Never-before-seen colour footage of the Royal Family attending the Richmond v Fitzroy, Round 1, 1970 clash at the MCG has surfaced.
The cine film was sent to Richmond Historian Rhett Bartlett by Tiger supporter Mark Tudor, whose father Stan shot the 58 seconds of footage 51 years ago.
The game was historic for several reasons – the first Sunday League match ever, the last half was televised live (though that broadcast footage still hasn’t surfaced), and her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II unfurled Richmond’s 1969 premiership pennant.
But the lowly-placed Lions upset the reigning premiers by 20 points.
Stan’s silent home movie (watch it in the player above) offers a rare glimpse into the rather low-key pre-game entertainment. The brass marching band proudly making its way across the hallowed turf, the mighty Richmond cheer squad at the Punt Road end, and the Tigers running through a bright yellow banner.
At half time, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Prince Charles and Princess Anne were paraded around the ground prior to their introductions to both teams, and Stan smartly moved down towards the fence to shoot marvellous close-up images of the Royals as they made their way past him and the Tiger Army.
Stan remembered he began filming from high up in the pocket of the Southern Stand, before moving to the ground level and that “I was shouted at by some guy a couple of rows behind me to sit down and watch the bloody game! So, I never did that again,” he recalled in an email to me.
His footage ends with a few seconds of action showing big John Ronaldson near the boundary line.
Unfortunately, Stan’s footage doesn’t capture Queen Elizabeth actually unfurling Richmond’s 1969 flag – that historic footage strangely still hasn’t surfaced over half a century on.
Born in the United Kingdom, Stan Tudor worked for Lucas Industries (think car parts, batteries etc) and was sent out to Australia throughout the 50s and 60s, before he finally emigrated his family in 1967 as part of the Government’s “10-pound pom” scheme.
Their love of Richmond came from their local primary school Seaford – who wore the Tiger colours.
“Although he enjoyed the football, as there is no other footage of any other games, I think he took advantage of going to the football to get some film of the Royals,” his son Mark told me.
That memorable day also gave birth to a famous, though potentially apocryphal comment by then Richmond Vice President Ian Wilson. When asked how he felt about the Lions upstaging the hot favourite Tigers in front of the Queen he replied, “That’s the last time we ever invite her to a game.”
Should you have any football footage (VHS/Beta/Reels etc) hidden away in the garage or cupboard, please reach out to Rhett Bartlett at rhettrospective@gmail.com who can try to digitise it for you and upload it online.
