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LUCAS RESERVE EAST MALVERN HOME FOR 2023-TOORAK PARK UPDATE
TOORAK PARK renovations to begin soon means Prahran will have a new home ground for 2023 when the club shares Lucas Reserve with East Malvern seniors and juniors.
Training will be on Mondays and Wednesdays as was the case at Toorak Park.
This is one of the better facilities in Stonnington and we thank East Malvern and Stonnington Council for accommodating the club until we return to the playing arena and the new two storey building (artist's impression below) sometime in 2024.
This is the latest update from Council:
- The Construction Contract for the Oval and Lighting works was awarded to the contractor on 14 November 2022.
- The contractor is currently utilising the vacated building as their site office.
- The contractor commenced site inspections and testing immediately after contract award and demolition works were planned to commence end of November 2022.
- The site inspections undertaken by the contractor identified a live gas valve under one of the buildings which is usually located on the perimeter of the title boundary. Demolition works could not commence as planned due to the live gas valve which needs to be isolated and removed by the gas authority.
- An application has been made to the gas authority for the removal of the gas valve. Once a date has been confirmed by the gas authority the contractor will reschedule the demolition works.
- The contractor completed the installation of temporary fencing around the oval on 12 December 2022 and has commenced preparation works for the new oval and lighting works.
- The target completion date for the oval and lighting works is end of May 2023.
- There will be no sports played on the oval between completion and the start of the cricket season in October 2023, to allow the new turf to be established.
If you would you like to receive further updates via council’s e-newsletter Click here
FAB MAYA RE-ELECTED AS PRESIDENT
FAB Maya was voted in for a 12th term as senior club president following the Annual General Meeting on November 30.
Maya is the third longest serving president in the club’s 137 year history surpassed only by JJ (Jack) O’Connor (a local publican who owned the Bush Inn Hotel) who served for 28 years from 1928-1956 and Donald Mackinnon (an esteemed Oxford educated policitian and ambassador to the United States) who served 22 years from 1903-1924.
TREVOR EVANS VAFA VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
HUGE Congratulations to newly elected vice president and life member Trevor Evans on his award as VAFA Volunteer Of The Year announced in the last week of November.
This has proved to be a truly award winning year for Trevor as he was also named the Len Reed- Cliff Peel Memorial Best Clubman at our presentation night.
Just recognition for a man devoted to his many and varied roles, notably merchandise manager, club photographer, in charge of the unenviable task of rounding up player subs and responsible for the outstanding graphics on show at the Team Of The Decade presentation and other functions during the year.
Appreciated by all at PFC.
(Footnote the club last week won a $1000 raffle among the 47 VAFA clubs to support our apparel supplier Starsub.)
NEW LIFE MEMBERS
NEWLY elected Life Members Matt Meier (left), Rachael Wiseman and Andy Saunders were officially approved at the AGM and presented with their medallions.
Club co captain Beau Adams, an apology on the night, was also awarded life membership.
1978 VFA PREMIERSHIP RE-UNION
THEY say that premierships create connections for life, and this adage was on display last month at the Emerald Hotel, South Melbourne. when we had more than 20 players attend the annual catch up of 1978 VFA Premiership squad, 44 years after they held the cup aloft!
Coach Big Mick Erwin led the day strongly, ably supported by his captain Rob Anderson, Lieutenant Kerry Foley and numerous other champion players including Rossy Thornton, Wayne Johnston, Ian McGuiness, Gary Chapman, Kel Clarke, Paul Taylor and many more.
It was also fantastic to have Regan Smith (son of the great Kim Smith) and Simon Payne (son of Prahran Champion, Rod Payne) join us, representing their fathers who were both major contributors in 1978.
What a special day for a special group of contributors to our great club!
GEORGE HAWKINS TRIBUTE CALLED OFF
REGRETTABLY the club has been forced to shelve plans to erect a headstone marker at Chiltern cemetery on Friday December 16 in honour of our Team Of The Century full-forward George Hawkins.
A member of the family voiced a belated objection to any alteration to the unmarked grave where George and his wife Monica are interred.
After consultation with the Chiltern Cemetery Trust there was no option but to cancel proceedings and accede to the family request.
Kevin Sheedy had agreed to attend to honour George’s legacy.
The Chiltern Cemetery Trust chairman Laurie Bould was kind enough to forward these words of thanks.
‘’For a considerable period when mowing around near George and Monica’s gravesite, I often was saddened that there was no gravestone mounted there.
An opportunity arose for this to be rectified in George and Monica's case through the generosity of the Prahran Football Club. That club, along with Kevin Sheedy, deserves thanks for their good willed gesture.
I'd like to thank everyone concerned for the positive input into this project and once again, on behalf of our cemetery and indeed our town, again express our disappointment that this did not come to fruition.’’
George Hawkins retired to Chiltern late in life.
The headstone will remain in Chiltern for display at a venue to be decided.
VALE JOHN GLOVER AND VIC RUTH
PRAHRAN sadly recently lost two premiership players, John Glover (1966, pictured above) and Vic Ruth, the 1970 premiership ruckman.
Vic passed away suddenly and most unexpectedly while playing golf at The National last Thursday. Vic was former owner of retailer Drummond Golf.
