This old photo has been in the Bob Wilkie (1940-42, 1945-1951) collection of Saints memorabilia for decades. His son Bob Wilkie (jnr) kindly gave me a copy of this to share with all Saints.
It is by no means in pristine condition but it nevertheless paints a picture of a Saints team made up of some of the famous names in the Australian ethos. It is a priceless relic and I have great pleasure in sharing it's story with all Saints supporters.
The PlayersColin Williamson - 165 Games 1937-1946.Col was said to be 185cms and 89kgs but the picture here suggests he was a bigger unit than that. He was a Saints stalwart over 10 yrs as a player, and Coach in 1952. He was a great mark and a beautiful kick. Supporters of the Saints of the time never had a bad word about Col. He never let the team down, always giving his best.
Bob Wilkie - 117 Games 1940-1942 and 1945-1951.One of the great-unsung legends of the Saints! He is a legend at St Kilda for many reasons the first was the recruiting coupe where he helped influence the recruitment of Alan Killigrew back to the club as Coach.
Few outside the club would understand the enormous contribution Bob Wilkie made to the club as a player, administrator, past player, coach, runner and passionate supporter.
After his playing days Bob Wilkie stayed with the Saints firstly as a committeeman. In that role he influenced Killigrew’s recruitment, then he took over the coaching of the Under 19s where he secured a premiership in 1957. In 1961 Bob Wilkie coached the Reserves to the premiership.
It didn’t end there either. Bob Wilkie was the Saints first ever club runner. After he stepped down from the Reserves coach Alan Jeans couldn’t wish for anyone better to fill the new role of runner introduced first by the VFL in 1963.
Max Rippon - 41 Games 1945-1947Max had previously played with the Swans and the Maroons before teaming up with his uncle Ted Rippon at the Saints. He was good enough to play for the big V against Sth Australia in 1946.
Max Leslie - 8 Games 1946Max played with the Saints in 1946 after14 games with Geelong in 1945.
Kevin O’Donnell 49 Games 1946-1949Kevin was recruited from Carnegie CYMS . At 183 cms and around 80 kgs he was tall for a half forward flanker of the era but regarded by supporters of the time as a gifted player. He left the Saints to take up coaching in Deniliquin.
His son Simon O’Donnell 24 Games 1982-1983, played Test Cricket for Australia and was a member of Australia’s world cup winning team in One Day Internationals. Simon also Captained Victoria to a Sheffield Shield victory.
Jim A Ross - 139 Games 1946-1954Jim was in his first year of VFL in 1946. For someone born in 1949 and only 5 yrs old when "Jimmy" retired I might be excused for having no memory of the great Jimmy Ross, but that is further from actuality than can be imagined. He was close to my first real football hero although Neil Roberts is more prominent in my memory bank.
He was a player of enormous ability shining like a beacon in a sea of mediocrity in the late 40s and early fifties. He won three Best and Fairest awards at the Saints in 1949, 1951 and 1952. Jim represented the Big V four times but at the age of 26 he turned his back on the VFL to coach in Tasmania.
This was a huge loss to the Saints in a time where his skill would have been most needed. He went on to play State football in Tasmania and in 1958 was selected as an All Australian. Mention the name Jim Ross in Tasmania and you will still to this day get a response "What a legend"!!
Samuel (Sam Loxton) - 41 Games 1942-1946A man of many talents! As a footballer Sam shone on the forward line, heading the Saints goal kicking in 1944 with 52 goals. In that year he ran second in the Best and Fairest. Sam of course is best known as a Test cricketer, Parliamentarian and Test Selector. In the book Australian Cricket, The Game and the Players by Jack Pollard, Sam is described as a popular, genial, belligerent Victorian all - rounder whose all out aggression more than compensated for his lack of style. He is described as a born swashbuckler who loudly threatened to hit bowlers who bounced the ball at him over the fence.
Sam first played for Victoria in 1946- 47. He scored 232 not out against Queensland on debut. He was then chosen to tour with the 1948 Test team to England. This team of course is now known as "Bradman’s Invincibles". Sam went on to play 12 tests scoring 554 runs at a respectable average of 36.93. Bowling his useful medium pacers he took 8 wickets at 43.62. In 1972 he was made a State and Test selector. He served in this capacity until the end of the 80/81season.
As well as being one of Australia’s best all round sportsman in a golden era of cricket, Sam served as the Liberal Party whip in the Bolte and Hamer governments and was the MLA for Prahran for a quarter of a century.
Wal Armour - 33 Games, 1944-1946Wal was recruited from Northcote in the VFA and played 33 games in 3 yrs and kicked 36 goals.
Alan Stretton 16 Games 1946-1947Alan played in various positions including full back. Some supporters of the era suggested that Alan Stretton was the player a Collingwood champion of the era flew to take a "spekky" over, but it was in fact
Arthur Robertson - 74 Games 1936-1942 who was the stepladder for Ron Todd. The photo is famous; I have had it in my scrapbook for over 50yrs.
The real "myth" about Alan Stretton, is that Fred Fanning kicked 18 Goals against him in the final round of 1947. I am told Alan Stretton’s version of this event is that he withdrew from the final game of 1947 because of injury and another player endured Fanning’s outstanding performance.
Of course, Alan Stretton became far more famous for his leadership role in the immediate post disaster reconstruction of Darwin following cyclone Tracey. He is a man held in the highest esteem in contemporary Australian History and to this day follows the Saints closely.
