vidmar
Bencher
Many of you will know me and know that I travel on a regular basis to support the team home and away.
Over the last few weeks I have been involved in a number of plans to get supporters together to follow our team around the country especially for the 3 up and coming QLD games.
I take my two young children with me home and away and they enjoy planning the trip with me but especially the excitement of the build up, the travel and the bond that comes with attending a game of footie with their dad and his mates.
That special bond we have makes today an even more moving time for me as I remember the terrible tragedy that happened 20 years ago today in Sheffield in the UK
On Saturday April 15th 1989 a fatal crush occurred on the terraces of the Hillsborough football stadium in Sheffield during the early stages of an FA cup semi final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest
It was the worst disaster in British sporting history, as 96 people died and hundreds more were injured.
The Disaster became known simply as ‘Hillsborough’. (see http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/)
I’d been a regular at a number of semi finals over the years as a mad keen Liverpool fan but I wasn’t at this game having arrived in Sydney the week before but I knew people who were going to be.
I was staying at a pommy mates place in Chatswood and we’d been out for dinner and drinks and he called his family back in the UK when we got home for his weekly chat with his parents.
News of the tragedy starting coming on to the news in the UK as he was on the phone and I remember running around the corner to use a pay phone to call the UK to check on friends that I knew were at the game (This was pre-mobiles of course)
Phone lines to the North West of England were jammed and I didn’t have much luck in trying to get through to people and had a long sleepless night until I heard that none of my friends were seriously hurt but 96 people lost their lives and many others still bear the mental and physical scars of that terrible day.
The fight for justice for people affected by the tragedy continues to this day with bereaved parent Anne Williams actively pursuing a case in the European Courts, challenging the circumstances under which her 15 year old son, Kevin, died whilst in state care (see here http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/anne-latest.shtm)
My thoughts today are with the those still affected by this terrible tragedy and the friends and families of those who went to a game of footie and never came home……..
Jack Anderson, 62
Colin Ashcroft, 19
James Aspinall, 18
Kester Ball, 16
Gerard Baron (snr), 67
Simon Bell, 17
Barry Bennett, 26
David Benson, 22
David Birtle, 22
Tony Bland, 22
Paul Brady, 21
Andrew Brookes, 26
Carl Brown, 18
Steven Brown, 25
Henry Burke, 47
Peter Burkett, 24
Paul Carlile, 19
Raymond Chapman, 50
Gary Church, 19
Jospeh Clark, 29
Paul Clark, 18
Gary Collins, 22
Stephen Copoc, 20
Tracey Cox, 23
James Delaney, 19
Christopher Devonside, 18
Chris Edwards, 29
Vincent Fitzsimmons, 34
Steve Fox, 21
Jon-Paul Gilhooley, 10
Barry Glover, 27
Ian Glover, 20
Derrick Godwin, 24
Roy Hamilton, 34
Philip Hammond, 14
Eric Hankin, 33
Peter Harrison, 15
Gary Harrison, 27
Stephen Harrison, 31
Dave Hawley, 39
James Hennesey 29
Paul Hewitson, 26
Carl Hewitt, 17
Nick Hewitt, 16
Sarah Hicks, 19
Victoria Hicks, 15
Gordon Horn, 20
Arthur Horrocks, 41
Thomas Howard, 39
Tommy Howard, 14
Eric Hughes, 42
Alan Johnston, 29
Christine Jones, 27
Gary Jones, 18
Richard Jones, 25
Nicholas Joynes, 27
Anthony P.Kelly, 29
Michael Kelly, 38
Carl Lewis, 18
David Mather, 19
Brian Matthews, 38
Francis McAllister, 27
John McBrien, 18
Marian McCabe, 21
Joe McCarthy, 21
Peter McDonnell, 21
Alan McGlone, 28
Keith McGrath, 17
Paul Brian Murray, 14
Lee Nicol, 14
Stephen O'Neill, 17
Jonathon Owens, 18
William Pemberton, 23
Carl Rimmer, 21
Dave Rimmer, 38
Graham John Roberts, 24
Steven Robinson, 17
Henry Rogers, 17
Andrew Sefton, 23
Inger Shah, 38
Paula Smith, 26
Adam Spearritt, 14
Philip Steele, 15
David Thomas, 23
Pat Thompson, 35
Peter Thompson, 30
Stuart Thompson, 17
Peter Tootle, 21
Christopher Traynor, 26
Martin Traynor, 16
Kevin Tyrrell, 15
Colin Wafer, 19
Ian Whelan, 19
Martin Wilde, 29
Kevin Williams, 15
Graham Wright, 17
RIP
YNWA
Over the last few weeks I have been involved in a number of plans to get supporters together to follow our team around the country especially for the 3 up and coming QLD games.
