The film, discovered on one of the hundreds of U-matic videotapes recently located within the confines of the Richard Pratt Stand, has since been digitised and will be on view to Carlton Members and supporters from this week.
Funded by both the Carlton Football Club and the Spirit of Carlton Past & Present, and designed and delivered by Cunningham Martyn Design, the showcase, which is close to completion, takes pride of place opposite Jamie Cooper’s Carlton Team of the 20th Century portrait, which hangs from a wall in the foyer of the Visy Park redevelopment.
Also on display are a host of precious artefacts relating to the 1981/’82 Grand Final triumphs over Collingwood and Richmond, as the Club itself readies for its Hall of Fame Dinner celebrating the back-to-back victories at Crown Palladium on March 26.
Artefacts include:
• The official invitation to The Lodge, signed by both Malcolm Fraser, his wife Tamie and the then leader of the Australian Democrats the late Don Chipp, after whom the Carlton theatrette is now named;
• the 1981 Grand Final Carlton and Collingwood matchday guernseys worn by Ken Hunter and Peter Daicos, and exchanged when the final siren sounded;
• Rod Ashman’s 1981 and ’82 premiership medallions;
• the 1981 and ’82 Club Best and Fairest trophies won by Ken Hunter and Jim Buckley respectively;
• Senior Coach David Parkin’s pre-match notes for the 1981 and ’82 Grand Finals; and
• a 1981 Grand Final commemorative ring, presented to David McKay, in the wake of what was also his 263rd and final appearance as a Carlton footballer.
The showcase, to cater for future exhibits celebrating pivotal moments in the Club’s long and illustrious history, has been installed as part of the Carlton Football Club’s/Spirit of Carlton’s commitment to this cause.
Carlton President Stephen Kernahan said that while the future growth and prosperity of the Club was paramount, additions such as the new showcase served to perpetuate Carlton’s long and illustrious history.
“We should never lose sight of the fact that the Carlton Football Club was built on the backs of the great players and administrators who came before,” Kernahan said.
“The precious mementos to be featured in this showcase both now and into the future in part tell the whole of what makes Carlton Carlton. They serve as glorious reminders of the greatness that is the Carlton Football Club, to the countless Members and supporters filing past.”
The Spirit of Carlton’s Geoff Southby said: “This is a great step in the preservation, management and display of our great Club’s incredible story, in the lead-up to our 150th birthday in 2014. Accordingly, the Carlton Football Club and the Spirit of Carlton are to be congratulated.”
