Magic Minute Marvelous Smellbourne and The Collingwood Football Club
MAGIC MINUTE // In the early 1900s, some of Marvellous Melbourne’s waterways were really open sewers, like the smelly, Reilly Street Drain, which emptied into the Merrie Creek near where the legendary Aussie Rules, Collingwood Football Club was born.
While compiling the club’s fascinating history, Richard Stremski came across something very interesting indeed:
Collingwood’s abattoir, simply discarded all its noxious waste straight into the Merrie Creek, making it a putrid health hazard.
Worse still, some Fitzroy butchers were dumping their butchering waste into the creek too – causing a public outcry!
At a town hall meeting in 1888, Collingwood Councillors decreed that butchers along Merrie Creek could only “Kill for Collingwood”! (As if this would help!)
Richard told me: “The moment I saw this fervent plea of civic pride, ‘Kill for Collingwood,’ I know I had a catchy title for my book the die-hard fans would go for!”
Published in 1986, ‘Kill for Collingwood’ became an instant bestseller with thousands clamouring for a copy!
They even began disappearing from library shelves!
But it wasn’t the Collingwood fans who were swiping them, it was their rival club supporters who wanted an inside view into what made them so good!
Amazing…
I’m Laurie Smale… Till my next Magic Minute.
#lauriesmalemagicminute #lauriesmale #findingmefindingyou #collingwoodfootballclub #killforcollingwood #merriecreek #marvellousmelbourne #richardstremski
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