Most racist sport in Aust

[Terry]

I am sure mark Williams captioned collingwood before then.

He might have played forcollington but he's not indigenous


Port coach Mark Williams' great, great grandad was a slave
RENATO CASTELLO, JESPER FJELDSTAD, Sunday Mail (SA)
August 9, 2009 12:05am
HE'S known as Choco, but the origin of Mark Williams' dark skin - and the family's athletic prowess - has always been a mystery...until now.
Research into the family bloodline has revealed that the Port Adelaide coach and SA's most successful football family are the descendants of an African-Jamaican slave.

Although some thought Choco was southern European, and many other believed he was part Aboriginal, Williams' cousin Christine Gibson has unravelled the family's history, revealing their great, great grandfather, Thomas Alexander Ferguson, was an Afro-Caribbean born 187 years ago - an orphan of the brutal transatlantic slave trade.

"It's something that I'm proud of," Williams said.

"I only found out about it through her (Christine's) research and she's done a wonderful job. She's spent huge hours and it's all true, there's no doubt about it. If you go back far enough, I think we're all from slaves. The Jamaican bit might explain the dark complexion a bit. And why I'm so fast ... like (Jamaican sprinter) Usain Bolt."

For years, many assumed Williams had Aboriginal heritage, often inviting him to take part in indigenous football matches during his playing career, which he declined.

"I said no because I didn't qualify and one player accused me of not being a brother," he said of one invitation which came in the 1980s.

Mrs Gibson, of Seaview Downs, said the news was a surprise to the whole family.

"We always laughed because everyone thinks Mark's got part Aboriginal blood in him, I always thought it was quite funny," she said.

"When I told him this (about their grandfather), we all laughed and (Mark's sister) Jenny and Mark rang me up and the first thing Jenny said was: 'It's no wonder we can all dance so well."

Using family archives, geneaology website ancestry.com and details gleaned from relatives, Mrs Gibson spent two years tracing her family tree. She has compiled an essay that links the Williams name with some of SA's founding fathers.

According to her investigations, Thomas Ferguson was born in Jamaica in 1822, possibly to a Negro Creole woman. His birth certificate listed his parents as "unknown".

At nine months old, he was registered as an "inherited slave" to his master Thomas Ferguson - a Scottish pastoralist - and was given the same name.

He worked as a slave in Scotland before coming to South Australia in 1854, at age 32, as personal valet to successful businessman, philanthropist and politician Sir Thomas Elder.

In an unusual event for the time he married Sarah Milligan - the white daughter of an Irish family - one year later at St Mark's Church in Adelaide.


Check out Choco's family tree in today's Sunday Mail

Thomas and Sarah's daughter, Soffea Ferguson, born on July 19, 1858, married lawyer John Williams, who was the grandson of Thomas Hudson Beare. He was one of the state's first settlers, arriving on Kangaroo Island in 1836 tasked with establishing a British colony.

The pair had five children including their only son Melville George Williams in July 15, 1883 who would grow up with a love for sport and excel at cycling, cricket, athletics and of course football in his hometown Quorn.

His genes would be passed on to his son Foster Williams, born in 1922, who along with his children Mark, Stephen and Anthony would make the Williams name synonomous with the success of the Port Adelaide Football Club.

Melville's granddaughter Jenny, meanwhile, become a member of Australia's world championship winning lacrosse team.

Ferguson moved to Nairne to work as a farm hand for Matthew Smillie, who was credited with being the founder of the Hills hamlet, before moving to Blinman, in the Flinders Ranges.

He died while working on the epic project to build a telegraph line between Adelaide and Darwin and is believed to be buried in or near Alice Springs, but Mrs Gibson said she could find no official recorded date of his death.

Mrs Gibson, who admitted "breaking down in tears" researching the history, said she was proud of her ancestors and the struggle they went through to build a future for herself and her family.

"We've all been a very close knit family...we're a fairly competitive strong willed very strong knit family," she said.

"From all the way down we've been encouraged to be the best we can be."

So there ya go Fred......slammed again!!! How many times can a Fred be wrong...........lolololololololololol........hahahahhahahahha........it seems a lot!!!!!! Peace and goodwill to you Fred and particularly Mrs Fred........God knows she must be a saint!!!!

[Fred]

You're obsessed with me lol

[AFLcrap1]

Nah
I think he gets a good laugh out of your failings

[NlolRL]

Lol,if this is true
Apparently on Ch 9 this morning they were into the AFL over the rampant racism .
Read that one of them said that collingfumblewood did not have an indigenous player until 1990s
Any one know if this is right .
If it is it's disgusting

http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/pla ... ert-ahmat/

[Fred]

I had a check and apparently they thought a guy in the 1930s was indigenous but after research by his grand daughter they found he wasn't. It was not until the 1980s I says that Wally lovett played and he is considered the first.

http://m.collingwoodfc.com.au/news/2015 ... round-2015

[NlolRL]

The thing about this is the VFL, of which Collingwood were a part, recruited from Victorian zones rather than a national draft prior to the 90's, and Victoria doesnt have a large indigenous population. Therefore, indigenous players in the VFL werent common. They were far more prominent in the WAFL where indigenous populations were larger.

