Jetty Road Weekly Blog 7/07/25

Image: Awesome Book

Deceit and Deception

Is there a difference?

I think there is.

Deceit First you tell your adversary that they have two weeks to come to the table. Then you bomb them within two days. You are lauded by a fawning press and gullible populace. Iran with a population of 90 million people are not endeared to their ruthless hard line Muslim extremist government. They are even less endeared to an America whose word, no matter how well intentioned from a future administration, will never ever be trusted.

Deception

The war in Europe is turning. An invasion of Southern Europe is imminent. The Germans are well entrenched and horrendous casualties are anticipated. A plan is hatched. Find an unclaimed cadaver of fighting age and in good nick. Dress him in the uniform of a Royal Marines Officer. Plant papers that refer to a decoy landing, place them in a satchel and secure it to his person. Check the tides and dump the body off the coast of neutral Spain. Cross your fingers and trust that Nazi intelligence will be informed of the washed up body and the contents of the satchel. They do. The invasion of Sicily is a success.

I rest my case.

Image: The Senior

Neil Pitt’s

The cracks have been showing for some time

This old fashioned Lonnie icon, attendants fortified with cloth measuring tapes draped over their shoulders, hand written dockets and relics on the shelf such as wee willie winkie slippers with leather uppers and leather soles – is moving to a smaller space.

I have shopped at NP’s off and on for over forty years. Never glamorous but always good quality. Two lines in particular have kept me coming back in recent times. Thomas Cook moleskins and tailored trackie daks. Absolute essentials in my wardrobe. Trackies around the house and moleskins for any occasion. Both durable and comfortable; and up until recently with a waistline - remember them – the kind of strides that actually fit around the waist. Alas no more. If baby boomers are no longer the dominant voting generation nor are they the drivers of fashion.

Where are the cracks showing? About five inches above my arse as I bare myself to the elements every time I bend over. There was a time around 1969 in Levi hipsters and a leather belt with a Holden 179 badge, that one could strut with faux pride and with everything still intact. 

Yesterday’s youthful vanity today’s youthful revenge.

Neil Pitt’s is not going away completely it is just downsizing - if only my trackie daks and moleskins weren’t following suit.

Image: The Herald Sun

AFL

The Team Song

“Teams may come. Teams may go. Some sing fast. None sing slow!”

I was a small boy about ten years old when I heard my first team song. Rosebery Captain Dale O’Neill jumps up onto the bench seats in the change rooms and asks the question.

“Knock. Knock?”

“Who’s there?”

“Wendy.”

“Wendy Who?”

And they all begin to sing:

“Wendy red, red robin comes bob, bob bobbin’ along…”

I barracked for the Swans for three decades before I ever heard the club song sung. I had even sung a bastardised version of Good Old Collingwood back in the 70’s when playing for Southport. They were the Magpies back then, the song with a few tweaks, ‘just like barrackers ought’, was made to rhyme with Southport.

There are a few good ones in the AFL. “ We’re from Tigerland.  “Bulldogs roar and Bulldogs bite.”  “We’re a happy team at Hawthorn.”

There are a few dodgy ones. It’s a pretty safe bet that whilst the Lions sing along to the tune of the French national anthem no self-respecting French rugby or soccer team is singing along to the tune of Advance Australia Fair.

“We’re the Eagles” has that little touch of smugness. Sort of like a mission statement coming out of Peppermint  Grove.

Whereas “We’re the Freo Dockers” sounds like it is being sung by a bunch of navvies. Bless 'em.

The Saints. Love the song would love to see them go marching in.

“We’ll never stop, stop, stop…” Stop right there. No wonder they sing  “You’ll never tear us apart” with such gusto.

I was at a game in Hobart back in the late sixties watching ex Marist College boy Con Lucas who was playing for the Tiger magoos against Sandy Bay. They were getting belted. At half time their coach ex Geelong player John Watts made them line up and shirt front the cement wall of the change rooms. A pretty brainless exercise I thought at the time. Yet the same clueless Watts is credited with writing Geelong’s team song to the tune of Bizet’s Toreador. Sir Les would have been very proud.

The Swans, Melbourne and Hawthorn have all appropriated famous American tunes. Richmond and Collingwood have appropriated popular or dance hall tunes.

So has one other.  In the Tom Price pub of all places with a juke box that played Beatles, Stones and other pop tunes of the 60’s and early 70’s was a complete outlier.

Now I have never been a fan of the Blues. An admirer yes,  but they have always been the enemy. Their long rein from the late 60’s to the end of the century as one footy’s most successful clubs attracted much envy. Not the least for their team song which I think is right up there. The original song was known as a coon song with racist lyrics. Bing Crosby and Mary Martin cleaned it up.  Blues supporters if you have never heard where it come from. Here it is.

Lily of Laguna: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiNhtQszJHo