Last October, we put the call out to the Magpie Army to share their FOREVER stories.

A FOREVER story is about what connects a supporter to Collingwood for life.

Now, as we prepare to embark on another season, the 126^th in Collingwood’s history, we will be showcasing these stories to the world.

From online through Collingwood Media to the heart of the MCG on match days, we will be telling your FOREVER stories to the world.

In the first FOREVER story of 2018, we hear from Andrew Gibson, a passionate Magpie who ignored his family's Melbourne leanings and developed a passion for the Pies.

Growing up in Mount Waverley in the 1960s among a family of Melbourne supporters, Andrew Gibson’s heart was meant to beat true for the red and the blue.

But after being taken to a game at Victoria Park by a neighbour he knew as Uncle Jack, Gibson was won over by the passion of the Collingwood fans and the sublime skills of players like Peter McKenna and Colin Tully.

He turned his back on the Dees (although he made sure he signed up as an MCC member) and became a rusted-on member of the Magpie Army.

“My family didn’t go the footy very often, but I ended up going to Collingwood games most weekends,” he recalled.

“I was indoctrinated, you could say. And it did end up being a point of contention with my mother and my siblings, who were the keenest Melbourne fans in my family, that I ended up being a Collingwood supporter.

“Even now, it’s still a point of contention with my siblings.”



Gibson’s life journey has taken him around Australia and the world since those days when he made regular pilgrimages with Uncle Jack and his son to watch the Pies at Vic Park.

He has sailed around the Pacific Ocean on a yacht that he and some friends built themselves at Airey’s Inlet, he has spent time working as a cray fisherman in Western Australia, and he has made a home for himself near Byron Bay on the north coast of New South Wales.

Throughout this period, people have come and gone. Indeed, it is years since he lost contact with the descendants of Uncle Jack.

Yet his love of Collingwood has been constant.

“It’s the one thing that has stayed the same as everything else has changed,” Gibson said. “And it will be with me forever.”

Gibson’s earliest memory of watching the Magpies is a recollection of Tully delivering a lace-out pass to McKenna in a match against North Melbourne at Victoria Park in the late 1960s.

He recalls McKenna then slotting a miraculous goal despite there being “no daylight between the goal posts”.

His other memories of games around that time include standing on empty Victoria Bitter cans at the Yarra end to get a better view of the action and seeing Terry Waters “having a smoke on the outskirts of the huddle at quarter-time”.



One-time captain Terry Waters was a favourite of Andrew Gibson.

“We always seemed to get to the footy at quarter-time, because Uncle Jack always had one last chore to finish before we could head off. But they were great days.

“I received my first Collingwood season ticket in 1968. It had a Magpie in the middle and the little squares around the edge that the gate attendant clipped when you entered Victoria Park.

“I have been a member pretty much ever since.”

Of the seven Grand Finals that Collingwood lost or drew between 1966 and 1981, Gibson was at three of them.

His recollections include the “soul destroying memory of the little blond fella (Ted Hopkins) kicking four goals in the second half in 1970”.

During the 1980s, when he was often sailing around the Pacific Ocean, Gibson received only irregular updates on the fortunes of the Pies.

But he was back on dry land by 1990, when Collingwood broke its 32-year premiership drought with a famous victory over Essendon.

He was at the MCG that day, and the triumph rekindled his faith in the footy gods. He has followed the Magpies with even greater passion since then.

In the past two decades, Gibson has split his time between living in northern New South Wales and overseeing construction projects in Victoria.

When he is down south, he makes a point of getting to every Collingwood game he can, and he revelled in taking in both the drawn Grand Final and the replay in 2010.

He was at AAMI Park for the post-match party after the replay victory over St Kilda and loved watching Alan Didak dance a celebratory jig.



Alan Didak's celebratory dance after winning the 2010 premiership remains one of Gibson's favourite Magpie moments.

Despite Collingwood’s struggles in recent years, Gibson is “quietly confident” ahead of the 2018 season.

Currently working on a construction project in Collingwood, not far from Victoria Park, he’ll be at the ’G for the clash with Hawthorn on Saturday night and he can’t wait to see how the new-look team comes together.

“I think the defence side of things is looking really interesting,” he said.

“With players like Adams and Crisp and Moore and Howe down there, I think we should be pretty strong in the backline.

“I suppose we’re all waiting to see how the forward line will go and whether we can kick enough goals.

Stay tuned throughout 2018 as we showcase our FOREVER stories.

FOREVER your club. FOREVER our club.