Richmond is mourning the passing of one of its oldest and most loyal, passionate supporters.
Nancy Tipping, 97, died yesterday (Thursday, April 7), having devoted much of her life to her beloved Tigers.
She first became a Richmond member in 1926, saw her first Tiger premiership in 1932, and the seven flag triumphs following that. Right up to her death, she remained staunchly devoted to the Yellow and Black cause.
Eight years ago, I interviewed Nancy for a feature article, which appeared on the Club’s website.
As a special tribute to a wonderful Tiger lady, here is that feature in full . . .
Nancy Tipping lives in the same Richmond house where she was born on June 22, 1913.
Her passion for the local AFL club remains as strong as it was when she first saw the Tigers play back in the mid-1920s. She still attends every Richmond game in Melbourne and retains a sharp knowledge of her latest group of Yellow and Black heroes.
It was Nancy's daughter, Marie, who initially approached me about her mum's upcoming 90th Birthday. Marie wanted to investigate the possibility of the Club recognising Nancy's big Birthday milestone in some small way, whether that be by a player visit, card, or a mention in the Fighting Tiger Bulletin.
But after a lengthy phone conversation with Marie, I realised the story of Nancy Tipping's lifetime devotion to the Yellow and Black was one that should be shared with fellow members of the 'faith'. So, armed with my trusty cassette-recorder, I set off by foot one beautiful, crisp, late Autumn morning from Punt Road Oval down Bridge Road, past the numerous cafes and Richmond Town Hall, to the little house in Murphy Street that has been home to Nancy since she entered this world 90 years ago.
I was greeted at the door by Marie, who had kept my visit a secret from her quiet, shy, but still very alert mum. Marie then introduced me to Nancy and I explained the purpose behind my visit. As delightfully humble as Nancy is, deep down I think she was pretty chuffed that her beloved Tigers had seen fit to acknowledge her numerous years of support and assistance in her role as one of Alice Wills' valuable Club volunteers.
Before we got down to business, Nancy took me on a tour of her Tiger shrine (which also doubles as a lounge-room). There were numerous photos and paintings of Tigers, soft Tiger toys, heaps of RFC memorabilia . . . basically, a sight for Yellow and Black eyes to behold.
Anyway, once the jug had boiled and the 'cuppas' were brought to the kitchen table by Marie, it was on with the interview (which in this case was more a relaxed, friendly chat).
Nancy Tipping's passion for the Tigers was inherited from her father. "Dad was a Richmond Cricket Club member and he used to get ladies' tickets. Round about
12 (years old) or so, my sister and I would get along to Punt Road with him. For some reason . . . I don’t know why, we didn't actually watch the game for a couple of years. We used to stop out in the car and Dad would go into the football.
"But then, when I was about 14, I started to watch them play and I followed them right up until I was 22 and I got married. I had to give it away to raise a family and such. I used to go to the odd game after that, but I didn't become a member again until 1965."
The highlight of those formative years of Tiger watching for Nancy were the two
premierships in the early 1930s (1932 and 1934). "I have wonderful memories of those two Grand Final wins. Collingwood beat us so many times in the Grand Final (three in-a-row from 1927-30) . . . it was very upsetting. That's why
it was so 'beaut' when we finally did win one (in '32)," Nancy said.
Nancy can't remember too much about the nine-point win against arch-rival Carlton in the 1932 Grand Final, but the 39-point triumph over South Melbourne two years later has stuck in her mind.
"I remember the game because I had a friend who barracked for South Melbourne and I think they beat us the year before and then we beat them in '34. Then, I went to the '43 one (Grand Final) against Essendon, but after that it was just a bit of a void until '65 when I started going again seriously. I've got all my season's tickets from '65 onwards," Nancy proudly declared.
A fair indicator of Nancy's longevity as a Richmond supporter is the fact that she saw a 17-year-old by the name of John Raymond Dyer break into the Tigers' line-up in 1931.
"Jack was a bit rough to start with and he earned a bad reputation, but I don't think he was that bad at all. He was a very hard player, but fair -- and he was Richmond all over. Everybody in Richmond just loved him . . . he really captured the imagination of the Tiger fans. We loved him as much as we hated Collingwood," Nancy said.
As much as Nancy admired the 'immortal' Jack Dyer, and other Richmond greats such as Jack Titus ("Skinny, he was great. There was nothing of him - he was like a match with the wood scraped off - but, gee, he could play footy!"), Percy Bentley, Neville Crowe, Freddy Swift, Tommy Hafey ("Tommy was wonderful . . . I love him. He used to have the milk bar up in Bridge Road and look after all the young kids), Roger Dean, Kevin Bartlett, Royce Hart ("Roycey was good . . ."), Jimmy Jess ("He was another of my favorites . . ."), her all-time Tiger favorite is Basil McCormack (a fearless half-back and Richmond Team of the Century
member, who played 199 games from 1925-36, including the 1932 and 1934 premiership sides).
"Basil was terrific . . . a really good player, hard at it and reliable," Nancy said. "I just thought he was great. He was an insurance agent, and I was insured with him. He used to come here once a week and get a shilling off me for insurance."
When quizzed about her favorite modern-day Tigers, Nancy was most diplomatic with her reply . . .
"They're all my favorites now. As long as they wear the Yellow and Black, I love 'em all," she said.
For when it comes to those two colors, the Richmond jumper, the Tiger emblem, the theme song, Punt Road Oval . . . all the Club icons, Nancy, not surprisingly, expressed a rather forthright opinion.
"They're all the best in the league as far as I'm concerned," she said. "I really love the jumper. Although it's similar to Essendon's, I think the Yellow and Black stands out a lot more than the Red and Black.
"I'm a bit like Eddie McGuire in that regard - never change the jumper. The Club's history and tradition is just so important and it needs to be recognised and preserved."
The Richmond Football Club clearly has been a huge part of Nancy's 90-year life - and for that, she's most grateful.
"If I hadn't had football and Richmond, life would have been very dull. My main interest is football. I don't go out a great deal now, my family's all moved away and left me here by myself," she laughed.
"Football's wonderful - I get very bored when there's no football."
And Nancy has her own way of filling in time between matches and during the off-season. "Every time we win I buy a video of the game, so I'm kept very comfortable right through the summer playing videos," she said.
Such is Nancy's commitment to the Richmond cause that in 2001, when the Tigers won their way through to the preliminary final against Brisbane at the Gabba, the then 88-year-old joined the throng of Yellow and Black devotees who made the trip up by bus.
"It was a terrific time. We left (Punt Road) on the Thursday night and we got in Friday night in time to go to the hotel, have a shower and go to bed, then go to the ground the next day and get whopped. But we loved it. There was a great atmosphere . . . I did get a little bit tired, you know, travelling, but it was really good," Nancy said.
Largely due to Nancy's influence, the vast majority of her family also support the Tigers.
"I have three children, six grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and most of them barrack for Richmond. I've been getting membership tickets and cheer squad memberships for my two older great-grandsons for years. One's 13, one's 10 and the third one, he's four. His mother is a Bomber, but he came down here the other day in a Richmond shirt and he told me he barracked for Richmond," Nancy said proudly.
