A RECORD number of Life Members of the Carlton Football Club - from the oldest at 96 in former Club dentist Don Hall, through to the most recent recipient Andrew Mansour - gathered for the annual Life Members luncheon at Kew Golf Club.
More than 80 Life Members from as far back as the 1960s joined first-time attendees and guests in what was a laidback, informal affair with only one formality – the group photograph captured at luncheon’s end.
Thirty-seven premiership players – amongst them the four-time premiership greats Wayne Johnston, Peter Jones and David McKay – were there, together with 16 club best and fairests, including the five-time winner John Nicholls after whom the award is named and the Club’s 1994 Brownlow Medallist Greg Williams.
Prominent in attendance were a number of the Club’s more recent past players – including the 300-game dual John Nicholls Medallist and former captain Marc Murphy, the dual Coleman Medallist Brendan Fevola and the John Nicholls Medallist Heath Scotland (joined by his son Riley), together with Michael Jamison, Bret Thornton, Jarrad Waite, Simon Wiggins and Lance Whitnall.
Carlton CEO Brian Cook attended the luncheon, together with the club’s three-time premiership coach David Parkin. So too the dual Carlton premiership player Peter Bosustow, who recently jetted in from Perth with his wife Shelley.
Brian Kekovich, who booted four goals in the Club’s drought-breaking 1968 Grand Final victory over Essendon (the only decider won by a team with less goals kicked), also made the trek from his home in Western Australia and dined with Nicholls, his captain in that historic encounter. Kekovich was amongst the first-time luncheon attendees who were each presented with Life Membership certificates.
Apologies were received from Ron Barassi, Scott Camporeale, Ron De Iulio, Anthony Franchina, Adrian Gleeson, Matthew Hogg, Darren Hulme, Warren Jones, Trevor Keogh, Greg Lee, Phil Maylin, Val Perovic, Richard Newton, Malcolm Payne and Barry Stones.
The luncheon was organised by Frank Brosnan, Sharon McColl, Shane O’Sullivan and Stephen Gough, who acted as MC.
Fondly remembered were the Life Members who had recently passed away including Mario Bortolotto, Neil Chandler and Dennis Munari, who all attended last year’s luncheon.
The Carlton Football Club Life Members pictured in the 2023 team photo are as follows:
Standing left to right: Fraser Brown, Rod Austin, Peter Jones, Mark LoGiudice, Peter Bosustow (partially obscured), Peter Kerr, Mike Fitzpatrick, Andy Lukas, Peter Brown, Peter Newbold, Marcus Clarke, Andrew McKay, Tom Alvin, Grant Salomon (partially obscured), Anthony Koutoufides, Fraser Murphy, Ian Aitken, Andrew Mansour, Geoff Southby, Barry Gill, Justin Madden, Sam Salamone, Milham Hanna, Warren McKenzie (partially obscured), Michael Kennedy, David Rhys-Jones, Ivan Gutierrez, Michael Jamison, Stephen Kernahan, Wayne Gilbert, Lance Whitnall, Jarrad Waite, Sharon McColl, Phillip Pinnell, Vince Loccisano, Rohan Bromley, Lewis Bearman, David McKay, Peter McConville, Frank Brosnan, Craig Bradley.
Middle row: Shane O’Sullivan, Col Kinnear, Barry Armstrong, John Nicholls, Simon Wilson, David Nettlefold, Margaret Salomon, Don Hall, Marcus Rose, Laurie Carter, Robbert Klomp, Gordon Newton, Ray Gilbert, George Varlamos, Syd Jackson, Ian Wotherspoon, Alan Espie, Don Mathieson, David Parkin, Lionel Watts, Brian Kekovich, Ian Collins, Ken Hunter.
Front row: Stephen Gough, Shane Robertson, Bryan Quirk, Jim Buckley, Wayne Johnston, Alex Marcou, Greg Williams, Marc Murphy, Simon Wiggins, Heath Scotland, David Glascott.
