Great article from Cynthia Banham

[Lucky Knickers]

I really admire this lady and in this article, what she has written struck a chord for me.

In life, as in footy, hardships, disappointments and training are worth it

I play the club theme song on YouTube because I love the emotions it evokes (and the bit with the banjo).

203 days and counting.

[Nthblood]

What a great article, well written, you can feel the passion in the words, its great to read stories like that to how people from all different walks of life have the same passion / obession you have.

[BigD]

What a fantastic article. I felt the emotion welling up in me as I read it. Well done, Cynthia.

[Jeffers1984]

that was bloody amazing!

Great Article.

[jono2707]

Shows once again why we support the best club in the world.....

[i'm-uninformed2]

I happen to know, albeit not in a close way, this lady from a year I spent working in Canberra. For those that don't know, she lost her legs and suffered massive injuries as a result of the plane crash in Yogjakarta that killed five Australians a couple of years back, including one of her dear friends.

She's a remarkably resilient person who has been to hell and back, and emerged with her dignity and class untouched.

The article confirms why her (and the Swans) are a breed apart.

[desredandwhite]

I've been semi-following Cynthia Banham's story over the last couple of years and this is a great read. Agree, she writes very well - which you would hope is the case, given her job

Fever Pitch is also one of my favourites, and I think it is required reading for any sports fan. It's about soccer generally and Arsenal specifically, however you don't need to be a fan of either to get what he means.

I will share with you all my favourite passage from the book:

It wasn?t the size of the crowd that impressed me most, however, or the way that adults were allowed to shout the word ?WANKER!? as loudly as they wanted without attracting any attention. What impressed me most was just how much most of the men around me hated, really hated being there. As far as I could tell, nobody seemed to enjoy, in the way that I understood the word, anything that happened during the entire afternoon. Within minutes of the kick-off there was real anger (?You?re a DISGRACE, Gould. He?s a DISGRACE!? ?A hundred quid a week? A HUNDRED QUID A WEEK! They should give that to me for watching you.?); as the game went on, the anger turned into outrage, and then seemed to curdle into sullen, silent discontent. Yes, yes, I know all the jokes. What else could I have expected at highbury? But I went to Chelsea and to Tottenham and to Rangers, and saw the same thing: that the natural state of the football fan is bitter disappointment, no matter what the score.

QFT.

[ShockOfHair]

Inspiring and a reminder of what a great club the Swans is.

It was very cool of the club to reach out to her.

[Cardinal]

Only a Club like the swans would inspire one to make that bloody trip up and down the freeway every second weekend

[dimelb]

Terrific article.
Thanks IU2 for filling in the background.
And thanks Des for the timely warning. Brought to mind the Bulldogs fans who sat behind us at the MCG when we were getting done in one of the finals; they never stopped bellyaching about their own, to the point where mrs d turned around and asked, "Can't you enjoy the win?" The response was a (temporary) shocked silence.

[satchmopugdog]

It's footy colours day here at work....so I am sitting heredecked out in some of my stuff,reading that article and trying not to cry in front of the kids.

I love my team.


Read the book and could relate to it. Read the article and could relate to the bit where the Swans helped the writer pull through a hard time.(Mind you hers was unbelievably more traumatic than mine) When I found myself on my own I decided I would go to one of the big Melbourne Swans functions to help find the new me. It was almost a spiritual experience finding all these other people that thought like me. I was not alone anymore.

[Go Swannies]

Inspiring and a reminder of what a great club the Swans is.

It was very cool of the club to reach out to her.

The club does this a bit. A few years ago a friend of mine who was a very keen fan (I met her at a Club Swans aftermatch) developed cancer very young (early 30s). The club found out and invited her to matches and coffee with the players, etc - the chance to have her photo taken with her favourite player (Baz), etc. All were very gracious. She died at the start of 2006 and her last text to me was about the Swannies chances for the season she wasn't going to see. RIP Janine.

Incidentally Cynthia Banham's husband works for News Ltd and they have been at least as supportive as Fairfax though the injuries were suffered while working for the opposition. It's good when people and companies rally around rather than toe a corporate line.

[Primmy]

Read the article. Also made a mental note that this is the first time we have heard about the Swans reaching out to her. No publicity. From within. That is a bit of class.

And I know what you mean Satch. That sense of belonging "somewhere" with like minds. that's why the Syyddnneeyyy chant only goes up in unison when the "moment" warrants it. Not when someone else has decided. We, not Me.

[Cher]

Excellent article.
Most of my close friends I met through the Swans, gone are the days of sitting at the footy on my own.

[Chilcott]

Great article about a great team, written by an inspiring and courageous person.

I can't get to many games these days, but must admit when I do get to a game I also get the goosebumps when I first see the turf from the gate or down the tunnels/aisles.

Then its straight to the bar for a beer and a pie.