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Swans in awe of war hero
By Tim Morrissey
March 19, 2004
LUMINARIES such as playwright David Williamson and actor David Wenham have spoken with eloquence and passion about the Sydney Swans at previous guernsey presentation dinners.
On Monday night it was the turn of a "boring old fart" - as he saw it - to toast the Swans team of 2004.
But during the introduction by Swans chairman Richard Colless it quickly became clear that Charles Edmondson has lived a life less ordinary.
For starters he was the only person in the packed ballroom at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre who, as an 18-year-old, witnessed the Swans' last grand final victory in 1933 when they defeated Richmond 9.17 (71) to 4.5 (29) at the MCG.
And old Charlie would have been the only one out of 75,754 people at the ground who rode his bike - "and it wasn't a bloody Malvern Star" - 322km to watch his beloved Swans win that grand final.
Charles grew up in the Victoria/NSW border town of Wodonga - Aussie rules country as he calls it - where every kid at school had his own special team: "bloody Collingwood".
"Gordon Coventry was everyone's hero, not mine," Charles told everyone on Monday night. "My idol was Bobby Pratt (South Melbourne goal-kicking legend).
"As a consequence, from the age of nine I've been a dedicated supporter of the red and white."
Charles relocated to Sydney in 1982 and he and his late wife Catherine immediately became Swans foundation members.
He has kept Catherine's membership going in memory of her devotion to the club.
However, the amazing story of Charles Edmondson does not end there.
During World War II Charles flew fighter planes in seven squadrons from 1941 to 1945, surviving an incredible 262 missions without being injured.
Such was the carnage involved with flying sortie after sortie over the Western Desert in Libya, Charles' first tour of duty in 1941, the pilots called it playing "Messerschmitt Roulette".
Colless read a brief excerpt from an article titled "The Heroes Of Squadron 451" written by Wing Commander Geoffrey Morley-Mower (DFC AFC), an Englishman who described the Australian pilots as "adventurous rebels, villains, exiles, a new
nation. They were also the bravest men I have met".
Morley-Mower went on to say: "They are still a mystery to me, so many heroes I don't quite understand it, though the record is clear enough. All but one of them is dead. Charles Edmondson, however, is alive and well.
"Charles Edmondson had the most extraordinary career of them all."
In 1945 Charles commanded squadron 451 and received a well-deserved and belated Distinguished Service Order for leading attacks on targets in Yugoslavia, Albania, Austria and the Istrian Peninsula.
It became apparent on Monday night to everyone in the room that they were in the presence of a genuine war hero who, at the age of 89, just happened to still love the Swans and his footy as much as the kid from the country who cycled 322km to the 1933 grand final.
"In many ways a fighter squadron reminds me of a football team," Charles explained at the guernsey presentation dinner.
"Same age group, about 26 pilots at full strength to a fighter squadron, a need to practise one's skills over and over and over again until one is doing everything purely by instinct.
"In an emergency, survival could for us well depend on choosing the right option.
"I could be talking about football, couldn't I? Relentlessly honing skills, eye on the ball, choosing the right option - that is the recipe for survival."
Charles also spoke passionately about his Swans and the fact time is running out for him to witness another grand final victory.
And he revealed he has enquired about his suitability to be an organ donor at his age.
When he told the organ donor hotline he was turning 90 next year, the voice on the other end said: "Perhaps we better come out and collect them now."
Charles asked the person to hang on until after the guernsey presentation dinner, then thought: "Better still, could you wait until the end of the footy season, I just may have a premiership to celebrate."
"Are you sure you will still be here?" was the reply.
Charles shot back: "Young lady, I've been following the Swans for 80-odd years and in all that time I have watched them win only the one flag and I had to ride my push bike almost 200 miles to watch that game.
"So I'm not about to topple off the twig now that we are standing on the threshold of another flag."
The applause was long and loud.
By Tim Morrissey
March 19, 2004
LUMINARIES such as playwright David Williamson and actor David Wenham have spoken with eloquence and passion about the Sydney Swans at previous guernsey presentation dinners.
On Monday night it was the turn of a "boring old fart" - as he saw it - to toast the Swans team of 2004.
But during the introduction by Swans chairman Richard Colless it quickly became clear that Charles Edmondson has lived a life less ordinary.
For starters he was the only person in the packed ballroom at the Darling Harbour Convention Centre who, as an 18-year-old, witnessed the Swans' last grand final victory in 1933 when they defeated Richmond 9.17 (71) to 4.5 (29) at the MCG.
And old Charlie would have been the only one out of 75,754 people at the ground who rode his bike - "and it wasn't a bloody Malvern Star" - 322km to watch his beloved Swans win that grand final.
Charles grew up in the Victoria/NSW border town of Wodonga - Aussie rules country as he calls it - where every kid at school had his own special team: "bloody Collingwood".
"Gordon Coventry was everyone's hero, not mine," Charles told everyone on Monday night. "My idol was Bobby Pratt (South Melbourne goal-kicking legend).
"As a consequence, from the age of nine I've been a dedicated supporter of the red and white."
Charles relocated to Sydney in 1982 and he and his late wife Catherine immediately became Swans foundation members.
He has kept Catherine's membership going in memory of her devotion to the club.
However, the amazing story of Charles Edmondson does not end there.
During World War II Charles flew fighter planes in seven squadrons from 1941 to 1945, surviving an incredible 262 missions without being injured.
Such was the carnage involved with flying sortie after sortie over the Western Desert in Libya, Charles' first tour of duty in 1941, the pilots called it playing "Messerschmitt Roulette".
Colless read a brief excerpt from an article titled "The Heroes Of Squadron 451" written by Wing Commander Geoffrey Morley-Mower (DFC AFC), an Englishman who described the Australian pilots as "adventurous rebels, villains, exiles, a new
nation. They were also the bravest men I have met".
Morley-Mower went on to say: "They are still a mystery to me, so many heroes I don't quite understand it, though the record is clear enough. All but one of them is dead. Charles Edmondson, however, is alive and well.
"Charles Edmondson had the most extraordinary career of them all."
In 1945 Charles commanded squadron 451 and received a well-deserved and belated Distinguished Service Order for leading attacks on targets in Yugoslavia, Albania, Austria and the Istrian Peninsula.
It became apparent on Monday night to everyone in the room that they were in the presence of a genuine war hero who, at the age of 89, just happened to still love the Swans and his footy as much as the kid from the country who cycled 322km to the 1933 grand final.
"In many ways a fighter squadron reminds me of a football team," Charles explained at the guernsey presentation dinner.
"Same age group, about 26 pilots at full strength to a fighter squadron, a need to practise one's skills over and over and over again until one is doing everything purely by instinct.
"In an emergency, survival could for us well depend on choosing the right option.
"I could be talking about football, couldn't I? Relentlessly honing skills, eye on the ball, choosing the right option - that is the recipe for survival."
Charles also spoke passionately about his Swans and the fact time is running out for him to witness another grand final victory.
And he revealed he has enquired about his suitability to be an organ donor at his age.
When he told the organ donor hotline he was turning 90 next year, the voice on the other end said: "Perhaps we better come out and collect them now."
Charles asked the person to hang on until after the guernsey presentation dinner, then thought: "Better still, could you wait until the end of the footy season, I just may have a premiership to celebrate."
"Are you sure you will still be here?" was the reply.
Charles shot back: "Young lady, I've been following the Swans for 80-odd years and in all that time I have watched them win only the one flag and I had to ride my push bike almost 200 miles to watch that game.
"So I'm not about to topple off the twig now that we are standing on the threshold of another flag."
The applause was long and loud.
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