The only known footage of Richmond unfurling its 1974 Premiership Pennant has been discovered and digitised.
The footage was part of two 8mm reels containing action from the club’s 1974 and 1975 seasons.
It was filmed by Tiger member Rodney Tharle, and donated by his son Rowan to club Historian Rhett Bartlett, who paid for the reels to be digitised.
The unfurling occurred on April 12, 1975 prior to the Round 2 clash against Geelong. It was the club’s first home game since defeating North Melbourne for the premiership.
Tharle’s footage captures both the Geelong side (captained by Sam Newman), and Richmond (captained by Royce Hart) lining up for the unveiling on the wing.
Richmond President Ian Wilson is seen at the microphone as his then-wife Julia unfurls the flag. League President Sir Maurice Nathan is watching on.
The Richmond players are wearing the yellow warm-up jackets embossed with a CUB logo on the back.
Rowan Tharle, in an email, remembered “we were sitting in the old Richmond Members, Level 2, in the Northern Stand, and the unveiling was done on the boundary right in front of us.”
Other footage his father shot included snippets of Round 14 1975 vs Footscray, and Round 17 1975 vs Collingwood, as well as the club’s 1974 Best and Fairest count. Footage of those events will be published in the coming months.
Should you, or anyone you know, have tapes/reels/home-movie footage of the Richmond Football Club hidden away, please contact Rhett Bartlett at rhettrospective@gmail.com.
