BRIAN CURRIE

August 30, 2010
"My worst moment in football was the incident in a match against Subiaco, when team mate Brian Currie's career ended after a sickening clash with Maroons half back Mike Somerford. It was a bonecrushing clash, and Brian sort of twisted in the air and ended on his back, with his face upwards as Somerford took a mark and landed heavily on Brian's face, punching a hole in his forehead..
He stood up, but was out of it, we could all see that. He was operated on that night for a depressed fracture of the skull."

This was Swan Districts and State player Dennis Carrick's description of the day the lights went out for Brian Currie, and in the process terminating a blossoming league football career. The highly promising Narembeen recruit never played for the black and whites again, as doctors warned him of the risks, but did don the boots against their advice for Narembeen in later years.

Currie was a member of the local senior football team at sixteen, and quickly racked up three fairest and best awards, attracting the interest of newly appointed Swan Districts captain coach, Frank Sparrow. A quick, left footed centreline player, with good marking and ground skills, he soon found a regular spot in the Swans side.

Brian was also a better than average cricketer, collecting several hundreds with Narembeen, as well as being a handy left arm bowler. When the turf wicket was laid at the town, with the two local sides playing a "derby" to mark the opening, Currie left his mark on the new pitch by smacking the first six on his way to the inaugural hundred, and, not satisfied with that effort, completed the first hat trick.

It was inevitable that Brian Currie would wind up on a bowling green.

The Currie name was already on the honour board at Narembeen when he walked into the club, his mother, Doll Currie, having been a three time singles champion of the club. At the age of thirty two and beginning to feel a few aches and pains after a Saturday afternoon's cricket, he and a few of his mates decided to have a go at bowls.

Playing pennants almost immediately, the "young blokes" stuck together, with Brian skippering after three seasons. Winning the first of his "three or four" club singles titles, Brian had been in the game for just six years when he won the Country Week singles title, following up a couple of years later with the State Pairs, when partnered by Norm Cheetham, and was equal third in a State singles, with a one shot loss to Frank Harrison in the semi final. Harrison was later defeated by Bert Sharp in the final.

Selected in the State squad, Brian represented Western Australia on the first of thirty occasions, playing second for Sharp, with Doug Arrowsmith playing third and Vic Andrijasevich leading. He played the majority of his interstate matches under Sharp, and has no hesitation in naming the little master as the best he'd seen. Currie also has special memories of a three game test series against New South Wales, in which he played third to Jack Osmetti.

Currie was lured to the metropolitan pennant competition in 1983, skippering in top red for Osborne Park, with Cliff Guelfi snr as his third. "It was a busy time," he said. "I'd come down for Thursday pennants, play Saturday, then return home." He recalled his initiation into Thursday pennants. "I was playing with Peter and John Hogan and Rob Turnbull. On the first end we were six down when I got to the mat, seven down after my first bowl, then got a glide with my second, and fortunately ended up shot. My new team mates didn't get overly excited about the conversion, just nodded their heads and commented: "We were just testing you out. You passed."

With son John carrying the load of the farm, one season was enough for Brian, and he went back to Narembeen the following year, but retirement a decade later saw the Curries buy a home in Dianella and join the nearby Yokine club, where he is today.

When at Narembeen, Brian won titles in all club championships, and was successful in all South Eastern Bowling League events, with the exception of the League singles. He has been part of two championship pairs wins at Yokine.
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John Currie has inherited some of his fathers ability, being selected to play in State trials, and is a prolific winner of club and League events. He also followed in Dad's footsteps at Bassendean, playing thirteen games for Swan Districts.

Brian rates Subiaco star Laurie Kettlewell as toughest to beat on the footy field, and on the bowling front, he said of Bert Sharp: "just a marvelous player."

Never short of a few words, Currie has a few yarns to tell, but the one involving former State player, the irrepressable "Aussie" Bailey takes the cake.

"We were in Victoria for an interstate series, and "Aussie" was the centre of attraction for the journos, so he thought he'd have some fun," he reminisced.

"The questioning was along the lines of "where do you play?"... "Balingup"... "where's that?"... "near Bridgetown".... "how many greens?"... "one".... "how many staff?".... "none..all voluntary," and finally he was asked about the greenkeeper."

"Nah," said Aussie. "We ain't got a greenkeeper, can't afford one. We use the Rabbit Method."
Of course, no one in Melbourne had heard of the Rabbit Method, and they were intrigued. To the gathering of journos, Bailey explained: "We have wire netting around the green, and for a Saturday game on a medium paced green we let the rabbits in on Friday night and close the fence."

A hand shot up and the inevitable query came: "What if you want a fast green?" Back came the reply: "Then we let 'em in on Thursday night!"

Brian Currie was unable to realise his football potential because of a tragic injury, but he can look back on almost half a century on the bowling green with satisfaction, and is recognised as one of the nice guys of the game. Still putting them down with aplomb, the eighty year old is copping some ribbing from wife Ena, who is a good bowler in her own right, having won club pairs and fours titles at Yokine, and has been a semi finalist in the singles.

"I'm now playing in second division and she is in top red," Brian laughed. "And she doesn't let me forget it."

RON HEAD
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