How did you become a Dragon's supporter?

[BennyV]

Bahahaha. I have only one question.

Which one are you?

THe undead one.

 

[Old Timer]

I was born & grew up in the St George District very close to the border of Canterbury
Life in the 50’s & 60’s was passionate and very tribal and you supported the team where you lived
Rules governed eligibility to play rep football so your address said it all
The St George Junior comp was incredibly strong and whilst I played at Oatley for a while (closest jnr club in the district to where I lived plus it fed into the great Renown club) but when a new club started closer to home I became a foundation member of Peakhurst Hawks
Michael Kidd who worked at Narwee High with Brian Booth was instrumental in getting the new club going and he made sure Saints players came to the club to talk to the kids and also got kids into the school holiday coaching clinics at KJO
Great fellow was Michael
St George legend Billy Smith worked for a company called Buckingham’s (like Walton’s so probably only the oldies would have ever heard of either) and he used to call to our house with the product catalogue and receipt book for the $1 down and $1 a week way things were purchased back then and I can remember her stopped for a cuppa on the odd occasion.
“Old Timer” always a saint and occasionally a sinner although some may think that I have that arse about.

 

[Dennis Papaioannou]

Interested to know how all us Dragon tragics started following this great team.

My passion was created by my father. I Have followed them since the day I was born, many many years ago.
Interestingly my Dad loved the game but didn't follow a particular team. That all changed when his cousin signed with St.George in the early 60's. I guess Dad signed with them as a supported at the same time. He is now 80 and still sits in his recliner with a Dragon's cover over it watching every game.

As supporters, I feel we are all part of the dragon family, that's probably why there are so many arguments on here.
This question may have been covered before, if so I apologize. I am just interested to know how we became a supporter and ended up on this forum.

I had no previous connect with St. George with my parents being immigrants of Greek heritage,
I happened to watch the 1971 grand final between St. George and Souths as a youngster in which we were unbackable underdogs.
Down 11-0 and looking no hope, the way we clawed our way back into the game to 11-10 with our lightweight pack lifting against the star studded Souths pack, was just awe inspiring.
Apart from our stalwarts such as Langlands and Smith, it was players like Harry Eden and Col Rasmussen who tackled themselves to a standstill to the very end, that gained my respect and admiration.
History now writes that we got beaten by a late Bob McCarthy try but that was the game and the moment when I became a St. George supporter forever.
It is also exactly the reason I am so cranky about the current day culture and philosophy.
.

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

Born in Kingsgrove, moved to Kogarah when four year old.
The whole family was red & white. There were no other colour options.

Raised just down the road from Kogarah Oval in the old ABC Driving School house, opposite the registry.
Went to Kogarah Marist Brothers where Kenny Boothroyd was both the Dragons trainer and our PE teacher.

Many a player would come in mid week to get some advise on an injury or do some weights in the gym.
As mentioned previously, my father owned the external security business at the Leagues club so l had the opportunity to meet many a player and get my ball signed.

Changa was my favourite .............. carrying his training bag from the club over to the ground on match day was the deal cruncher. Pleased to say, many a good Dragons player bred from our school.

Even the old bus shelter, in its original form, is still there opposite the motor transport registry.
Even though time moves on, some things refuse to change.

I'm one of them, I bleed red & white.

 

[Gm5]

Seeing this on Tv as a 8ish year old and thinking hoooly f**k these guys are amazing

 

[blacksafake]

I was born & grew up in the St George District very close to the border of Canterbury
Life in the 50’s & 60’s was passionate and very tribal and you supported the team where you lived
Rules governed eligibility to play rep football so your address said it all
The St George Junior comp was incredibly strong and whilst I played at Oatley for a while (closest jnr club in the district to where I lived plus it fed into the great Renown club) but when a new club started closer to home I became a foundation member of Peakhurst Hawks
Michael Kidd who worked at Narwee High with Brian Booth was instrumental in getting the new club going and he made sure Saints players came to the club to talk to the kids and also got kids into the school holiday coaching clinics at KJO
Great fellow was Michael
St George legend Billy Smith worked for a company called Buckingham’s (like Walton’s so probably only the oldies would have ever heard of either) and he used to call to our house with the product catalogue and receipt book for the $1 down and $1 a week way things were purchased back then and I can remember her stopped for a cuppa on the odd occasion.
“Old Timer” always a saint and occasionally a sinner although some may think that I have that arse about.

Ah memories, when there was a knock on the door mum would tells us to be quiet as the waltons man was there & she was a bit short to pay that week.

 

[jak]

my grandfathers brother played in the 1921 team the family has bleed red and white since.

 

[Saintsified]

All teams i follow are red n white in various codes.

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

my grandfathers brother played in the 1921 team the family has bleed red and white since.

That's a lot of bleeding there, Jak.
I'm impressed!!!!!!!!!

 

[jak]

That's a lot of bleeding there, Jak.
I'm impressed!!!!!!!!!

he played second row initials c.t , Hurstville boy.

 

[mickeylane]

Lindsay Drake was our next door neighbour and his wife volunteered to take me to my first game when I was 10 yo - I wasn't following league then - so I drove to my first rugby league game in the back of Lindsay Drakes car with his wife and their nephew.. Was given a scarf to wear and thAt was it - I was a dragons fan baptised in 1973! My first game Saints v Balmain ..

