On Wednesday, March 21, Collingwood Media published the first FOREVER story, which detailed Andrew Gibson's great passion for the Pies.
Gibson mentioned that as a kid he had been brought into the Collingwood flock by a neighbour he knew as 'Uncle Jack'. He also explained that he had lost contact with Jack's family some time ago.
A few days after the story was published, we received the following heartfelt email from Jack's son.
My name is John Wardlaw and I am the son of Andrew Gibson’s ‘Uncle Jack’.
Uncle Jack was Jack Wardlaw, who until his passing in 2003 was a rusted-on Magpies supporter, as are my mother and I.
Jack’s wife, my mother Beryl, loves Collingwood and follows the team on her iPad using the CFC app every day!
I am sure she will not mind me saying this, but at 89 she says one of the best presents we ever gave her was the iPad.
She keeps abreast of everything that is going on at the CFC. It was mum who brought the first Forever story of Andrew Gibson to my attention.
John Wardlaw and his mum, Beryl, in front of her stained glass Magpie window
Jack’s story parallels Andrew’s. Jack grew up with a father who followed Melbourne and a mother who followed Footscray.
My grandfather made the grave mistake of saying to Jack when he was young that he could choose any team he liked. There was no hesitation, it was the ‘Woodsmen’.
Growing up in Mount Waverley, we lived a block away from the Gibsons. Andrew and I became good buddies and just loved our footy and our Pies.
Jack loved taking me to the local oval to have a ‘kick to kick’, and Andrew would often come with us.
Jack taught us how to kick and mark and would encourage us to get fit and do the best we could. And, yes, the fortnightly trips to Vic Park were to be treasured. (Those were the days when it was really home and away!)
From the highs of Peter McKenna kicking deadly drop punt goals from any angle, to the lows of the assault on John Greening, we stood side by side with the Collingwood army.
The season passes were a must – I think I might still have one somewhere, with the clipped edges.
One of my most precious memories was watching, with my dad Jack (and my mother and my wife), the Pies win the first AFL premiership in 1990.
In front of the TV in Brisbane, dad and I yelling at the Essendon players roughing up our boys and in the end being overcome with pride and excitement.
I lost touch with Andrew after moving to Sydney all those years ago, so it was amazing to see his Forever story. And it is fantastic how the Collingwood ‘family ties’ and memories never die!
Let’s have hot Pies in 2018.
