How did we all get here?

[Marstermind]

So we're all passionate Roos fans but how did we all get this way? It's not like we're the biggest or most fashionable club, but we've all chosen this enlightened path for a reason.

For some it may be because we had no choice - an enraged parent would have disowned you if you ever said you weren't a Roos fan. A blue and white beanie was whacked on your head before the umbilical cord was cut. Others may have lived within a Malcolm Blight torp of Arden St and snuck down to watch training every Tuesday after school. Others will have other stories.

Mine came about from a very poor Phys.Ed school report in 1978 (Grade 1!) Dad, a mad St.Kilda fan, decided to remedy this by buying a plastic footy and having a kick with me when I got home from school. I loved it (and never got a bad PE report again). Anyway, the time came to pick a team. St.Kilda was the obvious choice but I saw the news one night and North were unbeaten on top of the ladder. This got me thinking so I asked: Who won the flag last year? North. Hmmm. Who came last? St.Kilda. HMMMM. That's it I announced, I like North. Dad thought it was amusing and that I'd get over it but to his horror Mum had a surprise for me the next day when I got home. She'd bought be a little Roos jumper...WITH Malcolm Blight's number on the back! That was it, I was hooked. Dad was horrified. A few years later we moved back to the city and he took me to many games at Moorabbin in the hope I'd change. But St.Kilda were even more hopeless, although that didn't matter as I was a Roo through and through and eventually Dad resigned himself that I wouldn't change. He never forgave Mum and eventually we had to stop sitting together at Roos/Saints games because it was the only way we'd ever get into an argument.

 

[F/D]

My teacher went for the roos and she had all these photos and singnitures of them. I just thought wow i wanna be like her so i did and now im a roo thROO and thROO.

 

[Darky]

Can't remember exactly how it happened (23 years is a long time), but there were two things that would have helped.

1) my older sister's best friend barracked for North, thus influencing my sister, thus influencing me.
2) the first footy card I ever saw was a Wayne Schimmelbusch card.. the German name was a goer for me...

 

[Archer_11]

Malcolm Blight. Siren. Torpedo. 70 metres.

 

[Thewlis Dish]

I came from searchingkangaroo.com, and then went back there.

But seriously folks, it must have been the blue and white stripes, they're gorgeous.

 

[Rooboy 96]

Third Generation... Grandfather use to live in Arden St...

All I heard as a youngster was how he had this car without a motor... that on game day he and his mates would jump in and roll down the hill to the ground... and then spend the next two weeks pushing it back up the hill...

 

[Twinkletoes]

My grandmother grew up in Kensington and was a passionate NMFC member who never missed a game. Being born in 1968 I was 3 in 1971 and mum and dad started lumping me with gran on a Saturday afternoon so dad could go off to play footy in the Amateurs. So began my devotion to this great club. Throughout the 70's I'd alternate between the Roos game or watching my dad play. That Blighty torp in '76, coming a year after we were premiers, probably completely sealed the deal for me.

By the early '80's I was convincing a big group of mates to join me on the fortnightly pilgrimage to Arden St. We'd train it in early, climb the wall on the Arden St side, quickly switch tops and caps, run the gauntlet from the blue coats till the reserves kicked off, then all meet at the fence right next to the opposition cheer squad. We'd give 'em hell all day and love every minute of it. We'd be charged up on Pilsener, bought by the tallest of my mates who'd stand on used cans at the bar under the scoreboard to further convince the seller that he was over 18.

I've hardly missed a game since, and from the mid 90's have tried to get to as many interstate games as possible also.

My gran unfortunately passed away at the Freemasons Hospital, East Melbourne near the 'G', in Grand Final week of '94. I last saw her after the heartbreaking PF loss to Geelong that year and when she passed I almost asked her if I could join her.

I'll be forever grateful to her for introducing me to my greatest love......the NMFC!

T'toes

 

[Woodson]

Great thread!

