Dave, Mac-Beth and Damo after the 2011 ANZAC Friendship Match, Vung Tau.
Dave “Angry” Hadley, a Swannie, left Vietnam five months ago. From Oslo, Norway, he reflects upon “My time with the Swannies”.
I was lucky to have the privilege to play for the Swannies from 2009 to 2011. I have never been more proud of a football team that I have played for. The Swannies have been the highlight of any community group I have ever been a member of. The friendships that have been forged throughout playing with the Swannies are very solid and will last long after I have left. I have many memorable moments both on and off the field of which I will share some of them with you now.
ANZAC Matches: 2009, Thailand; 2010 & 2011, Vietnam
The ANZAC Day matches meant a lot to me and to a lot of the Swans’ players. These were the highlights of all of the games I played.
In 2009 we played an emotional game against the Thailand Tigers in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. I remember arriving late on the the Friday night and just heading off to sleep before being awoken to attend the ANZAC Dawn Service. After the stirring Dawn Service, attended by thousands along with some ex POWs, the game fast approached. Then the most emotional part of the day happened for me.
The ex POWs and the Swannies applauding prior to the 2009 ANZAC match, Thailand.
Both teams stood in line awaiting the ex POWs to turn up to the game. They arrived and walked towards their marquee. The crowd rose as one and clapped them as they slowly made the way to their seats. United the Swannies and Thailand Tigers stood facing these ex POWs whilst the Australian National Anthem played. I remember this moment more than the game itself.
The last two ANZAC Friendship Matches have been in Vietnam. It has been fantastic to watch the growth of this event in only two years. The first year saw the Swans play an internal match on the Saturday, one day before the Dawn Service in Long Tan. Very close match enjoyed by Vietnam Veterans, a large touring party from Hanoi and Vietnamese which included some from an orphanage that the Swannies helped raise money for (side note, how funny is it watching Fabbo keep his speeches going flawlessly when the children are running amok around him).
Richard "Ossie" Osborne speaks at the post 2011 ANZAC Friendship Match function, Vung Tau.
After the very successful first match, Hong Kong accepted the 2011 match challenge within the day. The 2011 ANZAC Friendship Match built on the great foundation of 2010. It was better organised, it had ex-AFL star Richard “Ossie” Osborne playing for both teams, it was an international game and there were more people in attendance. The Swans beat Hong Kong for the first time too!
This event will just get stronger and stronger. With the help of so many people in Vung Tau (especially the Vung Tau Massive) and the unwavering support from the Vietnam Veterans, the ANZAC Day weekend will remain a highlight of the Vietnam Swans’ calender.
Jakarta, November 2009
Dave Kainey - at the Kainey Cup, Jakarta, October 2009.
The Swans travelled to Jakarta to play the Jakarta Bintangs for the Kainey Cup with this very game being special for its own reason. On this tour, I learnt what football means to expat communities. Shortly after arriving, it was revealed that the Swans were the first team to travel to the disaster-hit capital city for a game since the July 2009 bombings. The city was still in partial shutdown. Every major facility had security searching cars for bombs. We had a small squad of tourers and had to borrow some of Jakarta’s local players.
After the game, we were ushered into the club rooms to hear the speeches. The Jakarta players and president made some pretty emotional speeches about us touring and how happy they were to play against us. It humbled me immensely to hear and see what a “silly” game of football meant to the president and players of the Jakarta Bintangs. After this match, I realised that it’s all about the tour, with a game played in the middle. It’s the mingling with the other team during the tour that is so beneficial to all. The Vietnam Swans also raised $1,500 for the Craig Senger fund. Craig was one of the nine people killed in the bombs and was the Austrade Commissioner and Jakarta Bintangs’ player.
(Ed’s note: the Jakarta bombings happened on 17 July 2009. The next scheduled match for the Vietnam Swans was 8 August 2009 against the Lao Elephants. It was decided to use the match as a vehicle for Asian Footy to show support for the Jakarta Bintangs and all those affected by the bombings. See Tribute Match between Vietnam Swans and Lao Elephants raises AU$1,540. The Swannies then toured Jakarta three months later on 31 October.)
Danny Armstrong’s match against Lao. Vientiane, Lao, March 2010
Danny lines up another of his six against the Lao Elephants, Vientiane, 2010.
The Vietnam Swans toured Lao with another small squad. Luckily we had a few of Captain Monkey’s friends who were touring Asia with “Monkeys Josh” playing a great game. The Vietnam Swans had a huge win. The average age of our forward line was 41, reminding us all how youthful Asia keeps us!
This game was about one of the Swannies’ favourite sons, Danny Armstrong. Danny turned back the clock this game. He led strongly. He marked everything that came his way. He roved his own marking attempts. Danny was everywhere. The final siren blew. Danny had kicked 6 goals and was easily best on ground.
Danny’s story does not end there.
Straight after the game, Danny’s grazed knees were patched up by the Lao ‘doctor’, Ingrid. Ingrid started applying some betadine to Danny and he was screaming out in pain. It turns out it was super strength betadine. Ingrid was treating Danny with, literally, an elephant medical kit. After all having a good laugh, we learnt about the sad plight of the elephants in Lao and most of us bought a t-shirt of which each t-shirt was enough to buy an elephant owner their own medical kit!
To know more about Angry’s reflections from afar, click here to read Part II.
