IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME
Graham " Smokey" Dawson, a legendary sports commentator, and childhood friend of John McCaskill, came, for the second time, to speak to the Rotary Club of Canterbury. All Graham ever wanted to be was a sports commentator, ever since the age of three.
Eventually, he became a cadet in the sports department in the ABC. He trained as an accountant, and served two years in the Australian Army. He has quite a history in terms of this curriculum vitae, having gone to four Olympic Games and commentated on over one thousand eight hundred football games.
When asked questions from members of our Rotary Club, he gave some very pertinent remarks. Football in the seventies and eighties was a better spectacle. There were more high marks in the game itself. Balling up during the game occurs far too frequently. Professional footballers who only play football fail to meet the David Parkin standard for football players - they either work or study. The format for football is boring and uninteresting.
With a flair for presentation and story telling, our mate "Smokey" gave us an entertaining presentation about the icon sport of Australia.