Had a few great mates in my youth..could of easily been a Tiger but didn't really understand the game well enough at the age of 6...then in 1976, my neighbours were huge North supporters who would get to the footy every week.. I had nobody to take me..thier car was full so I had to wait. By the start of the summer of 78/79 I was approached by Joe and invited to join in and become a member. First North game @ Western Oval 1978. North won by 10 goals!! Joined up as member in 1979. Had many friends at school who followed North so we were such a happy bunch. Felt so good to be among a passionate group who use to jump around in arms screaming out Roooooo Rooooo, Rooooo Rooooo !! Ah, those were the days !

Best friend followed Essendon but had many close friends who were NORTH all over !

 

[Yianni]

My grandmother grew up in Kensington

Hey Twinkletoes, I'm now living in West Kensington (in London of course!) so in a way, I'm keeping the Roo spirit alive!

As for me, my Dad was a Roo supporter. He used to live in Kensington as well, so he used to go down to games from the time he got to Australia in 1960 (he was 12 at the time) He used to go every week and was an active member of the social club during the 70's.

As such when I was born, I got a little Roo guernsey, little Roo scarf and little Roo beanie. Dad got a little Roo son!

And for that, I'd like to thank him. He also passed on some pretty abysmal genes (anemic, iron deficient, will probably lose my hair) so I guess it all evens out!

 

[KingyOrTheKing]

Came from Wollongong NSW, to Tasmania, and AFL was forced upon me. I saw the Roos playing West Coast and won by about 6pts (in 95 or 96 i think). At the time I was tossing up between the Roos and the Tigers (The roos always got bagged out by my mates because they had "carey the p_oof", Richmond seemed to get less of a hard time). Finally decided on the roos. Probably because of the easily recognisable names (Rock, King, Martyn etc). Thank god I followed this path hey

 

[Contra Mundum]

I lived in WA - a continuum of WA players Cabes, Glenndining, the Krakoer Brothers - I now live walking distance from Arden Street - WEIRD

 

[oldmanblakes12]

When i was a kid I went to the show in Adelaide 78 I think the year was and for being such good boys we got to pick out a poster in this little tent.Well I liked this cartoon picture of as it turned out The one and only Malcolm Blight...I only chose that one as it was the funniest of all. Now living in the North of Sth Australia I had no idea who North Melbourne was so my parents rang up my rellies in Melb and got them to send Newspaper clippings of their games to me. That was the only way i was able to follow them until the early 80s when we finally started getting telecasts in Highlight form. I followed Woodville in the SANFL and I was stoked when Blight came back to play for them. Now Living in Mt Gambier im as one eyed and passionate as I ever could be but am sick of hearing how all Sth Aussies should support the Crows or Power...Will never happen to this fella and my little girl has had photos taken with the King,Arch Stevo and boys so she is definately going to be a little Kanga for Life..Ive turned my misses into one as well after seeing how much crap i copped in 98...She was a Crow supporter..

Great to hear of all the stories

 

[Hotel 6]

How did I get here?

My parents both came from Holland in the early 60's and neither barracked for a team. I am the youngest of 6 children and only my sister and I were born in Australia, the other 4 were born in Holland before my parents migrated. I was born in 1970 and the first game I saw on TV that I can remember is the 1977 GF. My sister had a colour TV and we did not so we went to her house to watch the game. At that point I became North Melbourne supporter. I suppose I was a bandwagoner!!

I think I must come from a fairly unique household in that neither parents had a team and all six children ended up supporting different teams.

Oldest sister barracks for Sydney
Oldest rother barracks for Collingwood
Middle sister barracks for St Kilda
Middle brother barracks for Essendon
Youngest sister barracks for Richmond
and I barrack for North Melbourne.

When I met my wife she kinda followed Hawthorn but that soon changed . My son is a Kangaroo through and through!! We moved to Arden St when my son was born and then lived in Haines St, North Melbourne. We now live in West Melbourne and have a kick at Arden St most weeks. AS North Melbourne do not have a junior team my son playes footy at Flemington Juniors at Holland Park in Kensington.

 

[Hotel 6]

Hotel 6 - my son played for the under 9s last year! - my dream is for the Colts to be the Flemington Roos some day - most of the kids and their parents seem to barrack for us

Now Mark, you weren't the goal umpire for the under 9's were you. I got ringed into umpiring the last few games and could barely keep up with the little buggers!!

