Just Have to Let You Know...

[W W Biscuit]

As far as threads go on WOOF, this is pretty lightweight and trivial...but I just gotta tell ya.

I relocated to the UK six months ago (just as the Aussies were being thumped by the Poms in the Ashes). I'm loving London, but miss the footy and my beloved Doggies, no doubt. Anyway, I popped into the gym on High Holborn after work today and...across a crowded room...just near the free weights...there I saw it. I rubbed my eyes - I am a bit myopic - but there was no mistaking it. There before me was a guy wearing a Western Bulldogs footy jumper. I'm not usually one to approach random people to strike up conversations, but I found my legs...almost involuntarily...carrying me towards this image at the speed of light.

Gushingly, I tapped him on the shoulder and craned my neck around to get a good look at the front of the jersey. I think he thought that I was checking him out. "Scuse me mate, where did you get that jumper?" Turns out he was an Irish lad who had a gap year in Oz and a mate had bought him the jumper as a gift. "That's my footy team," I exclaimed...with all the pride and gravitas of a prime ministerial victory speech. We talked gaelic football and hurling, shook hands and parted ways. I was a bit sorry that I hadn't actually stumbled upon the Holy Grail...and ex-pat Doggy...but it made my day nonetheless. Perhaps I should get out more?

Anyone else experience a similar moment in a far-flung place, or am I Robinson Crusoe?

[Throughandthrough]

great story

Not as good as yours, but about 18 years ago i was visiting Disneyland, saw a family about 25 metres away and a couple of them where wearing Richmond FC tops. So i yelled out "Richooooooooooooo" really loudly. They thought it was brilliant, and informed me that teh dogs has beaten the WCEagles in Perth the night before :)

[bulldogtragic]

Great stuff. As of a slight aside, Ithink this "marketing" is important. I think ive read other posters doing it, but I give my hat and stuff at renewal to any type of programs where they could use it. This year I bought the games package for under privileged people and donated it for that. I'm hoping that hat and stuff will help a few members over the journey, hopefully to London too!

[Twodogs]

You should have run over and hugged him. Chanting Sons Of The West like the Lord's Prair.

[W W Biscuit]

Great stuff. As of a slight aside, Ithink this "marketing" is important. I think ive read other posters doing it, but I give my hat and stuff at renewal to any type of programs where they could use it. This year I bought the games package for under privileged people and donated it for that. I'm hoping that hat and stuff will help a few members over the journey, hopefully to London too!

Yep, great idea BT. Before I moved OS, I gave away a heap of merchandise to my students (mostly newly arrived Iraqis). Scarves, beanies, key-rings...all accumulated over years of being sent the membership package. If you're ever travelling through Broadmeadows, don't be surprised to see a young Arab looking girl or boy brandishing a scarf claiming that they were a member of the EJ Whitten Social Club in 2007 :D

You know, it may be a drop in the ocean, but you're right. Every bit of marketing helps. Like the Doggy supporter who bought his Irish mate a jumper :)

[LostDoggy]

You should have run over and hugged him. Chanting Sons Of The West like the Lord's Prair.

Sons of the West is the Lord's Prayer.

[Remi Moses]

Have a similar story
Holidayed in the old dart in 97 ( before the prelim)went to the Headingley test match ( Aussies won with a big knock from Matt Elliott and the fastest spell I've seen from Jason Gillespie) in the lunch break getting some healthy British food, me and a mate struck up a conversation with another Aussie waiting to be served.
Turns out the gent is a Dog fan holidaying in the UK.
Caught up after play and celebrated the win getting rather Drunk at a pub in Leeds( frightening experience )
Then at Heathrow on the way back saw the same guy ( very happy Ashes in tow and a finals campaign to return to)

[BulldogBelle]

I was somewhere in central NSW just travelling around, and had camped in this free area behind the pub. I was wearing my Western Bulldogs T-shirt and this lady who was sitting next to her caravan saw me and said that she barracked for the Bulldogs too. She had lived in Sydney for 30 years and had recently returned to Melbourne and had met this Geelong supporter guy and was just travelling around.

So, right there, as Bulldogs Supporters naturally do, we shouldered arms like they do after the match and we belted out a rendition of 'Sons of the West'. Yeah, it was great. Woke everybody up, he he he he.

She said that the words to the song had changed and that she remembers going to the matches when Arthur Edwards was playing. Crikey, she was older than me. Arthur Edwards played in the 1954 Premiership side, his father-in-law was Dolly Aked, his son is Alan Edwards and he had two grandsons Jake Edwards (Carlton) and Shane O'Bree (Collingwood).

[Ghost Dog]

Bulldogs colours are the same as the Karen flag. Walking around North Geelong, often see some old lady in a Bulldogs cap, and she would see mine and share a grin.

[The Pie Man]

Not about a Dogs fan sadly, but saw a bloke in a Geelong cap in a bar in Cusco Peru last year - we got talking briefly, shaking our heads that Aussies keep running into eachother while O/S

[Mofra]

In the middle of Open'er Festival in Poland last year I saw a bloke in a St Kilda jumper, yelled at him to 'take that ugly thing off'.

Bumped into quite a few Aussies at Roskilde Festival this year as well. We're everywhere.

[I'm Not Bitter Anymore!]

I met a man wearing a Freo beanie in Phuket and he said he felt sorry for me for barracking for the doggies

[LostDoggy]

Saw a local merchant wearing a bulldogs cap in champagne bay Vanuatu a couple of years ago.

[AndrewP6]

I was up at Uluru last year, wearing my Bulldogs polo. This guy approached me and told me he had a Bulldogs 'museum' at Kings Canyon. It's on my bucket list;)

[The Doctor]

When holidaying in Croatia in 1996, I stumbled into a bar in the capital Zagreb. No one spoke English but up on the wall was a giant poster of Dougie Hawkins celebrating a goal. I had a drink in his honour!

[LostDoggy]

When holidaying in Croatia in 1996, I stumbled into a bar in the capital Zagreb. No one spoke English but up on the wall was a giant poster of Dougie Hawkins celebrating a goal. I had a drink in his honour!

That's gold! :D

[LostDoggy]

Wrong team, wrong code even but I was wearing my Melbourne Storm polo shirt in Las Vegas this year & had a bloke yell out 'Cam Smith you legend!' as we walked past each other.

[always right]

Saw a local merchant wearing a bulldogs cap in champagne bay Vanuatu a couple of years ago.

I saw him too. Native bloke who had obviously been given the cap by someone who had visited the island as part of their cruise. My recollection is the bloke looked pretty sour-faced....the cap was clearly having an effect on his demeanour despite the fact the bloke almost certainly would never have seen our 1997 prelim final loss.