Literary Lunch showcases Des' many lives

by Bonnie Collings
Baw Baw U3A recently hosted former AFL player and author Des Tobin for its 21st annual Literary Lunch event.
Held at the Royal Hotel in Drouin, the Literary Lunch was an opportunity for U3A members to hear Des' signature guest speaker talk "More lives than your average Cat."

In his 86 years of life, Des said he'd crammed in "more lives than your average cat." He said he had variously been a failed student, a discontented apprentice panel beater, a youth worker, a springboard diver, a junior pole-vaulter, a VFL and Olympic Australian Rules footballer, a ten pin bowling instructor, a successful business executive within the funeral industry, a golfing tragic, a university lecturer and a prolific writer.

Des said he had "great respect for U3A".
"U3A acknowledges people like you and I," he said to the room. "In these vital 30 years of our lives, from our 60s through to our 90s, we have the opportunity to give back some of the knowledge and wisdom that we've gathered over the years."
Beginning his talk, Des recounted childhood adventures in the Malvern Gardens and his willingness to "give anything ago", especially if it involved sport.
This can-do attitude led to Des trying his hand at pole vaulting when he was 14 or 15. "I don't think anyone was ever less suited physically for the pole vault than me."

Laughter echoed through the room as he recounted the moment his pole-vaulting career came to an abrupt end, on the same day that John Landy attempted to break the four-minute mile at the Malvern Cricket ground.
"Landy failed to break the four-minute mile ... but I managed to break the (Malvern Harriers Athletics) Club's only two cross bars in the invitational pole vault when I failed to clear the starting height. That was the end of my pole vaulting career, I never jumped again!"

Football was a highlight of Des' life. He played across many leagues and was one of only 40 people selected to play in a combined VFL and VFA team for a demonstration game during the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne.
Des worked in the family business, Tobin Brothers Funerals for 43 years before retiring in 2002 to pursue his long-held interest in writing.
He published his first biography on champion Tasmanian amateur golfer Peter Toogood in 2003, followed by five biographies based on family stories, including "Just A Man Called Phonse" about his late father, Alphonsus Tobin.

Des took the audience on a journey through "Just A Man Called Phonse", sharing special stories about his father's life, his creativity, sporting prowess, his time as president of the North Melbourne Football Club and his business ventures.
"Phonse was a man of extraordinary character, he stood up for the downtrodden and needy," Des said.
"Phonse passionately believed that the game (Australian Rules football) was bigger than the individual player and the individual club. He brought that attitude to the VFL table, time and time again, and for that he was universally respected."

Des' most recent book "It's in the Genes - Australian Football Families" was published last October.
"(The book) tells the stories of some of the many families who have produced multiple generations of VFA, VFL, AFL and AWFL footballers, stretching back to the late 19th century," Des said.
Rather than write about the potential scientific causes for these multi-generational football families, Des said his focus for "It's in the Genes" was the "outcomes".
"These are stories of real families and are set against the social history of their times," he said.

A fitting decision given the Literary Lunch was held in Drouin, Des provided the audience an in-depth overview of the Ablett footballing family, before discussing the Tuck, Rioli and Long families.
Des also spoke of his former connection to the Bunyip Football Club.
"I was a most unsuccessful player and captain and coach of Bunyip in 1961 when I returned from living in Queensland for two years," he said.

"Unfortunately, I was not very successful and in the seventh game (of the season) - which was going to be lost again, we were well behind at three quarter time - I could see the writing on the wall. So I decided I'd resign. I left the field because of a fabricated hamstring tear and got out of town as fast as I could.
"Hopefully no one in Bunyip remembers me!"
Anyone interested in purchasing a copy of "Just a Man Called Phonse" or "It's in the Genes" can do so online at destobin.com.au