Keith Miller - 50 Games 1940-1942, 1946What more can be written about the great Keith Miller? He was a fine footballer but his amazing talents as a cricketer took him to Sydney and away from the Saints following the 1946 season. In 1946 he represented the Big V at full back. He was well established in the Saints team and there is no doubt he would have gone on to play many more games.
As a Test cricketer he had a touch of magic. Jack Pollard in Australian Cricket the Game and the Players provides this wonderful description. " A superbly co-ordinated all rounder of classical style, with a matchless flair for exciting crowds, who could swing a game in a few overs of his right arm fast bowling, right hand batting or slips catching. His fame will endure as long as cricket, for when he took the field boundary ropes or fences disappeared and spectators virtually became part of the match, reacting to every switch of his mane of black hair. He was aggressive but casual, combining the aesthetic with red blooded pleasure, proud of all the runs, wickets and catches he took, but disinterested in his averages or aggregates."
Keith played his first test against England in Brisbane in the 1946/47 season. He scored 79 runs and took 7 for 60 in the first innings. He went on to play 55 tests against all the cricket nations. He scored 2,958 test runs at an average of 36.97 and took 170 test wickets at 22.97. John Arlott the distinguished English cricket writer once said of Miller: " If I had my choice of a player to win a match off the last ball, whether it required a catch, a six or a wicket, I would pick only one player, Keith Ross Miller."
William (Bill) Carmody - 18 Games 1946-1947A small Rover/half forward Carmody kicked 19 goals in his 18 games.
Keith Rosewarne 92 Games 1946-1951Keith was a favourite of my Dad and his brothers in arms the Boase boys and Jackie Mac who stood on the hill between the stands at the Junction oval day in, day out. Keith Rosewarne never ever gave up. He won the best and fairest in 1946 tirelessly roving to losing rucks. My Dad describes him as one of the gutsiest footballers he has ever seen. Keith represented the Big V in 1947.
Les Willis - 19 Games 1945-1947The captions written on the photograph identify this player as W.Wills but it is more than likely Les Willis who played 19 games in 2 seasons after crossing from Fitzroy.
Harold Bray 156 Games 1941-1943, 1945-1952When I was a child those dyed in the wool Saints zealots who stood on the embankment and watched every game no matter the outcome spoke of Harold Bray the way I spoke about Ian Stewart, Darryl Baldock and Tony Lockett and the way supporters today talk about Robert Harvey and Nick Riewoldt.
Harold Bray was a champion’s champion. He was runner up for the Brownlow in 1947 and third twice by only a few votes. Bray won the Saints best and fairest twice in 1945 and 1947 and represented Victoria on six occasions.
S. Traveneza.This is a challenge for Saints history buffs. The captions written by the Wilkie family list this player as S Traveneza. I have not found a record of this player looking through Russell Holmesby and Jim Mains great publication The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. (Which incidentally is now available in a pocket size edition for just St Kilda players)
Some old Sainters have looked at the photo and the opinion is that this player is most likely to be
Trojan Darveniza from Shepparton 6 Games 1946 or Stan Le Lievre recruited from Katandra who played 20 Games from 1945-1947. The player pictured is quite tall so more likely to be Trojan Darveniza who was around 185cms. If anyone has a different suggestion please let me know.
Ernie McIntyre - 80 Games 1940-1941 and 1945-1948Mention Ernie’s name to some of the older Saints generation and it invariably draws a smile for Ernie was a most interesting and complex player. He was renowned as a good ruckman and popular with supporters for his sportsmanship was legendary but it did not go down well with the committee who felt he was too generous too the opposition helping opposition up and clapping good play. The disagreements with the committee culminated in his leaving the Saints and moving to the Pies where he played two more seasons.
Allan Hird 38 Games 1946-1947Allan Hird prior to his arrival at the Saints had played for Hawthorn and Essendon. He arrived at St Kilda in 1946 to Captain-Coach the club which he did without any success for two seasons. He later returned to Essendon where he ended up as President of the club. His son Allan Hird Jnr played 4 games with Essendon in 1966/7 and his grandson James Hird is establishing himself as an Essendon legend.
The Team of 1946.This St Kilda team is more remembered for it’s famous faces than for it’s on field performance. The War had just finished and the St Kilda Football club was getting back together and it was to take time. Indeed it took a long time- for the Saints were to remain in finals wilderness until 1961. St Kilda’s long history of outstanding individuals matched with team failure was certainly evident in 1946. With four wins the Saints were to finish 2nd bottom with only the Hawks behind us.
My father Bill Grant, his Uncle Len Boase and their mates had returned at the end of 1945 from continuous war service in the Pacific Theatre. They had taken up the Red, White and Black colours and taken themselves off to the Junction to cheer on this team. It was a team of outstanding individuals who didn’t achieve great on field success but many of those individuals had outstanding success in other fields.
My father still seems to get a lift in spirit as he speaks of Miller, Ross, Bray and Rosewarne. Sam Loxton was larger than life in cricket circles and politics for decades and Alan Stretton was thrust into public view with the devastation of Darwin.
Alan Hird has been the architect of a family dynasty at Essendon and Keith O’Donnell’s son; Simon, has the family name still in the public eye.
Bob Wilkie was a Saint legend a Saint for life and the others played their part in Saints history. They are the Red, White and Black!
Allan Grant -
takeitforgranted @hotmail.com- References:
The Bob Wilkie Collection- Photograph provided by Bob Wilkie JnrEvery Game Ever Played. Compiled by Stephen Rodgers .Viking O’NeillThe Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers. Russell Holmesby and Jim Main. Crown Content.Australian Cricket, The Game and the Players, Jack Pollard. Hodder and Stoughton- Edited by Russell Holmesby
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