Her daughter, Lynda Greenstreet, explains her mother's links with the Black and White, and illustrates the deep connections that run through the Collingwood family.
Shortly after World War One, mum’s uncle Jack Lawley travelled from Bendigo to Melbourne for a holiday to watch his first VFL match. Collingwood was well down at half time, and as most of us tend to do, he began to barrack for the underdog.
Collingwood fought its way back and won that game, and so began a love that has endured all that life throws at us, helping shape the family and grow to become a huge part of all our lives.
As a small girl, mum would go with uncle Jack to the footy, and during the tough times of the depression the kind gatekeepers at Victoria Park would let her in on his ticket. At the age of 14 she was given her first membership.
Times were hard during the war years. Mum’s uncle Jack became a prisoner of war in Burma, but mum saw it as her duty to keep him up to date with all the Collingwood news. Unfortunately the letters didn’t reach him until after he was freed, but they are a good insight into a one-eyed view of that time.
Although it’s hard to believe, mum married a Carlton supporter whose uncle had captained Carlton. While mum was never really able to convert him, dad did go to many Collingwood games.
Dad wanted to take my younger brother with him and on some occasions mum allowed this with one stipulation; my brother was easy to pick out at these games; he was the one sitting in the Heatley stand wearing a Collingwood jumper - even when Carlton was playing another team.
I was born in 1953 - what a year. Mum watched us win the grand final from the steps of the MCC members.
A friend got her a ticket so she was able to feed me then go straight to the MCG from East Brunswick. She would always tell us that while Lou Richards was the better player, his brother Ron played a blinder that day, helping us to a great victory.
The year of 1958 brought another premiership, made all the sweeter because Melbourne was expected to win easily. Luckily Murray Weidman and crew thought differently. By 1958 mum had grown her Magpie entourage to include her sisters, mother, a niece and the boy next door.
Over the next 30 years all three of her children and another niece inherited mum’s passion for the black and white. We were all there for the heartbreak of 1964, 1966, 1970, 1977, 1979, 1980 and 1981.
Sometimes we were distraught but mum would say, “imagine how Terry Waters feels, or the wonderful Bob Rose or Billy Picken, who gave everything he had?”
She always felt for the players and the injustice of it all but when it came to us she deemed it character building. During those years mum and her sister Mavis were members of the Dolly Greys, the forerunner to the women in black. They enjoyed these times at Victoria Park and felt closer to the inner sanctum.
The disappointment of the previous thirty years made 1990 so wonderful. That night at Victoria Park everyone wanted to hug mum, sober and drunk alike. She even got to hold the cup before the players left in their bus.
All mum’s grandchildren are Collingwood through and through.
She did however have one close call in the eighties when one grandson announced he might ‘go for the bombers’. Upon hearing this, mum picked him up by the collar, eyes two inches from his and said ‘don’t you ever say that again’. He never did and the catastrophe was averted.
In 1997, at the age of 73, mum had a stroke. Luckily we didn’t make the finals that year. She was unable to walk for 18 months and had to go to games in a wheelchair. Sitting up in the disabled seating was difficult. She felt too far from the action, so as soon as she could walk down further she would leave the wheelchair at the back of the seats and stagger down to be closer to the play.
Not long after her stroke, mum had a visit from Nathan Buckley. He was visiting a small boy in our street who had survived a horrific car crash. Nathan went out of his way to see mum, something we will always be grateful for.
The thought of seeing the Pies play drove her to get better, and by the start of the next year she was there with bells on.
Again, after the agony of 2002 and 2003, 2010 was fantastic. Mum was well and enjoyed everything (even Lionel Richie). We celebrated long and hard that year which was just as well because things went downhill for mum after that.
She still renewed her legends membership in 2014 but was too unwell to make it to a game.
Over her life, mum had many favourite players. Des Fothergill, Ron Todd, Bobby Rose, Wayne Richardson and Nathan Buckley were among those whom she really loved.
Mum passed away on April 8 2014. She had watched the game against Geelong on television on the Saturday night and was still up when we got home. Unfortunately the Pies had just fallen short of victory.
"Wasn’t Jamie Elliott fantastic! But Travis will have to be better" were her last words on the state of play.
At her funeral the following Monday it was noted that her devotion to Collingwood sustained and delighted her through all of life’s ups and downs.
She was carried to her grave by her son and five grandsons, all dressed in Collingwood jumpers. As the coffin was lowered to the sounds of ‘Good old Collingwood Forever’ I thought to myself, ‘mum would have loved it’. After all, everything is better in black and white.
Mum’s memory and love for the Collingwood Football Club will live on in all the fanatics she recruited and nurtured. She always showed so much faith in the club, its coaches and players. She went to the game every week and stayed until the end, win lose or draw. She taught us to never leave before the final siren, never give up on them. She loved the club all her life.
She is a true black and white faithful and embodied the real meaning and spirit of Side by Side.
Side by Side We Stick Together.
