FAVOURITE MEMORIES:

Planting buffalo grass on the oval which we brought from our back yards onto the oval and the ladies making scones and biscuits and serving them morning tea and everywhere everyone busy doing something to get the game up and going.  Having dances in the hall to raise money to buy the gear that was needed and Hilda Anderson and Elsie Watson and Cyril O’Neil’s wife all sewing shirts for the boys.

Andy Watson also drove a bus and did the massaging and administered to the blistered feet of the runners for the long distance run from Sydney to Melbourne.  I think this was in the 1980’s.

Ruby Ellis did a lot of singing for us at our money making projects.  Ruby & Stan Ellis when young were in a band at the Trocodero in the City.  Good entertainers!

ACHIEVEMENTS:

Port Hacking Service Station Award – Andy Watson
Sutherland Shire Soccer Supporters Club “Clubman of the Year 1977”
Supporters Club Award for winning a grand final, 1st grade 1978 – A Watson, masseur (for Sutherland)
Soccer Federation NSW, Andy Watson
Premiers State League, 1st Division, 1st grade, 1991

FUNNY STORIES:

One night, about twelve o’clock, we told John Watson, Lynden Hume, Eddie Cirie and Stephen Hughes to take our console player home (we used to use it for the dances).  The adults were cleaning the hall after the dance, when suddenly we heard loud music coming from the soccer ground.  We all went out and here were the boys playing records, at 12 o’clock at night, on the loudest they could get the player, in the middle of the oval!  What a commotion that caused.

Another day, in the middle of a game, Doug Tribe’s pet kangaroo came hopping onto the oval in the middle of a game.  That caused a bit of fun, the kids took to chasing the kangaroo and forgot about the game.

At first there was no seating at the oval so Andy ‘acquired’ some old telegraph poles and the council layed them for the club and built up the area on the top side of the oval and that was our seating until they were able to get better ones later on.

OTHER INFORMATION:

Andy was born in Dundee Scotland

Andy was in the Royal Navy at seventeen.  He served all his time on HMS ‘Victorious’ from 1941 to 1946.  War time saw action in Russian convoys, Malta and Africa and the Pacific.

He came to Australia in 1948 where he and Elsie were married.  He became an Australian citizen but was bound over to serve in Australian Naval Reserves for 12 years.  He lived in Gymea Bay for 50 years and saw many, many changes to the district in those years.  We now live in Helensburg.  Sadly Andy had a stroke 12 months ago and is now in a nursing home but comes home some weekends.  We will be married 66 years in July 2015.

Mrs Elsie & Andy Watson
Good luck with your club future


The lady’s versus the men, Gymea Bay, 1963

Andy Watson pictured in the black dress, Laurie Dean in the wheelbarrow and Arthur Hughes wheeling.  John Herne is pictured behind Arthur Hughes to the right.  Other players included Roy Anderson.  Some names of the ladies, Jean Fisher, Beryl Mercer, Elsie Watson, Aida Smith and Hughes.