Tassie Footy Fans - Rossarden?

[Mobbs]

Hi folks,

I just got back last night from a whirlwind tour of a small part of Tassie. In the process of doing this, I managed to drop by a few footy grounds and try to get some snaps. Admittedly I am no photographer, and I was at the mercy of our chauffeur, so I had to take some through the window of a moving car, but I had a dip, anyway. I will endeavour to make the photos available via footypedia.

Here's the grounds I managed to get a look at :

Scotch Oakburn Park, Launceston - Our 'chauffeur' (our mate who had lived in Tassie and who came with us on the trip) went to school many years ago at Scotch Oakburn and he showed us this ground on an island. Anyone know if this is just a school ground, or is it Old Scotch's ground?

Mole Creek - We stayed at Mole Creek to see caves and stuff. All the buildings are painted bright yellow with green trim. Can see it from the mainland.

Avoca - A beautiful sight. While the club has gone, and the shrubbery has moved in, the ground has refused to die.

Rossarden - Up under Stack's Bluff or Bluff's Stack or whatever its called, we dropped in on Storys Creek where chauffeur used to live. Nearby Rossarden had an old decrepit footy ground. We drove straight onto it as there was nothing to prevent us, and in fact there was a track straight through the CHF line. Anyone know if this was an actual footy club's ground, or just a school's ground? Maybe they used to have a team that played against Avoca and Fingal?

Fingal - Ok it was kind of getting dark and my old camera has no concept of what to do when the magic hour has gone, so I didn't really see too much, but there was wooden seating around the ground so I'm guessing they're still very much in operation. Nice ground.

Bicheno - According to a local coffee shop where I discovered the Cascade fruit juice drinks, Bicheno haven't had a footy club for approx 10 years, and folks need to go play for St Marys, St Helens or Swansea if they want to get a kick. Ground is now kind of just a park.

Swansea - There were cars parked around Swansea's ground but even though we dropped in twice, there was no footy around. Ground is kind of small. Beautiful town, though.

Triabunna - Didn't see much of it. Ground looked generic but not nearly as much as the nearby pub.

Richmond - Just snuck a quick glance as we flew by as we were running a little late. Seemed very green. Used to be in the amateur league, I believe.

My main interest at the moment is in Rossarden. Tiny little town with deer walking the streets - would love to hear anything about a footy club from there!

Anyways, thanks for listening

 

[Rookie]

Hi folks,

I just got back last night from a whirlwind tour of a small part of Tassie. In the process of doing this, I managed to drop by a few footy grounds and try to get some snaps. Admittedly I am no photographer, and I was at the mercy of our chauffeur, so I had to take some through the window of a moving car, but I had a dip, anyway. I will endeavour to make the photos available via footypedia.

Here's the grounds I managed to get a look at :

Scotch Oakburn Park, Launceston - Our 'chauffeur' (our mate who had lived in Tassie and who came with us on the trip) went to school many years ago at Scotch Oakburn and he showed us this ground on an island. Anyone know if this is just a school ground, or is it Old Scotch's ground?

Mole Creek - We stayed at Mole Creek to see caves and stuff. All the buildings are painted bright yellow with green trim. Can see it from the mainland.

Avoca - A beautiful sight. While the club has gone, and the shrubbery has moved in, the ground has refused to die.

Rossarden - Up under Stack's Bluff or Bluff's Stack or whatever its called, we dropped in on Storys Creek where chauffeur used to live. Nearby Rossarden had an old decrepit footy ground. We drove straight onto it as there was nothing to prevent us, and in fact there was a track straight through the CHF line. Anyone know if this was an actual footy club's ground, or just a school's ground? Maybe they used to have a team that played against Avoca and Fingal?

Fingal - Ok it was kind of getting dark and my old camera has no concept of what to do when the magic hour has gone, so I didn't really see too much, but there was wooden seating around the ground so I'm guessing they're still very much in operation. Nice ground.

Bicheno - According to a local coffee shop where I discovered the Cascade fruit juice drinks, Bicheno haven't had a footy club for approx 10 years, and folks need to go play for St Marys, St Helens or Swansea if they want to get a kick. Ground is now kind of just a park.

Swansea - There were cars parked around Swansea's ground but even though we dropped in twice, there was no footy around. Ground is kind of small. Beautiful town, though.

Triabunna - Didn't see much of it. Ground looked generic but not nearly as much as the nearby pub.

Richmond - Just snuck a quick glance as we flew by as we were running a little late. Seemed very green. Used to be in the amateur league, I believe.

My main interest at the moment is in Rossarden. Tiny little town with deer walking the streets - would love to hear anything about a footy club from there!

Anyways, thanks for listening

Went to Rossarden a few years back, don't remember the football field but the town itself has got to be the worst place in Tasmania, even if it does have a cold, rustic charm to it. What was the purpose of your trip?

 

[Mobbs]

Went to Rossarden a few years back, don't remember the football field but the town itself has got to be the worst place in Tasmania, even if it does have a cold, rustic charm to it. What was the purpose of your trip?

Yeah its decimated by mine closure and looks somewhat frightening.

Went there because our mate (the driver) spent about 18 months many years back living in Storys Ck and going to Rossarden PS. He hadn't been to the district for 10 yrs and wanted to visit for memories' sake. I love small towns myself and enjoyed the visit. We took a back road that the mate knew of but wasn't sure still existed (Avoca-Storys Ck Rd) so it was a bit of a treasure hunt, too.

 

[Motty]

Dipping into John Stoward's "Football In Tasmania" again for you!

Rossarden F.C.
("The Redlegs")
Affiliated with the Fingal District F.A.
Colours were red and blue as per Melbourne F.C.

