I was at the Final at Waverley against the Hawks when Wazz took the “Mark of the Century”. One of the two highlights of the day (the other being his 100th for the season).
A year or two later I was in Queensland on family holiday. Dad took me into a clothing store called Umano (owned by Christopher Skase) when a large (to a kid) shop assistant sauntered up to me and (in rapid, almost incomprehensible English) said “Do you want my autograph?” It was Capper. He was nice and chatty, signed a Brisbane Bears flyer (which I’ve since lost) and before I left I told him I had a poster of him taking the mark on Landford. He told me to post it up to him and he’d sign it for me.
I returned home, got a post tube, wrote a letter and mailed the Langford mark poster (& a couple of others) off to him with a letter.
After I mailed it, I realised I forgot to include return postage
Months went by and I was resigned to losing my color poster of Wazza’s self-proclaimed Mark of the Century when the post tube arrived in the mail marked
Return to Sender. I still remember being disappointed but relieved that I got my posters back.
I opened the tube and pulled out the posters to find them all signed and included a couple of extra photos of himself standing in front of undearwear models (odd thing to send to a kid).
The Wiz was either really smart or really cheap, avoiding buying stamps by marking it Return to Sender. Either way, he was pretty generous to a kid who barracked for his former (& future) team. I still have the posters and the Langford one is framed.
I’ll always have time for Waz as he makes time for others.
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