Jump to content

Great Article on Harold Ball on the ABC website

pitmaster
pitmaster
in Melbourne Demons

Featured Replies

 
  On 14/12/2024 at 12:02, pitmaster said:

Interesting piece from the public broadcaster on a dual flag hero, and much more.

Harold Ball had a short but impressive football career before he died in WWII

Merbein has proved to be a great recruiting ground for the club. In addition to Harold Ball and Hassa Mann, the late Colin Sylvia also came from Merbein.

  • Quote
    • Thanks 1

    Good piece and it's always terrific to see one of our war hero-Demon champions receive due recognition.

    The only quibble I have with this piece is that it seems to tip toe around the circumstances of his death. Other accounts have suggested Harold and his mates were in effect executed - or rather murdered by being bayoneted - on a beach after being confronted by Japanese soldiers. 

    Actually, a second quibble is that the photo with Wilfred Smallhorn is not commented on, but at a guess I reckon Wilfred is actually "Chicken" Smallhorn, a rover who played 150 games with Fitzroy and who was a media commentator when football was first on telly in the 50s and early 60s. Chicken's record would have been worth a mention. He'd also have roved against my avatar!

     

  • Quote
    • Like 1
    • Thanks 1
     

    Great story, and such finds/posts are one of the pleasures (usually!) that is @Demonland.

    It is also a story, however, that makes one say, '[censored] war'.

    And those pictures; 21, going on 31...

  • Quote

      On 14/12/2024 at 22:04, Percy Beames said:

    Good piece and it's always terrific to see one of our war hero-Demon champions receive due recognition.

    The only quibble I have with this piece is that it seems to tip toe around the circumstances of his death. Other accounts have suggested Harold and his mates were in effect executed - or rather murdered by being bayoneted - on a beach after being confronted by Japanese soldiers. 

    Actually, a second quibble is that the photo with Wilfred Smallhorn is not commented on, but at a guess I reckon Wilfred is actually "Chicken" Smallhorn, a rover who played 150 games with Fitzroy and who was a media commentator when football was first on telly in the 50s and early 60s. Chicken's record would have been worth a mention. He'd also have roved against my avatar!

     

    Also won a Brownlow Medal, the same Chicken Smallhorn.

  • Quote
    • Like 1
      On 14/12/2024 at 22:04, Percy Beames said:

    Good piece and it's always terrific to see one of our war hero-Demon champions receive due recognition.

    The only quibble I have with this piece is that it seems to tip toe around the circumstances of his death. Other accounts have suggested Harold and his mates were in effect executed - or rather murdered by being bayoneted - on a beach after being confronted by Japanese soldiers. 

    Actually, a second quibble is that the photo with Wilfred Smallhorn is not commented on, but at a guess I reckon Wilfred is actually "Chicken" Smallhorn, a rover who played 150 games with Fitzroy and who was a media commentator when football was first on telly in the 50s and early 60s. Chicken's record would have been worth a mention. He'd also have roved against my avatar!

     

    Unmistakably 'Chicken', for those whose black-and-whites (TVs!) were tuned to the original Friday night footy!

  • Quote
    • Like 1

    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

    Guest
    Unfortunately, your content contains terms that we do not allow. Please edit your content to remove the highlighted words below.
    Reply to this topic...
    Go to topic listing

    Featured Content

    • GAMEDAY: Essendon

      It’s Game Day, and the Demons are staring down the barrel of an 0-5 start for the first time since 2012 as they take on Essendon at Adelaide Oval for Gather Round. In that forgettable season, Melbourne finally broke their drought by toppling the Bombers. Can lightning strike twice? Will the Dees turn their nightmare start around and breathe life back into 2025?

      • 540 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREVIEW: Essendon

      As the focus of the AFL moves exclusively to South Australia for Gather Round, the question is raised as to what are we going to get from the  Melbourne Football Club this weekend? Will it be a repeat of the slop fest of the last three weeks that have seen the team score a measly 174 points and concede 310 or will a return to the City of Churches and the scene where they performed at their best in 2024 act as a wakeup call and bring them out of their early season reverie?  Or will the sleepy Dees treat their fans to a reenactment of their lazy effort from the first Gather Round of two years ago when they allowed the Bombers to trample all over them on a soggy and wet Adelaide Oval? The two examples from above tell us how fickle form can be in football. Last year, a committed group of players turned up in Adelaide with a businesslike mindset. They had a plan, went in confidently and hard for the football and kicked winning scores against both home teams in a difficult environment for visitors. And they repeated that sort of effort later in the season when they played Essendon at the MCG.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • PREGAME: Essendon

      Facing the very real and daunting prospect of starting the season with five straight losses, the Demons head to South Australia for the annual Gather Round, where they’ll take on the Bombers in search of their first win of the year. Who comes in, and who comes out?

        • Clap
        • Like
      • 489 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • NON-MFC: Round 05

      Gather Round is here, kicking off with a Thursday night blockbuster as Adelaide faces Geelong. The Crows will be out for redemption after a controversial loss last week. Saturday starts with the Magpies taking on the Swans. Collingwood will be eager to cement their spot in the top eight, while Sydney is hot on their heels. In the Barossa Valley, two rising sides go head-to-head in a fascinating battle to prove they're the real deal. Later, Carlton and West Coast face off at Adelaide Oval, both desperate to notch their first win of the season. The action then shifts to Norwood, where the undefeated Lions will aim to keep their streak alive against the Bulldogs. Sunday’s games begin in the Barossa with Richmond up against Fremantle. In Norwood, the Saints will be looking to take a scalp when they come up against the Giants. The round concludes with a fiery rematch of last year's semi-final, as the Hawks seek revenge for their narrow loss to Port Adelaide. Who are you tipping this week and what are the best results for the Demons besides us winning?

      • 236 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • CASEY: Geelong

      There was a time in the second quarter of the game at the Cattery on Friday afternoon when the Casey Demons threatened to take the game apart against the Cats. The Demons had been well on top early but were struggling to convert their ascendancy over the ground until Tom Fullarton’s burst of three goals in the space of eight minutes on the way to a five goal haul and his best game for the club since arriving from Brisbane at the end of 2023. He was leading, marking and otherwise giving his opponents a merry dance as Casey grabbed a three goal lead in the blink of an eye. Fullarton has now kicked ten goals in Casey’s three matches and, with Melbourne’s forward conversion woes, he is definitely in with a chance to get his first game with the club in next week’s Gather Round in Adelaide. Despite the tall forward’s efforts - he finished with 19 disposals and eight marks and had four hit outs as back up to Will Verrall in the second half - it wasn’t enough as Geelong reigned in the lead through persistent attacks and eventually clawed their way to the lead early in the last and held it till they achieved the end aim of victory.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland

    • REPORT: Geelong

      I was disappointed to hear Goody say at his post match presser after the team’s 39 point defeat against Geelong that "we're getting high quality entry, just poor execution" because Melbourne’s problems extend far beyond that after its 0 - 4 start to the 2025 football season. There are clearly problems with poor execution, some of which were evident well before the current season and were in play when the Demons met the Cats in early May last year and beat them in a near top-of-the-table clash that saw both sides sitting comfortably in the top four after round eight. Since that game, the Demons’ performances have been positively Third World with only five wins in 19 games with a no longer majestic midfield and a dysfunctional forward line that has become too easy for opposing coaches to counter. This is an area of their game that is currently being played out as if they were all completely panic-stricken.

      • 0 replies
      Demonland
      Demonland
    View All