[AFLcrap1]

Lol,if this is true
Apparently on Ch 9 this morning they were into the AFL over the rampant racism .
Read that one of them said that collingfumblewood did not have an indigenous player until 1990s
Any one know if this is right .
If it is it's disgusting

http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/pla ... ert-ahmat/

Lol,that backed up my post
1995.
Well done Colington .
WHITEYBALL it is around Colington

[NlolRL]

Lol,if this is true
Apparently on Ch 9 this morning they were into the AFL over the rampant racism .
Read that one of them said that collingfumblewood did not have an indigenous player until 1990s
Any one know if this is right .
If it is it's disgusting

http://forever.collingwoodfc.com.au/pla ... ert-ahmat/

Lol,that backed up my post
1995.
Well done Colington .
WHITEYBALL it is around Colington

see the post about VFL zoning. It brings it into context

[Fred]

1982 as I pointed out.

[pussycat]

Robbie Ahmat on Anzac Day



Jackie Epstein, Sunday Herald Sun

April 19, 2009 12:00am



COLLINGWOOD'S Robbie Ahmat was involved in a racial vilification claim against Essendon's Michael Prior in 1997.

racist bastards!

Ahmat is now an assistant coach with the Northern Territory side in AFL Queensland under coach Michael McLean.

"I REMEMBER looking up and thinking to myself this is the whole of Darwin packed into the stadium.

"Damian Monkhorst was a big help to me. He just said settle down and just play like you're playing in the backyard of your own house. 'Monky' really looked after me.

"I haven't spoken to (Prior) since that day. It was just one of those things, you let it go now. Life's too short to hold grudges. It's happened, it's all over and done with. At the time I was pretty upset and 'Mago' (McLean) helped me out. He's actually married to my cousin and he was one of the first blokes on the phone making sure I was all right.

"He left Darwin in '92 and he said we used to cop it every week. I'm proud that young guys these days don't have to go through that sort of stuff. It's hard enough moving away from your home and family without being racially vilified.

"I really just couldn't settle in Melbourne, the weather and no family, so that was my last year at Collingwood. I had some family in Sydney, so when the opportunity came up I went there and felt a bit more comfortable.

"When I look back on it I wish I had spent my whole career at Collingwood. At the time I didn't realise how big it was because I loved rugby league and I only played AFL in the off-season. I remember asking (recruiting manager) Ricky Barham if he actually played and he said only about 240 games. I was just a mad Manly Sea Eagles supporter but people told me I'd have more chance of making it in the AFL."

it required more skill to play Rugby League

Rugby League has an Aboriginal in its inaugural season. Collingwood' first Aboriginal was not until the mid 90's and when they finally get an Aboriginal in there side he's racially abused.

With a history stretching back over 120 years the AFL have only had 148 players of Aboriginal decent ! Wow - try denying the one white parent rule now. sad, sad pathetic racist scum!

[Fred]

Says on The link Wally Lovett 1982? Which is still pretty poor. Anyone know when the first indigenous player played ? It gets dark fficuot with vfl, wafl and sanfl as were all considered top level in each state. I know Carlton had a player who was quite famous in the 70s I think who talked of the racism there... like trainers refusing to give massages etc.

[NlolRL]

Here are some racism incidents surrounding RL in the last 12 months

April 2016 https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/ra ... n/3006914/
May 2016 http://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2016 ... ial-slur-0
May 2016 http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/national/ ... nunciation
June 2016 http://indianexpress.com/article/sports ... o-2831852/
Oct 2016 https://www.qt.com.au/news/racist-lette ... s/3096266/
Jan 2017 http://www.sportingnews.com/au/league/n ... dsuwl8ixks
Jan 2017 http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/quee ... 6061e45f26

[Fred]

Wow. I'm yet to vote but that is a fairly compelling list.

[AFLcrap1]

Wow. I'm yet to vote but that is a fairly compelling list.

Oh dear . Of course you would find it compelling .

Silly me was only quoting the top level
Poor little dingy went looking for whatever he could .

Junior RL ...lol
State league ...lolx2
An ex player charged for fighting in public ...oh dear..how racist is that .
It had nothing to do with RL..
It was a complaint about the cops charging him ...how compelling ..

If you want to go down that road ..lol
I slaughtered dingbat last time he wanted to argue this .

How about the fumbler from WA who went to a game dressed as the KKK last yr
When I have time I will make a nice little list ...a compelling one

[NlolRL]

Wow. I'm yet to vote but that is a fairly compelling list.

Oh dear . Of course you would find it compelling .

Silly me was only quoting the top level
Poor little dingy went looking for whatever he could .

Junior RL ...lol
State league ...lolx2
An ex player charged for fighting in public ...oh dear..how racist is that .
It had nothing to do with RL..
It was a complaint about the cops charging him ...how compelling ..

If you want to go down that road ..lol
I slaughtered dingbat last time he wanted to argue this .

How about the fumbler from WA who went to a game dressed as the KKK last yr
When I have time I will make a nice little list ...a compelling one

thought id at least bring some facts into the discussion. Most of the issues have been isolated fans, which grass roots level also sees