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Are you there Harry? Vale Harry Beitzel

Traja Dee
in Melbourne Demons

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In October 1994, Beitzel was sentenced to 18 months jail, with a minimum of eight months to be served, after pleading guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception over matters related to his work for a lottery organisation.[2] He served his sentence initially at Pentridge Prison and then at the open, minimum-security Morwell River Prison Farm. Beitzel strenuously denied that he had ever intentionally committed a crime.

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    12 minutes ago, Traja Dee said:

    Sad to see the passing of Harry Beitzel, one of the top 3 media personalities when I started following Melbourne in 1975. He was huge!

    Sad to hear it.  Well I remember the day when Harry reigned supreme over the ABC TV Footy Panel.  Was joined by the likes of "Chicken" Smallhorn, Tony Ongarello, Doug Heywood and a few other notables whose names escape me at the moment.

    RIP, Harry!

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    • Like 2

    4 minutes ago, Vagg said:

    Sad to hear it.  Well I remember the day when Harry reigned supreme over the ABC TV Footy Panel.  Was joined by the likes of "Chicken" Smallhorn, Tony Ongarello, Doug Heywood and a few other notables whose names escape me at the moment.

    RIP, Harry!

    You can add Polly Perkins to your list. And Tommy Lahiff. Although perhaps those two only worked on radio.

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    2 minutes ago, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

    You can add Polly Perkins to your list. And Tommy Lahiff. Although perhaps those two only worked on radio.

    Yeah, they weren't on the panel.  Must have been radio.  But, Doug Bigelow is another one who was on that panel.

    Also remember eagerly waiting for each week's edition of "Footy Week", which Harry pioneered.  If I remember correctly, it was distributed via a Supermarket chain.

    Harry was certainly a "larger than life" figure, and huge in footy back in the 60's.  His demise was very sad.

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    Condolences to family and friends. 

    He and Tommy Lahiff were a football institution.

    Edited by Redleg

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    15 minutes ago, Redleg said:

    Condolences to family and friends. 

    He and Tommy Lahiff were a football institution.

    Agree Mr. Leg. They are from my fondest early football memories.

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    • Like 2

    26 minutes ago, Vagg said:

    Yeah, they weren't on the panel.  Must have been radio.  But, Doug Bigelow is another one who was on that panel.

    Also remember eagerly waiting for each week's edition of "Footy Week", which Harry pioneered.  If I remember correctly, it was distributed via a Supermarket chain.

    Harry was certainly a "larger than life" figure, and huge in footy back in the 60's.  His demise was very sad.

    I had the pleasure of working with Harry in the Rialto building (before the upgrade) packing and distributing "Footy Week". A great character and a genuine good guy. 

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    • Like 1
    1 hour ago, bingers said:

    In October 1994, Beitzel was sentenced to 18 months jail, with a minimum of eight months to be served, after pleading guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception over matters related to his work for a lottery organisation.[2] He served his sentence initially at Pentridge Prison and then at the open, minimum-security Morwell River Prison Farm. Beitzel strenuously denied that he had ever intentionally committed a crime.

    A good friend of mine got burned financially by the "Big H" on matters unrelated to this.  Good media operator and a bit of a personality but one not to get involved in business with. Problem with him was that he believed his own hype and really thought he was the "Big H" in real life also.

    Edited by america de cali

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    59 minutes ago, Vagg said:

    Yeah, they weren't on the panel.  Must have been radio.  But, Doug Bigelow is another one who was on that panel.

    Also remember eagerly waiting for each week's edition of "Footy Week", which Harry pioneered.  If I remember correctly, it was distributed via a Supermarket chain.

    Harry was certainly a "larger than life" figure, and huge in footy back in the 60's.  His demise was very sad.

    I remember Roy Wright, Alan "Butch" Gale, Thorold Merrett and RDB used to turn up half way through the show most Friday nights.

    Harry used to call him "Brasso".

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    RIP Harry....Al things being equal...you could umpire a game fairly.  Seems a long lost talent

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    He used to scare me as a kid. I think it was the eyebrows.

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    1 hour ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

    Do I recall correctly that it was Harry who had one of the original hair transplants?

    Spot on Bbo

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    • Thanks 1

    THAT voice. Once heard, never forgotten. Seems a life time ago now, being drawn to his voice on the radio. He was one of those rare people of his generation who had followers - people turned on the radio just to listen to him. 

    RIP, Harry. 

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    • Like 2
    1 hour ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

    Do I recall correctly that it was Harry who had one of the original hair transplants?

    Yeah........:rolleyes:

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    • Thanks 1
    2 hours ago, Vagg said:

    Sad to hear it.  Well I remember the day when Harry reigned supreme over the ABC TV Footy Panel.  Was joined by the likes of "Chicken" Smallhorn, Tony Ongarello, Doug Heywood and a few other notables whose names escape me at the moment.

    RIP, Harry!

    Skeeter Coghlan? 

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    • Like 1
    3 hours ago, bingers said:

    In October 1994, Beitzel was sentenced to 18 months jail, with a minimum of eight months to be served, after pleading guilty to obtaining financial advantage by deception over matters related to his work for a lottery organisation.[2] He served his sentence initially at Pentridge Prison and then at the open, minimum-security Morwell River Prison Farm. Beitzel strenuously denied that he had ever intentionally committed a crime.

    He embeitzelled funds?

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    • Haha 2

    Let's cross to Tommy down in the rooms. Are you there Tommy?

    I'm ere Arry. Can you hear me?

    Tommy, have you got Phil Carman there?

    I don't fink so Arry. I can't see anyfink because it's dark in ere Arry. I fink I've locked meself in the broom cupboard Arry.

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    Harry used to get horribly frustrated by "tiggy touchwood" free kicks. So much that sometimes he could barely speak as he raged over these .... these .... tiggy touchwood frees!

    No one ever knew exactly what he meant as he never went into any detail but it was assumed he meant the soft frees that were "technically" there but which fans often don't want paid (especially against their side).

    He wanted 20 frees paid a game. Circumstances be damned.

    And this was when he was the umpires' boss! The first advocate of not umpiring according to the rules.

    Maybe that's when the rot started to creep in.

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    • Author

    Some time around 1980, 3AW and Harry B had a go at commentating one day cricket matches (the Melbourne ones at least), competing against the very popular ABC Radio commentary.  3AW decided to differentiate themselves by describing fielding positions as the hour on the clock rather than the traditional name.

    The Age newspaper had a great headline on the day after they introduced this.  The headline read "Beitzel makes silly point at 11:30".

    As I recall, 3AW's experiment didn't see through to the end of that season.

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    3 hours ago, Bitter but optimistic said:

    Do I recall correctly that it was Harry who had one of the original hair transplants?

    Yeah Yeah!

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    • Thanks 1

    Cricket. Yes, Harry wanted to bring this impenetrable game of elites to "the people".

    Somehow ignoring that not only toffs, but also bogans, and everyone in between, played it in droves every weekend.

    Problem was, Harry and his crew didn't know much about it themselves. I think Bill Jacobs had a fair cricket brain but the rest of them were of the "ooh, he's had a big hit at it" ilk.

    It was like listening to when your uncle who watches one ODI every three years sits down in front of the TV. "Now why didn't that bloke run then? There must have been a run in that!"      "He dropped it! Did you see that! How can he drop that catch!?"      "Why doesn't he just bowl at the stumps and get him out?"

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