The Jack Barker Oval

[osama milne laden]

Yesterday went to the oval formerly known as the Cheltenham Recreational Reserve for the dedication of the new Jack Barker Oval

top video at the ceremony of Jack which also focused on Trevor a lot

Excellent representation by St Kilda people paying their respects ... Roo, Kosi, Milney, Harvs, Blakey, Fraser, Lenny, Michael Gardiner, Stephen Powell and a very low-key President Westaway ... sorry if i missed any

I think Jack mentioned Con Gorozidis in his speech but not sure he was there ...

nice to be then able to head to The Trevor Barker Oval to see the Scorpions

[saintbrat]

how did jack look?
Good on him and glad they made the choice while he wa still around- there was an article awhile ago saying they were thinking of not doing it because he was till living - for goodness sake...........

they guys are very supportive of their own-hence kosi is no.1 supporter at sorrento- because he was sitting at troy's side when they made the decision to ahve one
best news amongst that list - m Gardiner was one of them.

[B W and R all over]

Wish I made it along.
Jack is an absolute legend at Cheltenham FC in his own right, not just as Trevor's dad.

I hear he's not in the best of health at the moment, but still gets down to the St Kilda rooms after every game and was there on Saturday night.

He's one of those faces around the club (St Kilda, Sandy and Cheltenham), and is one of the nicest people you could meet.

[saintbrat]

http://insidefootballonline.com/crackers.html
Barker legacy gains ground
A lot of ovals are named after football legends. Of course we have the Ted Whitten Oval, while down at Sandringham there is the Trevor Barker Oval named after the St Kilda legend. Now the Barker family has gone one better with the nam­ing of the Jack Barker Oval at Cheltenham on the weekend. Jack was a legend in local footy in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne, playing 400 games.
There was a big turnout to acclaim him last Sunday. Jack has been a mentor to many people at both the Cheltenham and St Kilda clubs. Since the untimely death of his son, coaches from Stan Alves through to Ross Lyon have always made him welcome in the inner sanctum. He was in the Saints rooms over the past two weekends, which was a great sight for his many friends as he was very ill over summer. Jack’s sporting prowess extended to the bowling green at Cheltenham where his games against famous St Kilda coach and his great mate Allan Jeans are legendary.
At the renaming of the oval, Jack harked back to the old days when footy trips were much more innocent occasions. He recalled that on a trip to Drouin the players had nothing to do so they hired a ferret and went out looking for rabbit holes. The first bloke to catch a rabbit would get a prize, but there wasn’t a rabbit in sight.
Rob Harvey and his wife Dannielle and their kids have always been very close to Jack and they were there on Sunday along with a host of Saints people including Fraser Gehrig, Nick Riewoldt, Justin Koschitzke, Stephen Milne, Michael Gardiner, Lenny Hayes and Jason Blake, plus Saints CEO Archie Fraser and president Greg Westaway.
It was a fitting tribute and I can honestly say I’ve never heard of a father and son who have both had ovals named in their honour. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to have a toilet block in Yarrawonga named in my honour.

[Persuader]

Wonderful, heartwarming story. Thanks Saintbrat.

[stinger]

i agree...a wonderful post......

[spert]

Good on you Jack - I met your son Trev once and a real gentleman he was.