Death of Ralph Hillman- Legendary Schoolteacher and Sports Mentor and Coach

Today I attended the funeral of Ralph Hillman who was a teacher at Henley High when I was there from 1959-1963.

He later taught in Queensland and also at Port Adelaide.

I have not seen him since schooldays.

Ralph was an amazing man and it was great to hear some of the stories from his pastor, grandson and a former student.

It brought back many of my memories of him and the fact that he has influenced so many young people and some of us not so young now.

The funeral was a wonderful tribute to the man and also a statement of his Faith.

My lasting memory of Ralph was on the occasion of my last high school cricket match in 1963(I think it was the day President Kennedy was assassinated) and after the match Ralph presented me with a brand new cricket bat.

I asked him why and he says it was for recognition of the contribution I had made to sport at Henley High.

It was not an official presentation but I believe he had paid for it out of his own money.

Amazing!  I was deeply moved.

In recollecting to back then, I think it was Ralph that encouraged me to go and play cricket for the West Torrens Cricket Club.

I had not gone out to play straight after school years as I wanted to concentrate on football.

I understand he was also behind many other guys playing for the club and I know he also mentored some fine footballers.

He was a fine coach, teacher and mentor and as I heard today he also had an amazing singing voice.

It was very touching to hear the tribute paid by his grandson Jackson.

I am sad that I did not maintain contact after school days but am looking forward to catching up in Heaven.

Darryl Wood and Ian Mcphee were also there from the West Torrens Cricket Club.(Past players)

The packed Church was a testimony to how many lives he had touched.

Henley High School 1st Football Team 1961

A pic from my archives.
Sadly some of these I think have passed on.

Back row. Left to right: Guido Sain,Jeff Sharrad,Alistair Henderson,Ian Edgely,Brian Burch,Trevor Jaggard,Michael Powell, Geoff Thompson.

Middle row. Left to right:Lazarous Christou,Iain Cleveland,Geoff Ferris,Peter Osborne,Mario Cronnulla,Roger? Sinclair.

Bottom Row.Left to right: Brian Prettejohn,Gary Ridgeway,Brian May,Chris Eillif,Alan Jeffrey,Robert Loveday.

My Finest Moment in Sport.

This article title is a bit misleading.

I was at  a cricket club reunion today when one of my past team mates, who I also went to high school with, brought up an event that hapenned in the school(Henley High) lunch hour probably about 1963.

Those in the AFL playing states will remember that at lunch time and recess time kids would race out on to the school oval to have a kick of the footy or a have hit at cricket or whatever their sport or fun thing was.

This of course was a way for kids to let off steam and use up the boundless energy that most of us have in our youth.

In the lunch hour the footy playing kids would have what we called "kick to kick".

In fact when I played football in 1970 in Darwin that was about the only thing our players did at training.

"Kick to kick" if you can imagine,is where a number of kids ,with up to 20 in each group , face each other from a distance of about 50 metres or yards and kick a football back and forth between the 2 groups.

There would be usually more than one football going at a time.

The idea was to kick the ball as far as you could and compete for "marks" (catches to the uninitiated)

A number of different age groups would be taking part.

If you were not very good at getting the ball you could "wax" with a mate which meant that whoever got the ball in your "wax" team would share having a kick in turn.

People would sometimes take a "speccy" as the ball came high in the air.

It would become very competitive and sometimes a little rough.

Well this particular lunch hour I was not taking part in the "kick to kick" but standing just behind one end and just watching proceedings.

I was with a couple of mates and suddenly got the urge to take a "speccy".

A "speccy" is where a player can see the ball coming in high and judges a run up to leap onto an opponents back and shoulders and when as high as you can go, you reach out and grab the ball and usually crash to the ground.

If you hold onto it cleanly without dropping it during a game then you are given  a free kick.

"speccy" is short for spectacular.

Sometimes a "speccy" is called a "screamer". (Because the crowd screams approval.)

Well I saw the ball coming and took a run up from a few meters away and launched myself in the  air on the back and shoulders of a lad called Greg Conley.

When you get a "sit" as it it is called,  the idea is to push up upwards from your knees or shins to go as high as you can.

There have been many exponents of this art in AFL over the years and each year a mark of the year award is made to the best mark in the AFL National competition.

South Australia has had some great "speccy" takers, probably Tony Modra of the Adelaide Crows being the most notable of recent years.
Or the great Gary Ablett senior from Geelong.

To continue my story.

Well I got the perfect "sit" and soared higher and higher and grasped the footy.

With ball firmly in my grip I pitched forward ovr the top of Greg, plunging to the ground.

When I hit the turf my legs were still entangled around his shoulders.

Taking a "speccy" is probably more exhilarating than bungy jumping.

There were gasps all around and looks of amazement from the guys looking on.

I have often looked back on this event and thought it my finest moment in sport even though it was just a lunch hour kick to kick. (Greg wasn't hurt by the way just bewildered".

As I progressed through my football career I probably took about 7 "speccies"but none as good as that one.

I thought that it was something for my memory banks only with no photograph or video taken.

Yet Jeff Barnes today said  it was the best "speccy" he had seen even better than the famous Tony Modra.

I was amazed that someone other than myself remembered it with out my even bringing it up.

It's funny how old guys getting together remember how amazing we were in our youth.

Sadly Jeff said Greg Conley has since passed on.

Below is a link to some more  "speccies"

Tony Modra's mark of the year in 1993.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6c8iAckQrM

Many more to be found on this you tube search link.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=afl%20marks%20of%20the%20year&sm=1

Henley High School Class Photo -1B 1959 2b 1960

This was my first year high school class.
The Henley High School was a new school that had just opened in 1958.
It was a great experience being part of a brand new school.
It has since gone on to be a very successful educational ground for lots of prominent and other wise South Australians,
Sportsmen and women, and politicians,businessmen etc,.
One of the lads in this photograph,Geoff Boettcher, has been a recent  winner of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race on "Secret Men's Business."
Bob Loveday is also here who Captained and Coached the West Adelaide football Club.
I am sure all have made their mark on the world.
I would love to hear from any of these people although I am sure some have sadly passed on.
Our class teacher was Keith Giddings( a favourite teacher) and the headmaster alongside him on the right was Bill Thompson.(No relation to me)
My good friend Anthony(Tony) Chapman passed away just over 3 years ago.
He is immediately above the 2 teachers.
I have now also added some photos taken some years ago at a High School Re union Football Match.
See if you know who they are.

Vern Hembrow, Murray Fielder, Jeff Barnes

Sue Mcdonald, not sure,Ian Edgley,Barbara Parsons

Robert Baker,Geoff Thompson,Murray Fielder, Graham Edwards

And here is the class a year later in 1960