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Happy Birthday Tom Wills

La Dee-vina Comedia
in Melbourne Demons

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21 hours ago, DeeZone said:

did you paint that portrait of Tommy

About 8 years back, inspired by Greg De Moore’s book, and Martin Flanagan’s 2011 John Button oration. 

23 hours ago, Cranky Franky said:

Should be hanging in a gallery

Has done a couple of times. Currently residing in an apartment building foyer in Collingwood! 
 

Here’s a companion for those interested - an imagined meeting between Tommy and Ned Kelly (again inspired by Flanners comparison of their legacies) 

6E8FC325-7E3A-40DF-B921-F46D22A421CF.jpeg

Edited by Webber

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    On 8/19/2021 at 5:58 PM, La Dee-vina Comedia said:

    Agreed. It's a terrific book about a very interesting, albeit flawed, individual. It there was ever a list put together of the 10 most influential Australians of all time, his name should be there. Not just for being the inventor of Australian Football but also for taking the first Australian representative cricket team to the UK and for his ahead-of-his-time understanding and positive relationships with indigenous communities and individuals. 

    Technical point - he didn't actually go to the UK with the team.

    The other interesting point of course is that Tom's family was killed by Aboriginals in Queensland & he would also probably have been killed except he was away getting supplies.

    Definitely an interesting, complex & flawed individual.

     

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    On 8/20/2021 at 9:37 AM, Webber said:

    Extraordinary man, troubled yet transformative. 
    Herewith a brilliant article by Martin Flanagan, who also wrote his own ‘fictionalised’ novel about Tommy - “The Call”, and my own portrait of Tommy (a death scene), the exhibition of which Martin opened


     https://australianfootball.com/articles/view/Why+Tom+Wills+is+an+Australian+legend+like+Ned+Kelly/133

    734FD7BD-A19F-44B8-9F2A-0D4F50B583E8.jpeg

    Thanks for sharing Flanigan's article - a great window into Indigenous & Colonial history and Tom Wills in the 19th century. Love your painting - thanks again Webber!

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    The only thing that I find slightly odd about that terrific painting is the club jumpers depicted on Wills' blanket. 

    It was clearly before the time of GC and GWS, but there are 17 jumpers portrayed.  Port Adelaide gets two mentions with both their black/teal number plus the prison bars version.

    Was this an oversight or a deliberate thing, Webber?

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    1 hour ago, Demonstone said:

    The only thing that I find slightly odd about that terrific painting is the club jumpers depicted on Wills' blanket. 

    It was clearly before the time of GC and GWS, but there are 17 jumpers portrayed.  Port Adelaide gets two mentions with both their black/teal number plus the prison bars version.

    Was this an oversight or a deliberate thing, Webber?

    The blanket is to suggest his future and now current legacy, Demonstone (at least as it was when I painted it- GWS and GCS are now there, but no Tassie team, could be a future addition!), an impression of comfort in death to a troubled but inspirational man who wasn’t acknowledged as such in his time. The black with blue ‘V’ is the (Melbourne) University club, who were the 9th club member of the original VFL (Richmond were 10th!), until 1914, their demise largely being a result of their resolute non-professionalism when money started to become a dominant factor in the competition. Red pocket is to denote that he was driven by his heart, the scissors his mode of death by self-stabbing - in that very heart (likely during an episode of alcoholic psychosis, according to Greg de Moore). The cap colours are ironically that of both the “I Zingari” - a famed invitational team of professional cricketers in a time when playing cricket for money was a bit like admitting to prostitution, and of course those of the Indigenous flag - Tommy famously coached and managed Australia’s all conquering, all indigenous cricket team who first went to England (though he wasn’t allowed to go with them, on account of the drinking). The Currawong and boomerang are reinforcements to his relationships with native and indigenous Australia, the burning goalposts hint at his still complicated place in footy’s history. The empty bottle is sadly self-explanatory. 
     

    Add : for you or anyone who doesn’t know about or hasn’t read Martin Flanagan’s brilliant novel (and who doesn’t love his writing?) inspired by Tom Wills, herewith - https://www.amazon.com.au/Call-Martin-Flanagan/dp/1922473626/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=The+call+Martin+flanagan&qid=1629535602&sr=8-1

    Edited by Webber

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    16 hours ago, Webber said:

    The black with blue ‘V’ is the (Melbourne) University club

    I was completely unaware that University wore those colours.  Thanks for the learnings!

    It might explain why the two University teams in the Amateurs are Uni Blues and Uni Blacks.

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    1 minute ago, Demonstone said:

    I was completely unaware that University wore those colours.  Thanks for the learnings!

    It might explain why the two University teams in the Amateurs are Uni Blues and Uni Blacks.

    Yep. I played for the Blacks. Same jumper. We wore black socks, Blues wore blue. 

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    Webber, love your paintings and the thought that has gone into them. Can I ask about what Ned Kelly is holding in his right hand? It looks like a piece of folded paper. Is it meant to represent the Jerilderee letter or a Wanted poster or something else? 

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