Malcolm Blight will auction his rare, signed Brownlow Medal memorabilia to raise funds for Red Cross Bushfire Appeal
Dual Adelaide Crows premiership coach and football legend Malcolm Blight is auctioning off his Brownlow Medal memorabilia piece to raise funds for the Australian bushfire relief appeal.
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Adelaide premiership coach Malcolm Blight has revealed the emotional moment that sparked his intervention in the bushfire relief effort and auctioning of treasured Brownlow Medal memorabilia.
Shane Warne auctioned his baggy green for a million dollars, but it was the sight of selfless school girls selling lemonade on a footpath to raise money for bushfire victims that moved ‘Messiah’ Blight.
Blight is auctioning his rare, signed and framed photograph of 41 Brownlow Medallists who gathered in 2000 at the MCG.
“My wife Patsy was watching TV and she said ‘come and have a look at this’. There were three little girls aged six, seven and eight selling lemonade for the bushfire appeal out the front of someone’s place,” recalled 1978 Brownlow Medallist Blight.
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“I thought ‘this is a bit unique, there is something going on here’.
“I suppose it just flowed from there.
“You see people, worldwide celebrities, sporting people, all ages and dimensions, mums and dads, kids putting in one and two dollars and Twiggy Forrest $70 million.
“Whatever anyone can do it surely has to help anyone affected.
“Whatever we get for it will be better off than not doing it.”
The inaugural photo of living Brownlow Medallists from 1925 to 2000, taken at the MCG 20 years ago, presented a logistical challenge that hasn’t been repeated.
“I was sitting there thinking it is unique, a once off, personal and thought maybe someone could contribute to helping,” said former Geelong and Crows boss Blight, with bids to be placed at Lloydsonline.com.au and proceeds donated to the Australian Red Cross
“We all met on at the MCG.
“You were in the midst of history, it hadn’t happened before or since.
“The sad part is 12 are now gone including the Brownlow Medallist I coached, Paul Couch.”
Blight retains wonderful memories from the day football’s best converged in Melbourne on December 9, 2000.
Peter Box, who won the 1954 VFL flag and 1956 Brownlow Medal with Footscray/Western Bulldogs, represented the spirit of those affected by the bushfires while Blight connected with triple Essendon premiership mentor Dick Reynolds.
“One of the great stories, Peter Box, no-one had seen him for 30 years, had been living in country Victoria and came in a black working singlet. He epitomised what is going on now, he was a bushman,” Sportsday SA host Blight told The Advertiser.
“In the middle of the photo, I was put alongside Dick Reynolds and on the night I won the Brownlow he came up to me and said ‘congratulations, well deserved Malcolm and now you have to earn it every time you play’.”