Funeral arrangements are still to be decided,
Recruited from Minyip in the Wimmera, Ruth wore the No 2 jumper and was instrumental in the Two Blues 1970 win.
Ruth was in demand with other VFA clubs circling but coach Kevin Rose is quoted in The Blue Boys history book as saying to club officials after watching him train at Toorak Park “don’t let him go, whatever it costs you.’’
Ruth’s stay at Prahran was short lived as he went overseas the year after the premiership before returning for the 1972 season.
JOHN Glover, back pocket in the 1966 Prahran VFA 2nd Division premiership team passed away on October 9.
John played for Prahran from 1963 to 1970 donning the No 15 jumper.
Glover was a convivial man proud of his football career with the Two Blues.
Both John and Vic attended our latest Jack Morgans Luncheon (photo of 1970-73 premiership players below with Vic Ruth far right).
(Photos courtesy Trevor Evans).
PLEASE SUPPORT COMMUNITY BANK EAST MALVERN
OUR club has a referral partnership with Community Bank Malvern East that can see the club earn $1,000 for a $500,000 home loan taken with the Malvern East Branch.
Ruth Hall, the Manager or our sponsor, Community Bank Malvern East can be contacted on 0412 555 452 or ruth.hall@bendigoadeialde.com.au to help you undertake a Home Loan Health Check or assist you on your home ownership journey.
Don’t forget to let Ruth know you are from Prahran Football Club when you reach out to her.
Appointments can be held most Wednesday evenings at the branch or at other times outside normal business hours as required.
CHRIS GARNAUT FIGHTS FOR UKRAINE
 COMMUNITY sporting clubs such as Prahran are an important way of life for many, but sometimes there are deeper factors at play in life.
Chris Garnaut, a former Prahran Juniors president, life member and senior club major corporate partner through his company Garnaut Private Wealth has embraced the Ukraine people in their war against Russian invasion.
In May 2022, Garnaut, also Fawkner Property Chief Investment Officer and founder, led the call for corporate Australia to raise $2 million dollars Australia-wide for the Ukraine Crisis Appeal Resettlement fund, tipping $100,00 into the fund.
In an extended interview in October with Damon Kitney, in The Australian, Garnaut, talks about what drives him and how the Russian invasion of Ukraine motivated him to help displaced Ukrainians.
This is an extract from his inspirational story.
‘The Ukrainian city of Bucha near Kyiv has become a tragic symbol of the brutality of the seven-month war against the Russian invaders.
In March, 458 bodies were found in Bucha after Russian forces withdrew, including 12 children. On the evening of August 24, a traditional Ukrainian Motonka Doll, made by children rescued from a refuge in Bucha, was the symbolic centrepiece of a gala fundraising event at Melbourne’s Hyatt Hotel to coincide with Ukrainian Independence Day.
Stefan Romaniw, the co-chair of the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations and vice president of the Ukrainian World Congress, took to the stage to present the doll to Melbourne financial adviser Chris Garnaut.
Romaniw described it as “a small but incredible token of appreciation from the Ukrainian community” for the work Garnaut and his Fawkner Property Group had done to support resettling displaced Ukrainians in Australia.
The fund provides support for the resettlement of displaced Ukrainians, including mental health and work-entry programs, and skills programs such as swimming, first aid and driving lessons.
$1.5m has now been raised to support the Ukraine Crisis Appeal Resettlement Fund and Garnaut is confident of meeting the $2m target well before the end of the year to support more than 6000 Ukrainians who have arrived in Australia since February.
Ironically when the Fawkner property team launched the “We Stand United for Ukraine” appeal in May 2022 together with Rotary Australia and the Australian Federation of Ukrainian Organisations, Garnaut had never met a Ukranian person in his life.
“Now I think they are one of the nicest races of people I have ever had the pleasure to meet,” he says.
The 61-year-old now wants to make every day count, four years since winning the biggest personal battle of his life. He was diagnosed with throat cancer in July 2016 and told he would die before Christmas that year
Garnaut , who has never smoked, was having none of it and thanks to seven weeks of laser treatment and chemotherapy and his iron will to live he survived.
He says his cancer fight has also made him conscious of his own mortality.
“When you are punching along in life and you’re doing okay, you think that you are immortal because you’ve had so many wins. The only time you think that you are not immortal is when you have a few losses,” he says.’
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LIGHTHOUSE FOUNDATION OUR CHOSEN CHARITY
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Your support goes a long way at this time of year. Our carer Ricky would love to share a message with you.
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Donations are especially important during the festive season when our young people need more love and support to help them feel like they are part of a family. We want their bellies to be full of delicious food and their days filled with fun activities and laughs. It's our carers on the ground that can make this happen, and they're integral to our mission to end youth homelessness, together, and to help our young people heal and thrive.
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SEASON’S GREETINGS
THIS will be our final newsletter for 2022 so it is timely to thank all members, supporters, players and especially our generous corporate partners, match day award sponsors and our charity partner Lighthouse Foundation for their support.
We look forward to the challenge of 2023 based at East Malvern as we eagerly await the emergence of our new Toorak Park home.
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