Left, Goal Umpire Fred Lucas, centre Field Umpire Evan James, right Goal Umpire James Smith. On the back: Hand-written: Executive members of the First Football League (formed 1912). Given by E.Kight. E. Kight Grant Street Bacchus Marsh. On a white label: Miss Gwynne Moore. australian rules football, bacchus marsh district football association

The Keio University Hawks were one of the first two Aussie rules teams in Japan, along with the Waseda University Bombers. Those teams were formed to play a warm-up game at Yokohama baseball stadium before an exhibition match between VFL teams Essendon and Hawthorn. The first visit by the Keio Hawks to Australia was in September 1988, About 20 students from Keio and two or three from other universities made the trip. Their visit included training sessions at the Hawthorn and North Melbourne clubs. They then played Japan's first international match against the Sunbury Football Club's under-19 team.The following year they returned to Australia and during this visit played a match in Bacchus Marsh in September 1989. The Keio Hawks returned to Australia over subsequent years in the 1990s included some visits to Bacchus Marsh. During one of these visit a Keio Hawks pennant was presented to the Shire of Bacchus Marsh.Football club banner. Three vertical felt stripes in red and blue with the team name KEIO written in white felt block letters across the width of the banner. Along the top of the banner, a narrow strip of white felt with two metal eyelets to allow for display. Gold coloured textile fringe along the V-shaped bottom of the banner. In a whimsical reference to the university origin of the club, there are two gold felt crossed pen-nibs on the central red section. KEIOkeio university australian rules football club, australian rules football teams japan, australian rules football bacchus marsh

Images from a game in a Legacy Bowls tournament. Names of the legatees are not known. The trophy was named after Sir Dallas Brooks who was a patron of Melbourne Legacy when he was Governor of Victoria. Melbourne Legacy held regular bowls tournaments for Legatees. Some events were as a fundraiser for Legacy and well as a social event for legatees. The date is estimated to be the 1960s as it was with other slides from that period. The slides have been photographed to make digital images and moved to archive quality sleeves. In many cases the original images were not well focussed and the digital image the best available.A record of the type of activities Legacy provided as a social outlet for the Legatees and for fundraising.Colour slide x 6 of a Bowls Tournament in Kodak mount.The mounts are imprinted slide numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8) and one has 'Dallas Brooks Bowls Final' handwritten on it.bowls, legatee event

Tennis was first played at Harcourt North at the "Brooks Tennis Courts" and as it increased in popularity a team commenced playing at courts at the corner of High and Market Sts Harcourt in the early 1900s. At one time it was known as the Alexander Tennis Club.New courts at the football oval in Bridge Street were eventually replaced by courts at the new oval at Binghams Road, Harcourt. The Harcourt teams play in the Castlemaine District Lawn Tennis Association competition. This team shot, chosen at random from our holdings, depicts young players of both sexes.Tennis has proven to be a great social game involving a high proportion of women and young people in the competition.Colour Photograph of the 1972/3 Harcourt tennis teamHarcourt Tennis Club

The DVD features footage from two matches from the 2012 season of the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League. The DVD features extended highlights from the second half of the game for 3rd/4th place, between the Western Stars and Sydney University Flames. Following this game is the full recording of the championship game played between Dandenong Rangers and Sydney Bears. These games were played at Dandenong Stadium in Victoria.DVD inside case.2012 Women's National Wheelchair Basketball Finalswheelchair basketball, dandenong rangers, sydney university flames, western stars, sydney bears, women's wheelchair basketball, women's national wheelchair basketball league, djuro sen

A group of Legacy Widows playing cards photographed by a professional photographer at Legacy House. Names unknown. The photo was featured in the Widows' Newsletter in November 1991 with the caption: A friendly game of cards. The reference number from the photographic studio 911016-36 means Frame 36 on 16 October 1991. Other photos with that reference number are at 00668 and 00669.Legacy provided the opportunity for many gatherings of widows to enjoy social interaction and companionship.Black and white photo of 4 Legacy widows playing cards at Legacy House, a proof sheet and an article in the Answer.Label on the back from Keesing Photographic with Reference No: 911016-36. Yellow post it note says "Page two. Game of cards. 57% reduction C" in blue pen. Proof sheet is labelled 911016 and has 'Widows clubroom tea party re-opening 92' on reverse.widows, widows club, activities, games

Sunbury United Soccer Club was established in 1973 by a group of expatriate Europeans who wanted to play the game they grew up with. Their first games were played on the recreation reserve in Evans Street on the ground designed for AFL football. (Now the site of a shopping complex). In August 1975, Sunbury United moved to its present home on seven and a half acres of sporting ground at Langama Park in Mitchells Lane . Over the years that area has developed and there are now three senior, and two junior soccer pitches with two cricket pitches and practice nets. Although there is still room for improvement to the floodlighting on the main pitch, the night games have proven successful. The Sunbury United Soccer Club has played an important roll in district competition and is one of the many sporting clubs in Sunbury.A non-digital black and white photograph of a soccer ground showing a set of goal posts with the clubrooms and change rooms in the background.soccer, sunbury united soccer club, football, langama park, mitchells lane

The first recorded football match played injured Sunbury was in 1881 when Sunbury played Keilor on Munro's Ground which was located on land bordered by Barkly, Shields, Harker and Evans Streets.By 1892 Sunbury Club officially became known as 'The Swifts". A later game was recorded in 1895 but it wasn't until 1897 that it became a recognised football team at a meeting convened by W.A. Eadie in the Royal Hotel. Later football matches were played on railway land in Evans and Macedon Streets. In 1949 the Shire of Bulla Council passed over 26 hectares of Crown land for a new recreation ground, now the Clarke Oval. Since that time that site has been Sunbury's home ground. Sporting clubs have played an important part in the Sunbury's social life from the latter half of the nineteenth century.A non-digital copied black and white photograph of a men's football team standing and seated in two rows in front of a picket fence. sunbury football club, "the swifts', football, sporting clubs