That should get some attention, with my name on it.

Email from my brother:

Just sorting out some boxes of Dad’s photography books & came across his 1951 camera pocketbook/diary.

In the diary section are roughly fortnightly trips after June to Beaumaris (mainly on the weekend). And late in the year lots of trips to the MCG – 27 & 28 Oct; 3, 6, 18, 25 Nov; 1,2,9, 15, 16 Dec. The MGC trips often have a number next to them – 1199, 1178, 1236, 1054, 1077, etc.

Does anyone know why he would have been going to Beaumaris so much – or the MCG? And what’s with the numbers?

______________________________________________

My other brother has nailed Beaumaris – there was a girlfriend there. (Dad was 19 at this time). I looked at the dates for the MCG and noted it to be after the Grand Final and before the Test (which was 31st December that year – ain’t the interwebs fabulous!). All the MCG dates are Saturday or Sunday, except 6th of November, which the interwebs tell me was the Melbourne Cup that year. So all not working days. Dad was in employment at that time. I’ve suggested to my brothers that perhaps he had a second job helping with ground preparation for the Test Match. What do you tragics think?

buffy said:

That should get some attention, with my name on it.

Email from my brother:

Just sorting out some boxes of Dad’s photography books & came across his 1951 camera pocketbook/diary.

In the diary section are roughly fortnightly trips after June to Beaumaris (mainly on the weekend). And late in the year lots of trips to the MCG – 27 & 28 Oct; 3, 6, 18, 25 Nov; 1,2,9, 15, 16 Dec. The MGC trips often have a number next to them – 1199, 1178, 1236, 1054, 1077, etc.

Does anyone know why he would have been going to Beaumaris so much – or the MCG? And what’s with the numbers?

______________________________________________

My other brother has nailed Beaumaris – there was a girlfriend there. (Dad was 19 at this time). I looked at the dates for the MCG and noted it to be after the Grand Final and before the Test (which was 31st December that year – ain’t the interwebs fabulous!). All the MCG dates are Saturday or Sunday, except 6th of November, which the interwebs tell me was the Melbourne Cup that year. So all not working days. Dad was in employment at that time. I’ve suggested to my brothers that perhaps he had a second job helping with ground preparation for the Test Match. What do you tragics think?

Could be, Buffy. Remember it’s not just Test Cricket played at the MCG but also the Sheffield Shield matches, and back in those days the Shield had a much higher profile as well.

sibeen said:

buffy said:

That should get some attention, with my name on it.

Email from my brother:

Just sorting out some boxes of Dad’s photography books & came across his 1951 camera pocketbook/diary.

In the diary section are roughly fortnightly trips after June to Beaumaris (mainly on the weekend). And late in the year lots of trips to the MCG – 27 & 28 Oct; 3, 6, 18, 25 Nov; 1,2,9, 15, 16 Dec. The MGC trips often have a number next to them – 1199, 1178, 1236, 1054, 1077, etc.

Does anyone know why he would have been going to Beaumaris so much – or the MCG? And what’s with the numbers?

______________________________________________

My other brother has nailed Beaumaris – there was a girlfriend there. (Dad was 19 at this time). I looked at the dates for the MCG and noted it to be after the Grand Final and before the Test (which was 31st December that year – ain’t the interwebs fabulous!). All the MCG dates are Saturday or Sunday, except 6th of November, which the interwebs tell me was the Melbourne Cup that year. So all not working days. Dad was in employment at that time. I’ve suggested to my brothers that perhaps he had a second job helping with ground preparation for the Test Match. What do you tragics think?

Could be, Buffy. Remember it’s not just Test Cricket played at the MCG but also the Sheffield Shield matches, and back in those days the Shield had a much higher profile as well.

Thanks sibeen. Only one of the dates fits for that year though for the MCG

Victoria v New South Wales at Melbourne – Dec 7-11, 1951
New South Wales 533; Victoria 434

I don’t remember Dad ever being interested in cricket either.

Got me stumped. That string of numbers is nothing to do with cricket scores so far as I can see.

The only vague thing I can suggest it might the attendance numbers on that day, perhaps if he had a job on the gate selling tickets.

party_pants said:

Got me stumped. That string of numbers is nothing to do with cricket scores so far as I can see.

The only vague thing I can suggest it might the attendance numbers on that day, perhaps if he had a job on the gate selling tickets.