Cheers,

Jeremy (dad of Toby!!)

 

[Hotel 6]

Jeremy thats me! is Toby is going up next year is'nt he?

Indeed he is. I am not sure if he will wear number 18 again though!!

To all the others on this board sorry for making this a private conversation

See you at Flemington next year Mark!! I need to get in a preseason if I am to umpire again!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ausgard]

Mum Follows St Kilda
Dad Follows North Melbourne

Mum said "I'd like you to follow St Kilda but you should follow your heart - the choice is yours"

Dad said "You can Follow North Melbourne or you can live on the street - the choice is yours"

 

[benno87]

Living in a quiet yet fast developing town of Dunsborough, two things dominated the youth of the town of 5000, surfing and aussie rules. When there was no surf we kicked the football. I was brought up in a West Coast environment, as most young ones were before Fremantle was established. Anyway (Remember only born in 1987, despite what my fake id says) back in 1996 when I was just 9 years of age, I really became involved in football, I had barracked for West Coast up until then because my parents did, but never really payed any attention what so ever.

Then in 1996 I actually decided to watch a game, it was the Grand Final. I had to choose between Sydney and North Melbourne, it could have gone either way except the fact that the blue and white stripes were the exact same strip as the ones in our Under 12's (The grade I was playing at 9) Dunsborough team.

So basically it was the Dunsborough Junior Football Club that influenced my choice to barrack for North Melbourne.

 

[Shinboners]

Born and bred in North Melbourne.

Thank God my family didn't live a few kilometres to the north or east.

 

[Daphne]

Barracked for StKilda until both cousins went to play for North in, I think 64 so have barracked for North now for 40years dam I'm old.

 

[Roobunny]

The year - 1981.

The TV Show - Shirl's Neighbourhood. (A kids show hosted by the late Shirley Strachan).

The Puppet - Norm the Kangaroo. A giant Kangaroo who from time to time wore a North Melbourne Scarf - he went for the Roos naturally.

The almost 4 year old girl who fell in love with Norm and because he supported the Kangaroos she wanted to too - Me.

My love hasn't waivered since (23 years...yeesh)


I'm from a very mixed bag of supporters (note my family are all born and bred in SA)
Dad's a Collingwood supporter...sorry WAS a Collingwood supporter - finally converted him this year.
Mum's a Crows supporter
My 2 younger sisters both support West Coast Eagles

 

[Rooboy 96]

Barracked for StKilda until both cousins went to play for North in, I think 64 so have barracked for North now for 40years dam I'm old.

so drop some names... who were the cousins???

 

[hilly]

Dad said "You can Follow North Melbourne or you can live on the street - the choice is yours"

I didn't have much choice either

 

[WA ROO]

It was the early 70's young WA ROO was a Perth Demons supporter,when Barry Cable left to play for a team called North Melbourne
So as a fan of Cabes I decided to keep an eye on this team.Well we all know about the mighty Roos in the 70's so have been a WA ROO ever since
That and two players who helped me keep the faith over the years Matty Larkin and Glen Archer thanks guy's

 

[Leroy16]

My Dad was a long suffering Cats supporter who followed Doug Wade to the Roos.
My cousin then came down from Corowa in 1975 to play for the Roos and we have hardly missed a game since, although he only played 1 senior game.
I missed going to the 1975 GF as I was 10 and I had to give my ticket up for an older cousin (who I still haven't forgiven).
Used to line up at Arden Street before the gates opened to make sure we got the same seats each week. In the block next to the opposition race, and still go and have a seat there when there is a function. I can still smell the linament even now.
My 11 year daughter has been to all the 90's Good Times and I hope to share lots more with her from now on.
My 76yr old mother wouldn't miss the footy for anything, so it is very family orientated and I just can't wait for the next bounce of the ball.

 

[Roonaldo!]

I used to live in Felmington, only about a 10 minute drive from Arden St.
I used to go to Errol St Library a lot cause the Flemington one was crap and I rented heaps of footy videos, they were all generic or North Melbourne, and since I went past Arden St everytime I went to the library, and I saw a lot of footage of the club,there was only one choice.
I was 5 when I made the descision by the way.