We were fortunate to have been gifted some wonderful items at the club last year, chief among them Marcus Whelan’s 1936 Premiership medal, his Life Membership medallion and a silver coffee pot given to him by the club on the occasion of his wedding in 1939. The items were donated by one of his grandsons, Daniel Whelan.
But there have been numerous other generous donations too. The daughter of Magpie ANZAC Ted Prendergast gave us a battered old silver cigarette case that had been struck by bullets in France in 1917, probably saving Ted's life. It is a powerful reminder of how survival in times of war can really come down to a matter of inches.
Magpie 1958 Premiership hero Brian Beers gifted a very special WEG poster that had been signed and noted by Ron Barassi, acknowledging that the Pies were the better side on the day. The poster became a central part of our 60th anniversary celebrations of the Miracle of '58.
Peggy Boyd presented us with a signed menu from the 1930 Premiership dinner - she had actually been at the dinner herself! - as well as two rare brooches from the period.
Diana Johnstone, the daughter of the former Cheer Squad President, Kath Johnstone, donated several boxes of fan-related memorabilia, as did Nick Levy, the son of former Collingwood Archives chairman Wayne Levy. Former cheer squad members John Jackson, Robert Lonsdale, Wayne Moloney and Gary Rodwell also donated boxes of wonderful old photos and fan memorabilia, while Pat Keane donated a beautiful Olympic year stick pin from the 1956 Grand Final.
Thanks also to Bill & Lorraine McWhinney, Mick Overend, Lenny Sheppard (former under-19s team manager), Keith Burns (former under-19s coach), Geoff Milburn and Gary Diffen, all of whom added to our collection with wonderful items.
The club thanks everyonewho has donated items. If you’d like to follow suit and donate something to the Collingwood collection, contact our Archives team at [email protected] or Michael Roberts on [email protected]
