Three candles, for three lives, rest next to the Phoenix Cup.
Last week, the Vietnam Swans played a match against the Royal Australian Navy. Below is an edited version of what National President, Phil Johns said after the match.
This evening, you will have noticed the Vietnam Swans wearing black armbands. We were wearing them in memory of three people connected with the Swannies.
The first candle represents Dan Kindness’ grandmother who died soon after the Asian Champs, aged 87.
We then skip a generation. The mid sized candle symbolises Tim Clements’ very close friend, “Sticky”. Sticky was tragically killed in a mining accident back in Australia, aged just 27.
Next, we have the next generation represented by a baby candle. Last Thursday, 6 October, little Phoebe Adams, 6 years old, was killed in a traffic accident in Hanoi. Phoebe was the much loved daughter of Arron and Huong. Arron works for the Al Fresco’s / JASPAS Group which has supplied the food and drinks this evening here at RMIT.
The Vietnam Swans is a national club. Accordingly, a number of Swannies attended Phoebe’s funeral yesterday in Hanoi and today, in Saigon, we have worn the black armbands.
We remember each of these people as well as their families and friends who are trying to make sense of the magnitude of their respective losses.
These events are key events which punctuate our lives. They cause us to stop and reflect. They remind us again of the importance of having one eye on the journey.
On a far smaller scale, of course, the Vietnam Swans try to use events such as this evening’s match as a vehicle to punctuate our lives. Rather than just playing a match between the bookends of wandering on and off a footy field, the Vietnam Swans try to create an event. That’s why we put together match day banners, have the Consul General attend, organise after match functions etc.
Just stop and think about it. This evening we have the Vietnam Swans playing an Aussie Rules match against the Royal Australian Navy, at RMIT University, in Saigon, in 2011. How surreal is that? It’s amazing. And it’s a great and wonderful journey.
To the Navy, we are disappointed that some of your footy players got stuck on a bus in traffic on the way back from Vung Tau. But that happens and we move on and make the best of what we have. We thank you most sincerely for making the effort to come out to RMIT and play for the Phoenix Perpetual Cup. The Swannies have a fantastic time when the Navy visits Vietnam. Please pass the word around the Navy that any ship visiting Vietnam must schedule time for a match against the Swannies!
To Dan, Tim, Arron and Huong, we are all thinking of you.
To Aaron Daldy, thanks for coming to tonight’s match en route to the airport for your flight to your wedding back in Australia. Congratulations to you and Anne from all of the Swannies. Awesomely good news!
Thank you to everyone else for coming out this evening and being part of this event.
Go you Swannies.
Related items
- To see photos of the match taken by Adam Martin of Asian Images, click here.
- To see some photos of the match, courtesy of Dani Moger, click here.
- To see a 4 minute video of the match,also courtesy of Dani Moger, click here.
