RITA Dalle Laste was six weeks from exchanging marital vows with her lifelong companion Sergio when she saw him take the field in game No.100 for Carlton.
It happened at Princes Park in the final home-and-away round of 1963 (Saturday 7 September to be precise) when the future Mrs Silvagni saw him follow John James down the race - the 1961 Brownlow Medallist having been afforded the rare honour of leading the team out in his final appearance.
“I reckon that was the day Ted Whitten broke Serge’s nose,” said Rita, who cast a discerning eye on proceedings from her vantage point in the since-demolished Robert Heatley Stand.
“That was 60 years ago . . . and we would have celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary this October (19 October).”
In April 1991, Rita watched on from the Kenneth Luke Stand at Mulgrave when son Stephen turn out for game No.100 at VFL Park. The match didn’t go to script, as ‘SOS’ had his number taken for striking Melbourne’s Simon Eishold and duly copped a one-match penalty following the Tribunal hearing.
Fast forward to this Thursday night at the MCG, and Rita will be there again, watching on with Stephen and Jo as her grandson Jack takes on the Tigers in game 100.
Rita, who has only just returned from a five-week holiday to her home town of Marostica and to the Silvagni locale of Asiago in Northern Italy, appreciates the poignancy of the moment - that Jack’s milestone match is history-making after more than 125 years of VFL/AFL competition, as three generations of the one family have never before turned out for the same club in 100 games each.
“I made sure I was back from holidays in time. I’ll be there to see it happen because three generations have never done it,” Rita said this week.
In reflecting on all those years in which she leant support to her three boys, Rita concedes that she’s ridden every bump with Stephen and Jack.
“When I met Serge he was already playing, but when it’s your son and grandson it’s a different thing,” she said.
“I felt like I played every game with Stephen and now Jack, and in both cases you just don’t want them to get hurt. Honestly you sit there cringing and when Jack started playing I said to Jo (Jack’s mother) ‘Now you know how I feel’.”
As she watches on come Thursday night, thoughts will turn to her husband, a Legend of the Club, who passed away at the age of 83 last July.
“I only wish Serge could be there with me to see Jack running out. He would be so proud,” Rita said.
“Serge wasn’t the type of fellow who would show emotion, but deep down he was proud that Jack was playing.”
