In a series of features on Carlton Members representing ten decades of membership
No 1: Myer Brott: 83 years and counting
Myer Brott, at 94 the Carlton Football Club’s longest-serving member.
No 2: Dad’s seat is just what the doctor ordered
Dr Trevor Brott acknowledges his beloved father Myer’s deep power of persuasion as crucial to his on-going support for all things Carlton.
No 3: Ruby a fully-fledged 21st century Blue
Ruby Owen was a regular at Carlton games in Melbourne throughout 2009 alongside older brother Thomas and father Peter.
No 4: It’s The Bloodbath and beyond for true Blue Joan
A proud member of the club since the tender age of four, Joan’s earliest memories of Carlton involve the 1945 Grand Final
No 5: Shane embodies the Spirit of Carlton
Carlton has been a huge part of Shane Morris' life since he became a member on birth in 1950 and still recalls the all the player numbers of the 1950s and 1960s.
No 6: Blue is the colour for Renee and Scarlett
Three week old Scarlett Costa's great grandmother Ida continued a family tradition when she lodged the membership papers for her to become the club's latest member.
No 7: Blue Ben waiting for the next big thing
Ben Shepherd’s 18 years as a Carlton member has seen the best and worst
No 8: Betty Blue still true, 72 years on
Betty Herrick knows that she first became a member in 1938 and she’s still got her ’38 membership card to prove it.
No 9: From Jezza to Judd . . . Mary remains the Carlton constant
Mary Robertson's connection with Carlton has been territorial since she was a young girl in the 1960's.

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Ben Shepherd’s 18 years as a Carlton member has taken in the worst era in his club’s otherwise illustrious history - and yet the 18 year-old Monash University arts global student can still lay claim to being there on Grand Final day 1995, when Stephen Kernahan and David Parkin thrust the silverware skyward.

“I was only five then, but I remember the ’95 Grand Final quite well,” says Ben. “I was in the Olympic Stand, watching on with my Dad, my brother, my cousins and my uncle, and being so small I felt like I was part of a strange world, with so many people there.

“Then there was the ’99 prelim, my all-time favourite match. I couldn’t believe that we’d actually won that game, I was so happy. I was sitting with my family in the Ponsford Stand that day, and I had a good view of Justin Murphy throwing the ball into the air when the final siren went.”

Ben’s connection with Carlton was forged from day one, when his father Tony, a long-time Blues supporter, registered his name at birth. It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship for Ben, the fourth generation family member to commit to the club.

Not that it’s been all beer and skittles. The wooden spoon seasons of 2002, ’05 and ’06 sorely tested most allegiances, but Ben’s resolve was only strengthened through the doom and gloom of it all.

“During the bad old days I still went to every home game. I reckon I took in a year’s worth of games and didn’t see us win,” Ben says.

“But I still supported the team and what happened actually strengthened me because I’m really looking forward to the future now.”

Ben says that being a part of something great is the driving force behind his want to renew his Carlton membership from season to season.

“Everyone I sit near at the football barracks for Carlton. We talk to eachother and we all enjoy being part of a club within the club,” he says.

At Visy Park recently, Ben got a chance to rub shoulders with nine fellow Carlton members who with him represented each of the past ten decades of the club’s ever-growing membership army. With great pride, Ben stood in for the many Carlton teenagers who took out memberships through the 1990s, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Myer Brott - 83 years a Carlton member - to the club’s prospective member of 2010, the three week-old Scarlett Costa.

“It was a good idea to get everyone together,” he says of that unique gathering. “It was terrific to have a chat with all the men, women and children - Carlton supporters I’d never got the chance to meet before,” he says.

And Ben shares their view that ultimate success is once again within sight of the mighty Blues, almost 15 years after he last savoured the moment. As he says, “With the highly-talented players we’ve got I think it’s going to happen”.