PFC Newsletter 28, Final For 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW LIFE MEMBERS
THREE new Life Members were approved at the Prahran Football Club Annual General Meeting held in the Jack Morgans Room on November 29.
Long serving Juniors administrator Elle Payne, current player Jon Simonetta, and former player and now match day official David Ross were voted in as Life Members.
The Payne family has a rich history with the Two Blues which we saw on display with this presentation pictured above at the AGM.
Pictured (left to right) are Elle's son Charles, husband Simon and daughter Lucy with Elle holding the original Toorak Park locker No 28 bearing the name of Team Of The Century ruckman Rod Payne, Simon's father and Elle's father-in-law.
Elle told members the family was touched by the gesture of receiving the locker and proud to continue their association with the club.
Payne was Juniors registrar and secretary among many roles over more than 10 years and this year was team manager of the Under 18s premiership team and is an administrator with Prahran Football Netball Club.
Simonetta joined the Two Blues in 2014 and has played 130 senior games, is a 2017 premiership player, wingman in the 2010-19 Team Of The Decade and his family company Simfresh has been a long time major corporate partner.
Ross joined Southbank as a player in 1986 before the club joined Prahran and so has a 40 year involvement with the club. He now enjoys duties as a match day official among a variety of roles.
LATEST ADDITION TO FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT
IN other clubs news we can announce a further addition to the off field support group for the Senior club is new fitness and conditioning coach Ed Macdonald.
Ed is a 2011 Prahran Assumption senior premiership player, 2002 Under 15 premiership player, PFC life member and coach of this year's Prahran Under 18s premiership team.
New coach Craige Milward met players at East Malvern on Wednesday November 22 as he and Ed outlined the pre season training schedule.
FIRST RECRUIT FOR 2024
PRAHRAN has unveiled its first recruit for season 2024 in key forward Caleb Ernst.
Caleb, 21, joins host of players originally from the Mildura area, in Caleb's case Wentworth and knows several of his new teammates.
After playing with Bendigo Pioneers in the NAB Under 18s competition he played for Strathfieldsaye in the Bendigo League.
Caleb spent most of 2023 season recovering from OP (Osteitis Pubis) but is ready to go this pre season.
He is living in Melbourne with his partner Breeanna.
TOORAK PARK REDEVELOPMENT UPDATE
REDEVELOPMENT continues to progress well with Stage One - oval redevelopment and lighting upgrade, recently completed.
Building of the new pavilion is soon to commence and we are excited to share a couple of visuals that have been provided by the project's architect (a view from the oval and one from Orrong Road) to give you a feel for what our new home will look like when we return to Toorak Park for season 2025 (refer photos below). Here is the latest Construction Update from Stonnington Council:
15 November 2023 - Stonnington Council Construction update
Following the issue of the building permit for pavilion construction stage 1 works, bulk excavation of the site has commenced. This will be followed by detailed excavation and civil works ahead of concrete pours for the pavilion footings and pad.
Site establishment works are also well advanced as is the detailed design works which are 95 per cent complete.
At this early stage of construction we are well on track to meet the expected completion date of late-2024.
All the tenant clubs of Toorak Park are continuing to work in collaboration with Stonnington Council in finalising the detailed design components of the new pavilion.
We will continue to update you as the development progresses and you can also monitor the progress via the following link to access the latest update from Council - when you land on the page, scroll down and click on the "Latest News" and "Gallery" buttons for further information: https://www.stonnington.vic.gov.au/About/Major-infrastructure-works-and-projects/Toorak-ParkVictory-Square-masterplan
MELBOURNE CUP WINNER FOR FORMER PRAHRAN JUNIOR
AS far as famous sporting achievers to emerge from Prahran Juniors it is fair to say Sam Freedman has catapulted into those ranks as of Melbourne Cup day this year.
Freedman, 27, is co trainer, with father Anthony, of this year's Melbourne Cup winner Without A Fight. Sam was a Prahran juniors player and coached the Under 8s in 2013-14.
Also a talented cricketer, Sam played some games with Prahran Reserves in 2015 before moving to England playing cricket and while living near the famed horse racing centre Newmarket met trainer Roger Varian.
As fate would have it he missed a flight home at the end of the cricket season so he decided to stay on which led to him starting work with Varian.
While there Varian invited Sam to meet Without A Fight's owner Skeikh Obaid Al Maktoum over lunch one day at York.
That brief encounter was followed by regular text messages with the Sheikh's bloodstock manager... join the dots and that's how Without A Fight joined the Freedman barn late last year.
Sam was announced as the Racing Personality Of The Year voted on by members of the Victorian Racing Media Association at a luncheon at the Emerald Hotel on November 28.
PRAHRAN FOOTBALL CLUB ARCHIVES
PRAHRAN has a rich history from its VFA days and no doubt this vision will hold special interest to past players and supporters.
Who could ever forget this iconic Robert Anderson mark in the 1978 VFA Grand Final in front of 30,569 spectators at the Junction Oval?
Just click on these You tube links for a trip down memory lane:
1973 GF final
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0c0S8d1Qvl0
1973 GF Prahran v Oakleigh
Prahran highlights between 1978 - 1986
Preston v Prahran at Cramer Street Preston 1992
PFC Team of the Century nominations
Prahran v Sunshine 1986 Preliminary final at Junction Oval – Part 1
Prahran v Sunshine 1986 Preliminary final at Junction Oval – Part 2
Prahran v Sunshine 1986 Preliminary final at Junction Oval – Part 3
Prahran v Williamstown 1991 Last five minutes at Toorak Park
Two Blues theme song
VALE JOHN MARSDEN
JOHN Marsden, inaugural Prahran Juniors president in 1975 and senior club president of the Prahrantonians supporters group, has died in Tasmania aged 84.
Awarded life membership in 1979, John (pictured above as coach) was a driving force in the formation of the Juniors and keenly followed the senior club's fortunes up until recent times.
The club made a $1000 donation to a Go Fund Me campaign three years ago for his grandson Jonathan Marsden who was in dire need of serious brain surgery.
Such was the success of the surgery performed by Dr Charlie Teo, Jonathan, who lives in Tasmania, is back playing football as a fly in-fly out player for Mallee club Tooleybuc.
John's son Stuart passed on this message.
"Dad loved this club and made many great friendships which many were life long. He always had a passion for the juniors which drove me to do the same with my son. We all know, this is where the future champions are born. As mentioned, Dad reached out to his beloved Two Blues and the club was there to support his grandson which contributed to the good health of my son, for which I thank you all dearly.''
A funeral service was held at Bunarong Memorial Park on Thursday November 2.
SEASON'S GREETINGS
AS this will be our final newsletter for 2023 we take this opportunity to thank all contributors to our newsletters including Joey Bell and especially our social media manager Steph Suriano and wish all supporters, members, players, sponsors and their families an enjoyable festive season and may 2024 shine upon us all.