Formed c. 1950. Folded after 1967? (no record of club B&F's or performances after their 1967 flag)

Premiers (7) - 1956, 1961-65, 1967.

 

[Motty]

Richmond are in the Old Scholar's FA now.

There is no record of Bicheno in the club listings for affiliates of the Tasman FA, North Eastern FU or Fingal District FA, nor is there is an individual entry under Bicheno.

 

[Kingpin]

Nice to hear from you Mobbs
I am surprised you made it out of ol' Rossarden Town, it isn't one of the nicest places in Tassie and the locals are a little odd.
Used to be (a few years ago anyway) the story, that if you ever wanted anybody "eliminated", you'd make a trip to Rossarden and have a little chat to a few of the "good ol' boys" in the town.
A high percentage of people used to go there and disappear for some reason

Strange town.

 

[Kingpin]

As for the grounds in your original post too Mobbs.

Richmond Oval:
Still used by Richmond Lions in the Old Scholars Football Association.
Great surface often used by the Devils to train on when North Hobart is not in good nick.

Mole Creek Recreation Ground:
Apparently still used by the Mole Creek Football Club in the Leven Football Association.

Swansea Recreation Ground:
The ground next to the cemetary is still used by the Swansea club in the Oatlands District Football Association.

Triabunna Recreation Ground:
Still used by Triabunna Kangaroos in the Oatlands District Football Association.

Fingal Recreation Ground:
Used by the Fingal Valley Football Club in the NTFA Division Two competition.

Scotch Oakburn Ground:
Must be a school ground. One of my best mates who now lives up in Launceston played for Old Scotch in the Seniors and Reserves only a year or two back.
He said that thier home ground is the NTCA Ground in Launceston.

 

[The Big H]

My Uncle, (who was a fair player, represented Tassie as a fullback) played for Rossareden for truckloads of cash for a year before they folded. When the mine wound down, the town died and so did the footy club.
The players went to either Fingal or Avoca to play. If you see a team list for say Fingal, they will always have around 4 Lowes named who are originally from Rossarden. Avoca folded as well, but they were very competitive in their time and i played a few years with Oxy Bryant from Rossarden who is an Avoca legend. He won their B and F about 10 times before he played with Fingal and i played with him at Branxholm at the end of his career. He also looked like Hill Billy Jim but with fewer teeth.

 

[Mobbs]

Thank you all! That's an almost comprehensive report considering the tiny and remote place Rossarden is.

I invented a new dish last night, bit of a tuna pasta variation, and have dubbed it 'Rossarden Pie' (obviously pronounced 'pah')

I'm also now after that Stoward book, will be searching the eBay waves ... and have my sights on expanding my knowledge of the Fingal DFA.

Thanks again.

 

[The Big H]

Pasta and tuna would never been eaten at Rossarden.

Better to have used a possum or wallaby and spuds.

 

[Motty]

"AUSTRALIAN RULES FOOTBALL IN TASMANIA"
edited by John Stoward
$34.95
ISBN 0 9 577 515 7 5

here's something even better which I have only just noticed .....

stowardj1@bigpond.com

 

[Mobbs]

That's written on the book? Alrighty then, I shall shoot off an eMail.

 

[Mobbs]

Pasta and tuna would never been eaten at Rossarden.

Better to have used a possum or wallaby and spuds.

Most of the chimneys were smoking but there wasn't a single person on the street. Mind you, there were deer. Maybe they eat a lot of deer?

My mate reckoned there used to be an old store and tiny servo there when he was last around, but both have gone.

 

[The Big H]

I actually taught P.E. in the Fingal Valley schools in the 90's and have a pretty good knowledge of the area.
A mate of mine (another teacher who had my job down there before me) used to teach at the Rossarden school in the year it closed down. He was walking home one night from the "club" after having a few and saw some blokes coming out of the shop, next thing its a fireball!!
Needles to say he was a little worried for a while, but the police charged the blokes without him having to give evidence. All the stories of people disappearing are pretty true. A lot of Tassies organised crime was/is run from there by a certain family. Being a mining town there are lots of old mine shafts that are hard to find.............

 

[Mobbs]

It all just gets curiouser and curiouser!

 

[irish]

tough place rossarden !! its said most of its residents come from the wrong side of the law !! bit like the wild west ! they would fit well in pies jumpers hehehe

 

[Mobbs]

Okay finally got the Rossarden footy ground photos uploaded, forgive me if they look like they've been taken out of the passenger side window of a moving car ... but would YOU pull to a complete halt in Rossarden?

I will try to add clickable thumbnails here but if I balls it up, the same pictures are at this footypedia page.
(the thumbnails worked so you can go at it either way)

 

[Mobbs]

 

[Mobbs]

 

[Mobbs]

 

[Mobbs]

 

[Motty]

That Rossarden ground looks worlds better than the Forest Hill ground I played on today - one half was muddy and the other half almost bone dry despite the weather!!!


Let us know how you get on with acquiring the Stoward book, Mobbenfuhrer!

 

[Mobbs]

The concept of badmouthing "bumps" of old threads is just utter stupidity to me. Therefore:

Apparently Rossarden FC had a reunion 2 years back ... Fingal played that weekend in their guernseys ... not blue and red but red and white:

Fingal run out wearing Rossarden colours:


Newspaper item on the reunion, showing a group of clearly solidly law-abiding citizens posing on the ground:
http://www.examiner.com.au/story/1648080/reunion-a-first-for-defunct-club/

Fingal Valley FC have their own Facebook Page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fingal-Valley-Football-Club/154712047929943