Speech at Launch of Book

Thank you Tom for your kind words and making yourself available to launch my book on “The History of the South West District Football League (1913-1981) including Ganmain Football Club (1893-1981)” because without you it would not have had been such a great success. First of all I would like to thank all who played a part in turning my dream of publishing this book into a reality.

First of all to the former players and supporters of the old SWDFL many of whom have kindly turned up today to make this day special.  I appreciate your efforts in this regard very much especially the one’s who have travelled many miles to be here.

Next to Barrie Logan who has been my pillar for support in not only finalising the book with material as well as helping me organise this event and for introducing Tom Hafey.

To the Ganmain GG-M Football Club, committee and players who helped in not only ensuring we could get Tom up here from Melbourne for the launch but also for letting me launch this book on such an important game day as today when we play our old rivals the “Wagga Tigers”.

I would also like to thank my old coach from Ganmain and Queanbeyan Tigers, Kevin Delmenico for his invaluable help getting my book from a messy manuscript to the finished product.

Finally, to all the others who contributed in one way or another. Everyone I have contacted have been so helpful and encouraging from Tom Hafey, previous SWDFL players right down the list to the Ganmain Show Society for letting me sell my book at their show yesterday.  They all couldn’t do enough for me and I appreciate that very much.

This book was compiled for you, the people of the Riverina and especially of the old South West District Football League and Ganmain, the players and supporters.  You will not find stories about Leigh Matthews, Alex Jesalenko or Peter Knights in this book but you will find stories on our own local heroes, such as the Carroll’s, Quade’s, Durnan’s, Pleming’s, Thompson’s, William’s, Luhrs and the Poddy Slade’s and Frank Gumbleton’s etc and our famous imports like Peter Box, Ian Gillett, Len Sexton, Bernie Sculley, Max Kruse, Barry Rist, Bill Thripp, Robbie Nolan, Don Keyter,  Mick Grambeau, Frank Bourke, Joey Daby and the Hayes’s to name a few. This book is about real local people that played football in the South West District Football League. It doesn’t matter how old you are, whether you knew these players or not, but after reading the book you will have a better understanding of these people and the things they bought to the SWDFL. I now have a better understanding and appreciation for the achievements of footballers like the Tom Carroll’s, Vic Hathaway’s and Des Lyons’s and I hope the one’s remaining will also have a better knowledge of the players who came before them.

# I wanted to put a 1956 photograph of  Mick Grambeau and Tom Quade going for a ball up on the cover but was unable to secure a good quality copy of it. I rang Mick on the Gold Coast to see if he had a copy of the photo. He said he hadn’t but had plenty more with Tom Quade and himself in them going for knockouts but the ball was nowhere to be seen in the photographs.

What I am proud of is that the history of this SWDF League is now recorded for generations to come so they too, can know and appreciate the people that made it so great. I hope it will rekindle memories for some of you that may have been forgotten for some time and relive the moments as well as learning more about this League.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this book as much as I have had in researching and writing it.  Please promote this book for me to your families and friends and tell them all to buy a copy.

Tomorrow I will delivering this book to newsagents throughout the old South West Football area to make it easy assessable for people to acquire it who couldn’t make it here today.

Thanking you all for making me a very proud person today.  The say everyone has 15 minutes of fame in their life and I am glad I shared mine with you here today.

Thanking you all.

And as they say in the classics “Let the game begin” and go you “Lions”.

(Above) Ged Guthrie giving his speech at the launch with Tom Hafey

                                                                                                                                           (Above) Tom Hafey giving his speech at the Launch