Story about Jack Dyer. | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Story about Jack Dyer.

Blood_17

Blood_17

Tiger Matchwinner
Sep 18, 2005
690
0
Wyndham Green
This is probably the wrong place to post this, so I'll expect Rosy to give me a good talking to very quickly. But I just want to mention that I have in my proud possession the last letter Jack Dyer wrote in his own handwriting, just a couple of years back. His son John told me he's sure it would be the last one. I wrote to Jack asking him to verify that I had a No.17 jumper that he gave me when we both worked at Truth newspaper, Melbourne. Jack wrote a delightful letter back, saying it was definitely his writing, signing his name about four times on the letter as if to show anybody who read it and he recalled the times we were the only two people in the entire Truth office who barracked for the Tigers. I still have the letter tucked safely away in my book, "Captain Blood," written by Jack with the aid of Brian Hansen and signed by those two gentlemen. I still have the jumper, as you can see from my photograph on this site. I don't think Jack actually wore the jumper, but it was his and he handed it to me, so I'm extremely proud of it. He was and always will be my idol.
 
Re: Fireside Chat

Hi Blood,

It's a lovely fireside story but it really deserves a thread of it's own. How special for you to have had that association with Jack and have such treasured possessions.

I'll move your post to the Blast From The Past board where more people will be likely to read and enjoy it.

Thanks for sharing that with us. :)
 
Re: Fireside Chat

Nice post, Blood 17. You worked with Jack at the Melbourne Truth? It would be good to hear more about those days some time
 
Yep, that's the very same jumper in the photo avatar. It has a collar and is a bit the worse for wear too. But Jack had it drycleaned before he gave it to me, wrapped in clear plastic. There's really not much else I can tell you about Jack and I at Truth newspaper. I was hammering away doing horse racing stuff and Jack pumped away at his typewriter writing "Dyer'ere." It was enjoyable watching him, because the big man used just two fingers and took quite a while to jot down his thoughts each week. Brian Hansen edited the copy but Dyer'ere always had Jack unique humour in it. Because Jack had always been my idol when he was playing football (around 1943 until he retired) I was a bit too shy to ask him out for a beer in those days, something I've regretted ever since. I know we would have got along just fine. I remember one night way back in the distance Jack, Brian and myself went to the Channel 10 studio and had makeup very carefully applied before we taped a show. At the last moment it was cancelled and I ended up going home looking like a film star for once! In the letter I wrote him in later years I said I lived in Creswick (north of Ballarat). In his reply he asked where Creswick was and said it was one place he'd never visited to have a beer!
 
Blood_17 said:
Jack pumped away at his typewriter..... the big man used just two fingers
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Nice to know I have something in common with Jack then. :-[
 
Rosy, I know the newspapers are full of present-day and past footballers giving their thoughts on the goings-on all the time, but naturally it's "ghost written" by a reporter. One thing I remember about Jack's Dyer'ere was it was full of Dyerisms and very funny stuff to read each week. I know Brian Hansen had to edit it but it was Jack's humour that made the column interesting and funny. As for your two finger typing, you would have a few thousand (trillion???) mates around the world.
 
I remember Dyer'ere, it was about the only part of the Truth I ever actually read. What a great memento Blood of one of the games true legends.
 
Dyer'ere was always good to read, but there was another section of Truth that was worth reading every week......the lift-out racing guide, the best in Australia at that time. I had to add that, CarnTheTigers, because I worked there for many years.
 
CarnTheTiges said:
I remember Dyer'ere, it was about the only part of the Truth I ever actually read. What a great memento Blood of one of the games true legends.
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I used to enjoy Heartbalm? Is it still in the Truth?
 
I haven't read Truth for decades. I left there to work on Sportsman and Truth was sold years later. I think it even folded up for a while but it could be on the streets again now. Not sure. It would never be the same as when Dyer'ere, the racing guide and your favourite were there.
 
Luv ya story about Jack, thanks. :clap

I have read Brian Hansen's book on Jack Dyer.

There were many occassions where I laughed, what a bloody character............a true legend. :angel:
 
Captain Blood, Brian Hansen and Jack's story on the great man, is a great book isn't it? I'm lucky enough to have a copy autographed by both men and treasure it. Jack had a wonderful sense of dry humour.
 
geoffryprettyboy said:
Luv ya story about Jack, thanks. :clap

I have read Brian Hansen's book on Jack Dyer.

There were many occassions where I laughed, what a bloody character............a  true legend. :angel:
Click to expand...

That's a great book isn't it. :clap
 
I have a second hand Jack story where a neighbour Tiger fan had written to Jack requesting a signature for something. This neighbour had put his address on the letter so Jack decided to turn up to the neighbours house un-announced. Unfortunately the neighbour wasnt home but his wife was and invited Jack in for a cup of tea as they waited for the male neighbour to come home. Jack had come around with a signed jumper ( I think?) and left before the neighbour got home! This neighbour was spewing he didn't get to host Jack in his own house.
 
I had the privlidge of shaking the great captin bloods hand when my father took me to punt road oval way back when i was 4 or 5 years old. I remember thinking he was a giant at the time. As time passed i Came to realise he was more than a giant but a legend and true gentleman. Here's to you Mr Dyer.
 
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