The other religion

I went to the footy at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground is one of the local “sacred spots”).  What, dear readers, do I hear you say, are you doing watching football at a cricket ground?

My team, Collingwood, was pretending to play the team, Carlton, at the bottom of the 18 team ladder.

There were 78,000 experts at the ground.  It always amazes me how many people, men and women, rich and poor, can stay together in one place, for hours, without bopping each other on the nose.

If it was all blokes, there’d be brawls, don’t you agree?  But women have always been strongly represented at Aussie Rules football matches.  They’re heavily involved, too, in admin, umpiring and the health and safety of players.

Social commentator, Eddie McGuire, wrote in last weekend’s paper that Aussie Rules is blessed by the active presence of so many women at all levels of footy club activities.

Feminists may hate what I am about to say but women do humanise and socialise blokes, especially blokes involved in “combat”.  And it happens, at its best, in players’ homes and local footy club level.

Home and the local footy club, suburban or bush, are where blokes can be given fair, firm and friendly guidance by people they admire and respect.

Now Eddie McGuire has taken this homespun wisdom to another level.  He believes along with late mate, Essendon, and the AFL’s Ron Evans, that league football clubs should be places where players, training and admin staff, board and general members learn the fine art of caring for people who have almost lost hope of connecting with a decent, normal bunch of other people.

Eddie believes that footy clubs are just so well placed in Aussie society to exercise intelligent practical compassion that he intends, as announced just last week, to begin a meal programme based at Collingwood’s new, shiny home, the Lexus Centre, a stones throw from the MCG.

There’s an outside barbeque area furnished with tables, benches and heaters.  About 100 people could be catered for, people who are sleeping rough along the banks of the Yarra and environs, people from East Melbourne, Richmond boarding houses and, even, people from a distance who’ll travel for a good “feed”.  Maybe the Lexus Centre will give these people, just like you and me, a bit of a buzz of excitement, a bit of respect and hope.

Eddie’s asked me to help publicise this venture because he knows I’ve been involved in feeding people for many years.

This Parish, South Melbourne (the place that lost its football team, physically at least, to Sydney) feeds people, in the yard of the parish house, up to 60 a sitting, four times a week.

It’s not only the food they come for but also, a hope that they’re still connected, through the parish house, to a neighbourhood which normally and, maybe, understandably ignores them.

We ignore people we feel there’s no advantage in acknowledging.  We do this at our peril.  People treated with disrespect will be tempted to return like for like.  It’s a miracle so few do.

Our Parish is drafting a strategic plan (don’t leave home without yours!) which is subtitled “The Neighbourhood Parish”.  It includes a house of hospitality, otherwise known as the Parish house, previously known as the Presbytery (vicarage in Anglican, manse in Protestant).  This embeds, hopefully forever, help for the helpless, deserving AND undeserving, poor within the fabric of South Melbourne Catholicism.

Eddie hopes to do the same for world renowned Collingwood Football Club by feeding the poor deserving and undeserving, at the prominent Lexus Centre.

Human rights are a hot topic with the Olympic Games in Beijing and the Pope at Randwick.

The right to be connected, deserving or not, has a torch bearer here at South Melbourne and there at Lexus.

R.J.M

Comments

[Nicola]

Dear Bob,

While I agree that sport has the ability to unite people and is a great recreational and healthy tool for /people to participate in, I just can’t reconcile the macho beer guzzling footy culture that to me just seems so superficial and vacuous. A Brown Low award where the player with the leggiest,bustiest and most shimmering beauty on his arm is revered as heroic, the humour is in the gutter and so insulting to any thinking person, it’s simply beyond belief and in Australia it’s so common that girls/women don’t even realise how insulting the attitudes really are. Players who show human frailty are feed upon in a media frenzy.
I’m pleased that you’re doing good work and using Sport for good Bob. Whatever it takes.

Nicola

[Elissa]

Father Bob

Just dropped by to say hello. I'm an Aussie who's lived in the UK for over 10 years. I gave up my former life to return to study, and in June if all goes to plan I shall be a doctor.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I love listening to you & John Safran via podcast while I'm studying - you keep me sane :)

Thanks!

[John McGuinness]

Hi there Fr Bob,
I was wondering what time you fed folks on a wednesday morning. As one of your smaller investors I would like to see what and how you do the things you do for others. I would also like to know if there was anything else (other than money) I could do to help you out.

I listen to every show and look fwd to the next.

Cheers mate

J

[Michaela]

Hi John,

I checked with Bob, and the open hours at the parish are:
Mon 5pm
Tues 5pm
Wed 9am
Fri noon
varies from 20 to 60 attendees

Also, the food bus goes out Thurs night and Sunday night

Best wishes,
Michaela

[Michaela]

Also, there are food parcels given out and open house at the parish Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 10am

[glynis McIntyre]

i love you f.bob..
Is there a blog on your latest media showing , the church versus the chef..

I agree we can walk the talk , and we had better start running..
Eddies idea could be adapted /adopted..
I recently put a similar challenge to the tourism/ists.Industry...
Re the homeless/houseless debate...
for crises accommadation , lets face it , we are ganna need it ..one way or another...Any way I don"t have a loota push or money behind me , so I never heard a thing...

I have a small motel , and I used to loose sleep over the roofs being empty..
I fortunatly have a roof over me..

Cheers fa..bob ...god bless

[Michaela]

Glynis - unfortunately we don't have access to Bob's appearance on Today Tonight last week.