Save
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
Save this article for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.
Got it
AAA
All that glitters is not gold for AFL Life Members who four rounds into the home-and-away season are yet to receive their annual gold pass from footy HQ.
When CBD was alerted by several concerned Life Members that the physical version of their treasured gold pass was missing in action this year, with no word from the AFL to explain what was going on, we couldn’t resist a bit of sleuthing.
Hawthorn legend Don Scott has voiced concerns about the delay in AFL Life Members receiving their annual gold passes. Scott Barbour
Were they delayed, discontinued, lost in transit, or just about to be popped in the mail?
The gold pass provides Life Members, including, as the name suggests, the greats of the game from across the decades, access to certain function rooms at the MCG and Marvel Stadium among other benefits. The physical pass is a token of honour and recognition, and being able to flash it or swipe it clearly holds meaning.
Life Members are entitled to tickets to each game, but importantly the delay in the physical gold passes being issued has had no impact on that allocation which is accessed through the AFL’s ticket request system.
Another perspective
Former Collingwood champion and president of the Life Members’ Association, Des Tuddenham, raised the missing gold passes with the AFL about a fortnight ago and was told they would be sent out that week.
“Obviously, they still have not arrived,” Tuddenham said on Monday. “We have had no correspondence.”
Fellow Life Member Don Scott, who was climbing into the saddle for a spot of showjumping when CBD called, tee-ed off on the lack of communication from the AFL.
“I don’t give a rat’s about their excuse for not sending out the gold passes. They should tell us what’s going on,” Scott fumed.
“Nowadays, it shows you what standing the AFL Life Members have got when they have forgotten to send the gold passes out.
“Jill Lindsay [former VFL membership manager] said to me when I was a young fellow in relation to the Life Members, ‘You have to know where you come from to know where you are going’. When Ian Collins [former director of AFL football operations] used to host the AFL Life Members Grand Final Lunch, he referred to the collective as the ‘engine room of football’.”
The AFL on Sunday acknowledged there had been a delay in the delivery of gold passes and was working to rectify the situation. There has been no change to access or benefits Life Members receive.
AFL life membership is one of football’s highest honours. It recognises sustained and significant service to football or the achievement of 300 AFL games.
First Harry Connick Jnr, now The Black Crowes at home in Collingwood
It’s not every day you see a couple of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees loping along grungy Langridge Street in Collingwood, but that is where Chris and Rich Robinson, founding members of US blues/rock band The Black Crowes, were on Wednesday.
Rich and Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes with Ross Halfin at the opening of The Black Crowes: Through the Lens of Ross Halfin exhibition presented by Behind The Gallery in Collingwood. Maria Troncoso/@casimaria/Behind The Gallery
First Harry Connick Jnr, now The Black Crowes in Magpies-ville – Collingwood is certainly a vibe at the moment. Being of an age where Shake Your Money Maker and The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion – two of the band’s most successful albums – were in CBD’s CD collection in the ’90s, we were intrigued as to what the brothers were doing in the ’burb.
Turns out Chris and Rich were surprise guests at Behind The Gallery for the opening of The Black Crowes: Through the Lens of Ross Halfin photographic exhibition.
Serious fans of the band got to mingle with the Hard to Handle, She Talks to Angels, and Remedy hitmakers for about an hour at the intimate pop-up gallery space.
Halfin, a British rock photographer, has charted the band’s journey over the years. Pieces in the exhibition can be purchased through Behind The Gallery website.
Related Article
Behind The Gallery founder Stephen Dallimore said bringing artists and fans together was a hallmark of his business.
“Opening night carried a real sense of occasion, a high-vibrancy mix of fans and collectors, all brought together by the rare chance to engage directly with Ross Halfin and spend time with Chris and Rich Robinson,” he said.
“It wasn’t just about viewing the work, it was about stepping inside the stories behind it and, for many, meeting their music heroes in a truly unique setting.”
The Black Crowes played at The Forum on Thursday and Friday after Live Nation picked up the band’s shows following the collapse last month of Bluesfest.
Hollywood star Matt Damon’s Aussie circle of racetrack mates revealed
The racetrack is a great leveller, as was shown yet again, when not even having Mr Box Office Gold Matt Damon as part of its ownership circle could get Are You Kidding into the placings in the prestigious Australian Derby.
The three-year-old gelding struggled into 11th place, 19 lengths behind the winner, Green Spaces, in the Group 1 race at Randwick in Sydney on Saturday.
While the horse’s run was unremarkable, CBD was far more interested in who owns the nag with Damon, the star of the Bourne film franchise, Ocean’s Eleven, Air, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Saving Private Ryan and Good Will Hunting, and his wife, Luci.
It turns out Damon’s circle of racing enthusiast mates includes some very well-known faces, including former Australian cricket captain Steve Smith, private jet operator Paul O’Brien and his fiancee, Nova FM’s Melbourne breakfast co-host Lauren Phillips, retired Geelong AFL player Tom Hawkins, former Neighbours actor Daniel MacPherson, and Chris Hemsworth’s personal trainer, Luke Zocchi.
Actor Matt Damon and his wife, Luci, on the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival. AP
While Damon was not at the track on Derby Day, he had been among the crowd at Rosehill in Sydney for the Golden Slipper last month.
Are You Kidding is one of two thoroughbreds Damon has with trainers Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich. The other is named Dale, which he co-owns with O’Brien. Dale has notched three wins from 12 starts.
Save
You have reached your maximum number of saved items.
Remove items from your saved list to add more.
Fiona Byrne is the CBD columnist for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via email.From our partners