Almost 50 years after the event, the 89 year-old architect whose firm won the tender to build the since-demolished Carlton Social Club has spoken in colorful detail about how he convinced the late President George Harris and members of the cricket and football social club foundation committee to award it the contract.

Don Fulton, through his firm Don Hendry Fulton Architecture, was awarded the building contract for the Carlton Social Club (George H. Harris Stand), which in 2008 made way for what is now the $19.5million elite training facility on the site.

With the passing of time, Fulton thought it important to contact the club to set the record straight on how his company pushed ahead with plans to build the £250,000 social club, which was bankrolled by the Melbourne City Council to the tune of £100,000, Carlton & United Breweries and the banks.

Fulton, introduced to members of the 15-man foundation committee by the late former player and powerbroker Laurie Kerr, recalls that his was one of a number of architectural firms identified for the tender process after Harris’ Progress Party swept to power in late 1965.

“They interviewed four architects, and I was interviewed after the other three,” Fulton recalled. “I had told them (the committeemen) that I wanted to be interviewed last because I learnt long ago that the person interviewed last is the person best remembered.

“When I walked in George and the directors were all tired, but I came armed with a definitive sketch and I went through the spiel.

“I remember holding up the sketch and loudly saying: ‘I can see it now – the George Harris Stand’, and with that George stood up and said ‘You’ve got the job’.

Sir Robert Menzies, George Harris and Howard Houston at the opening of the Carlton Social Club.

Another tale related by Fulton involved the copper piping later laid down at the site after construction work on the Social Club began.

“Copper pipes always tended to glisten in the sun, but I remember driving past Royal Parade this particular day and seeing the pipes stacked there, and curiously, they were all painted black,” Fulton said.

“I asked the foreman on that job why the pipes had been painted black, to which he replied ‘So people won’t notice them and pinch them’.”

The site upon which the George Harris Stand was built was cleared in late 1966. Construction work was completed 12 months later and final fittings and furnishings for the Main Dining Room, 2^nd floor Houston Bar, Lounge Bar and Billiard Room installed in time for the grand opening - Monday, April 15, 1968.

The then Australian Prime Minister and Carlton’s long-serving No.1 patron Sir Robert Menzies officiated at the opening ceremony, which preceded Carlton’s match with Geelong in what was Brent Crosswell’s senior debut.

The Harris Stand stood for 40 years until both it and the adjoining Robert Heatley Stand fell to the wrecker’s ball. Some months before, in November 2007, Harris died - and his funeral service was conducted on the first floor of the grandstand whose name Fulton had once spouted in that pivotal play to win the tender.