Rick Trewavas' cousin, Bruce, took this photo of Rick in France in 2008

Rick Trewavas’ cousin, Bruce Tamagno, has written to the Vietnam Swans to give us all a bit more of an insight about this passionate Bloods supporter who was the inspiration behind the weekend’s Rick Trewavis Medal.

Dear Vietnam Swans

Years ago my dad and my uncle took me and my cousin to a footy match near Gardenvale where they lived. I made the mistake of asking my uncle:

What team are we barracking for?

And I still remember the absolute bollocking I received:

What… what? he spluttered. South Blody Melbourne  of course!

And so, for the last 60 years I’ve followed poor old South across the suburban wastelands of Melbourne, away from the Lake, up to Sydney and now into Indochina.

My cousin is Rick Trewavas and I have to admit that his passion for the Swans is probably without peer.  I was a Geography teacher and travelled whenever I could, so I frequently visited Rick in Hanoi and, prior to that, in Jakarta where he helped form the Jakarta Garudas (an Indonesian Swan?) (Eds note: The Jakarta Garudas don’t actually exist and never did. Rick clears up the story here).

Anyway, I was so impressed at the idea of awarding the best player (for the Vietnam Swans at the weekend’s match against the Cambodian Cobras in Phnom Penh), the Rick Trewavas Medal, I decided to contact you and provide  a photo of cousin Rick which I took in France two years ago.

I speak with Rick frequently via phone as I am currently in the UK and despite his cancer, he has always been in good spirits, quite open about his condition and determined to fight it as effectively as possible.

Keep up the good work,
and keep on barracking for the Swans.

Cheers
Bruce Tamagno