 

[Wal Lee]

Interested to know how all us Dragon tragics started following this great team.

My passion was created by my father. I Have followed them since the day I was born, many many years ago.
Interestingly my Dad loved the game but didn't follow a particular team. That all changed when his cousin signed with St.George in the early 60's. I guess Dad signed with them as a supported at the same time. He is now 80 and still sits in his recliner with a Dragon's cover over it watching every game.

As supporters, I feel we are all part of the dragon family, that's probably why there are so many arguments on here.
This question may have been covered before, if so I apologize. I am just interested to know how we became a supporter and ended up on this forum.

I was born in Kogarah hospital, the majority of my family support the Dragons & to top it all off I married an Illawarra Steeler supporter.

 

[Old Kogarah Boy 1]

I was born in Kogarah hospital, the majority of my family support the Dragons & to top it all off I married an Illawarra Steeler supporter.

Marriage made in heaven!

I met my lovely wife at St George Leagues Club.
Don't think I've been there since!

 

[Life's Good]

In the late 70’s my older 1st cousin(who was a bit of a hero to me)was a Dragons supporter. It was natural to follow them as a result of that as well as the team name being a part of my family name(no not Dragons!!).

Something about Red & White has been a theme in my whole life:
Dad had 2 Kenworth trucks painted Red & White.
My car is white, my wife’s car is red.
I worked for a tobacco company who sold the number 1 selling cigarette globally whose packet, you guessed it, was Red & White.

 

[Life's Good]

Interested to know how all us Dragon tragics started following this great team.

My passion was created by my father. I Have followed them since the day I was born, many many years ago.
Interestingly my Dad loved the game but didn't follow a particular team. That all changed when his cousin signed with St.George in the early 60's. I guess Dad signed with them as a supported at the same time. He is now 80 and still sits in his recliner with a Dragon's cover over it watching every game.

As supporters, I feel we are all part of the dragon family, that's probably why there are so many arguments on here.
This question may have been covered before, if so I apologize. I am just interested to know how we became a supporter and ended up on this forum.

Fantastic thread by the way. Thanks for creating.

 

[Saint_JimmyG]

As a kid I went to a birthday party on the day of the 1977 GF replay. I had to pick a team to wear a hat for and i picked the red and white one. Crazy way to pick a team....

I can relate to this story to some degree.

As a patient at the Prince Henry Hospital in Long Bay during the week of the 1977 grand final, I was visited at by bedside by two teenagers wearing St George and Parramatta jerseys respectively.

They asked "who are you supporting"? At age five, I had no concept of rugby league but liked the Dragons' Red V compared to the Eels blue and gold.

Maybe an usual way of choosing a footy team, however 40-years later, the thought of going for someone else has never crossed my mind.

 

[Drakon]

I have followed St George as long as I can remember. I was born in Kogarah Hospital, lived at Rockdale and went to school at Rockdale Primary and then Kogarah High.

I remember watching the Saints on TV with my father during their 11 year run of victories. I still recall the shock of that 1967 defeat by Canterbury!

When I got older, I used to catch the train to Carlton and walk down Jubilee Ave to Jubilee Oval. Also catch the train to Central and walk to the SCG for the match of the round - often against Souths.

I was at the 1971 GF against Souths, the 38-0 GF loss to Easts in 1975 and the drawn 9 all GF and the GF replay 22-0 win against Parra.

Never any question on who I would support. Even though I now live in the Shire, I'm a Dragons man forever!

 

[Crush]

Grew up in Barossa Valley, Dad was a winemaker for Penfolds. When we moved to Sydney Penfolds was the major sponsor so I naturally became a Dragons supporter. I still remember 1985 Grand Final in the corporate sponsor box. We won the under 20s, won the Reserves and then lost the big one 7-6. I still hate the dogs to this day.

 

[qld redvee]

i was born at belmore and up until 2 years ago lived at Punchbowl . I think I started following due tp colours and the emblem . Remember going to kogarah in 1968 and shaking chooks hand - i was 10 at the time. Spent quite a few saturdays in the sheridan stand , saw 77 replay 79 99 and 2010 gf's waiting for the next one... 15 year red vee member so an absolute tragic,,,,,,,,

 

[Old Timer]

Ah memories, when there was a knock on the door mum would tells us to be quiet as the waltons man was there & she was a bit short to pay that week.

Laughed my head off when I read your post. Classic line sorry Mr whoever you are I'm a bit short this week.
Our entire section of the street could go silent for the very same reason.
Can you remember when people had pianos on time payment and when TV came out and was available on the the tick the poor old pianos which hadn't even been paid for were thrown out on the footpaths?
Encyclopaedia Britannica almost cocked it up for us as they were very active in promoting education as opposed to TV.
Thank god dad had common sense and went for the cheap American Encyclopaedia Compton's and got a TV as well. It provided a great education Tom & Jerry, Bonanza, The Honeymooner's, Hancock's Half Hour all classics
They talk about eBay and all that shit today, well almost anything was available back then and a real person actually called to your house to sell it and credit was readily available.
Waltons, Buckingham's, Beberfald's, Retra Vision all darlings of the housing commission estates.