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Sad news Mike Willesee passed away today former South reserves player, part owner of the Swans and a passionate Swans supporter
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Last edited by chuckie; 1 March 2019, 01:14 PM. -
I liked Mike. A great Swans person who gave a great deal to the club and its supporters.He had observed that people who did lie were, on the whole, more resourceful and ambitious and successful than people who did not lie.Comment
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Great journo, great Swans patron and supporter. Vale.Comment
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Yes, I'm sure that Mike Willisee played a major role in keeping the Swans alive, during the dark days of the early nineties. As such, current fans owe him a debt of gratitude.Comment
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Very sad. From a Swans perspective two things about Mike sticks in my head:
1. As a Swans director during the early days of the national (AFL) comp, he used to rile the Vic the establishment when he repeatedly said 10 teams in Melbourne cannot all survive.
2. He was a great admirer of Gerard Healy after we'd recruited him, declaring him the best footballer in Australia.
Reading through various articles on his sad passing, came across this photo of him in Bali to interview Schapelle Corby wearing a Swans cap:
Last edited by KSAS; 1 March 2019, 04:32 PM.Comment
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I feel like an ignorant fan to not have known before now just how strong the connection between Willisee and our club was - I am too young to remember the deep dark days of the late 80s/ early 90s in too much detail, but reading some info today, it sounds like he was a key part of keeping our club alive in those dark days, and has been there and done almost everything in terms of roles in the club.
The beautiful, wonderful football club we all enjoy now is in no small part down to the hard work of figures like Willesee, who fought so hard to stop the lights being turned off once and for all.
And that's without even going anywhere his fantastic career as a quality journalist.
RIP good sir, Rest in Peace - you will be missed, but most definitely not forgotten! Lets hope the boys can put in a big 2019 season to celebrate a fine life!
A nice extract from when Mike helped save us in the late 80s.
Last edited by mcs; 1 March 2019, 08:06 PM."You get the feeling that like Monty Python's Black Knight, the Swans would regard amputation as merely a flesh wound."Comment
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Great bit of nostalgia with that article. They were dark days indeed! Kinnear had little or no chance of success as our best players like Williams, Mitchell and Toohey soon started to leave the Club. Finances were tight. We won three consecutive wooden spoons in the early 90s.
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My memory isn't as good as it could be and I may well be getting games mixed up but I seem to recall vision of Mike with a huge smile on his face on the MCG after the 2005 Grand Final ?Comment
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Bless. May he rest in peace
For those of you not old enough to remember, he was one of our best investigative journalists.
He saved the swans. If it weren't for him, the move to Sydney would have collapsed.Wild speculation, unsubstantiated rumours, silly jokes and opposition delight in another's failures is what makes an internet forum fun.
Blessed are the cracked for they are the ones who let in the light.Comment
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