Would there have been cricket at the MCG on those dates? Was it used for local cricket of some sort, other than Sheffield Shield and Tests? As far as I know, my father never played cricket.

rushes in

rushes out

rofl

buffy said:

party_pants said:

Got me stumped. That string of numbers is nothing to do with cricket scores so far as I can see.

The only vague thing I can suggest it might the attendance numbers on that day, perhaps if he had a job on the gate selling tickets.

Would there have been cricket at the MCG on those dates? Was it used for local cricket of some sort, other than Sheffield Shield and Tests? As far as I know, my father never played cricket.

Dates do not match I’m afraid.
First game at Melbourne was 7-11 of December.
14 – 18 December Victoria were playing NSW in Sydney.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/c/engine/series/284737.html

So cross off the Sheffield Shield. Must have been some other event at the MCG on those dates.

18 November 1951 a the MCG there appears to have been a Catholic Crusade meeting at the MCG. The Family Rosary Crusade movement.

party_pants said:

18 November 1951 a the MCG there appears to have been a Catholic Crusade meeting at the MCG. The Family Rosary Crusade movement.

He was C of E. But I never knew him to actually go to church. That’s what he wrote on the census though. Mum was lapsed Catholic.

Curiouser and curiouser.

PWM could at least have offered a guess…

buffy said:

party_pants said:

18 November 1951 a the MCG there appears to have been a Catholic Crusade meeting at the MCG. The Family Rosary Crusade movement.

He was C of E. But I never knew him to actually go to church. That’s what he wrote on the census though. Mum was lapsed Catholic.

Curiouser and curiouser.

PWM could at least have offered a guess…

I checked the test match dates too, they don’t match. December 31 to January 3 (Curiously no Boxin g Day test match).

I’m guessing it must have been some non-sporting social or cultural events held at the ground, because it was a suitable venue for large crowds. The Catholic convention got a crowd of 80,000. But I can’t imagine they had a big meeting like that more than just the once. Can’t find anything for October or December except for cricket, but they fell on the dates where there was a gap in your dates.

It is possibly something mundane that can’t be figured out all these years later but you could look at the weekend that was missed in the run of trips to the MCG. What couldn’t you do on remembrance day that you could do on all of the other days?

furious said:

It is possibly something mundane that can’t be figured out all these years later but you could look at the weekend that was missed in the run of trips to the MCG. What couldn’t you do on remembrance day that you could do on all of the other days?

Never forget ?

party_pants said:

buffy said:

party_pants said:

18 November 1951 a the MCG there appears to have been a Catholic Crusade meeting at the MCG. The Family Rosary Crusade movement.

He was C of E. But I never knew him to actually go to church. That’s what he wrote on the census though. Mum was lapsed Catholic.

Curiouser and curiouser.

PWM could at least have offered a guess…

I checked the test match dates too, they don’t match. December 31 to January 3 (Curiously no Boxin g Day test match).

I’m guessing it must have been some non-sporting social or cultural events held at the ground, because it was a suitable venue for large crowds. The Catholic convention got a crowd of 80,000. But I can’t imagine they had a big meeting like that more than just the once. Can’t find anything for October or December except for cricket, but they fell on the dates where there was a gap in your dates.

Regular Boxing Day Tests only started in 1980.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day_Test

Michael V said:

party_pants said:

buffy said:

He was C of E. But I never knew him to actually go to church. That’s what he wrote on the census though. Mum was lapsed Catholic.

Curiouser and curiouser.

PWM could at least have offered a guess…

I checked the test match dates too, they don’t match. December 31 to January 3 (Curiously no Boxin g Day test match).

I’m guessing it must have been some non-sporting social or cultural events held at the ground, because it was a suitable venue for large crowds. The Catholic convention got a crowd of 80,000. But I can’t imagine they had a big meeting like that more than just the once. Can’t find anything for October or December except for cricket, but they fell on the dates where there was a gap in your dates.

Regular Boxing Day Tests only started in 1980.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxing_Day_Test

Well now, that is a bit of a surprise. I thought it would be be a far longer tradition than that. I was alive in 1980, I think of traditional things to be daqting back to well before I was born.

Thanks for the suggestions so far. I can’t say I care too much. But my brothers are asking. They knew Dad better than I did really. They both played hockey with MCC, and Dad was the taxi for many years. My sister and I didn’t do that.

Neither brother has answered my email so far in which I pointed out the after the Grand Final, before the Test Match thing.