I take my two young children with me home and away and they enjoy planning the trip with me but especially the excitement of the build up, the travel and the bond that comes with attending a game of footie with their dad and his mates.
That special bond we have makes today an even more moving time for me as I remember the terrible tragedy that happened 20 years ago today in Sheffield in the UK
On Saturday April 15th 1989 a fatal crush occurred on the terraces of the Hillsborough football stadium in Sheffield during the early stages of an FA cup semi final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest
It was the worst disaster in British sporting history, as 96 people died and hundreds more were injured.
The Disaster became known simply as ‘Hillsborough’. (see http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/)
I’d been a regular at a number of semi finals over the years as a mad keen Liverpool fan but I wasn’t at this game having arrived in Sydney the week before but I knew people who were going to be.
I was staying at a pommy mates place in Chatswood and we’d been out for dinner and drinks and he called his family back in the UK when we got home for his weekly chat with his parents.
News of the tragedy starting coming on to the news in the UK as he was on the phone and I remember running around the corner to use a pay phone to call the UK to check on friends that I knew were at the game (This was pre-mobiles of course)
Phone lines to the North West of England were jammed and I didn’t have much luck in trying to get through to people and had a long sleepless night until I heard that none of my friends were seriously hurt but 96 people lost their lives and many others still bear the mental and physical scars of that terrible day.
The fight for justice for people affected by the tragedy continues to this day with bereaved parent Anne Williams actively pursuing a case in the European Courts, challenging the circumstances under which her 15 year old son, Kevin, died whilst in state care (see here http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/anne-latest.shtm)
My thoughts today are with the those still affected by this terrible tragedy and the friends and families of those who went to a game of footie and never came home……..
Jack Anderson, 62
Colin Ashcroft, 19
James Aspinall, 18
Kester Ball, 16
Gerard Baron (snr), 67
Simon Bell, 17
Barry Bennett, 26
David Benson, 22
David Birtle, 22
Tony Bland, 22
Paul Brady, 21
Andrew Brookes, 26
Carl Brown, 18
Steven Brown, 25
Henry Burke, 47
Peter Burkett, 24
Paul Carlile, 19
Raymond Chapman, 50
Gary Church, 19
Jospeh Clark, 29
Paul Clark, 18
Gary Collins, 22
Stephen Copoc, 20
Tracey Cox, 23
James Delaney, 19
Christopher Devonside, 18
Chris Edwards, 29
Vincent Fitzsimmons, 34
Steve Fox, 21
Jon-Paul Gilhooley, 10
Barry Glover, 27
Ian Glover, 20
Derrick Godwin, 24
Roy Hamilton, 34
Philip Hammond, 14
Eric Hankin, 33
Peter Harrison, 15
Gary Harrison, 27
Stephen Harrison, 31
Dave Hawley, 39
James Hennesey 29
Paul Hewitson, 26
Carl Hewitt, 17
Nick Hewitt, 16
Sarah Hicks, 19
Victoria Hicks, 15
Gordon Horn, 20
Arthur Horrocks, 41
Thomas Howard, 39
Tommy Howard, 14
Eric Hughes, 42
Alan Johnston, 29
Christine Jones, 27
Gary Jones, 18
Richard Jones, 25
Nicholas Joynes, 27
Anthony P.Kelly, 29
Michael Kelly, 38
Carl Lewis, 18
David Mather, 19
Brian Matthews, 38
Francis McAllister, 27
John McBrien, 18
Marian McCabe, 21
Joe McCarthy, 21
Peter McDonnell, 21
Alan McGlone, 28
Keith McGrath, 17
Paul Brian Murray, 14
Lee Nicol, 14
Stephen O'Neill, 17
Jonathon Owens, 18
William Pemberton, 23
Carl Rimmer, 21
Dave Rimmer, 38
Graham John Roberts, 24
Steven Robinson, 17
Henry Rogers, 17
Andrew Sefton, 23
Inger Shah, 38
Paula Smith, 26
Adam Spearritt, 14
Philip Steele, 15
David Thomas, 23
Pat Thompson, 35
Peter Thompson, 30
Stuart Thompson, 17
Peter Tootle, 21
Christopher Traynor, 26
Martin Traynor, 16
Kevin Tyrrell, 15
Colin Wafer, 19
Ian Whelan, 19
Martin Wilde, 29
Kevin Williams, 15
Graham Wright, 17
RIP
YNWA