A CLASSIC dark Navy Blue duffle coat - festooned with “I hate Collingwood” and “Only slobs support the Woods” badges, and featuring the names of fabled Carlton Premiership players of 1979, ’81 and ’82 - has been generously donated to the club’s archive by Saver’s Greensborough.
The quintessential VFL coat, with its distinctive wooden button-up toggle and rope fastenings, the monikers of Rod Ashman, Peter Bosustow, Bruce Doull, Ken Hunter, Wayne Johnston, Alex Marcou, and Geoff Southby, and the numbers 5, 33 and 19 of Ken Sheldon, Peter McConville and the late Michael Young, was recently left at the store.
Adam Matthews, Production Manager at Savers Greensborough, said that the jacket was handed in by a person unknown and was sorted with countless other donations.
“One of our team members pulled the coat out, saw that it was old and thought it was cool,” Matthews said.
“I grabbed the coat and put it aside, and the initial plan was to sell the item until our CEO Michael Fisher thought it best to contact Carlton to see if the club was interested in providing a home.
“So I contacted Carlton and the rest as they say is history.”
Matthews joined Savers’ Greensborough Store Manager Steph Jones, Head Office’s Activation Manager Danielle Harris and General Manager of Operations David Mentz in handing the historic garment over to the Carlton Football Club Historian – and completing a tour of the IKON Park facility and heritage area in the process.
“Popping into the club brought back a lot of personal memories,” Matthews said.
“Though I’m a Collingwood supporter I used to follow my Dad to this ground as he was a Carlton man - and along the way I’d find a milk crate to stand on when I got there.
“From Savers’ perspective, we’re happy the duffle coat has found the perfect home. We’re happy it’s secured its rightful place and hopefully one day it can be displayed in the museum.”
If you have a football club-related artefact you would like to donate to the Carlton archive, please email tony.debolfo@carltonfc.com.au or call 0411 649766.
