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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-10-26 Daily Xml
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FRANCIS, MR C.W.

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (15:40): I rise this afternoon to pay tribute to Colin William Francis, who died on 15 October. The Premier, the Minister for the Southern Suburbs and the member for Mawson join with me in acknowledging Colin's work for the community of South Australia but particularly for the South Adelaide Football Club.

I do not think a greater tribute could be paid to anyone than the words of Colin's son, Greg, during his eulogy when he said that Colin was a true son of Adelaide. He was interested in sport, art, music and the community. He worked hard, he inspired his children, especially through his boast of getting 11 out of 10 for reading.

Our sympathies are extended to Colin's wife, Judy, his children, Greg, Christopher and Robyn, and all his family and the many people who are part of the South Adelaide Football Club community and who greatly value Colin's work, his friendship and his dedication. The tributes to him in the paper paint a brief picture of his life, particularly that from Greg:

To my Dad, thank you for your love. [Our] maximum respect to a man who combined all of his talents and resources with hard work. Always with us.

That was from Greg and his family. The tribute from South Adelaide Football Club also says in a few words many things:

The board, staff, volunteers, players (his boys), coaches, members and sponsors of the South Adelaide FC are deeply saddened by the passing of Club President Colin Francis. Col has been a key figure with the Panthers since the early 1950's as a player and administrator including the key roles of Chairman and Vice-Chairman, and President. Following constitutional changes, Colin will go down as the last ever President of the South Adelaide FC. Our thoughts are with Judy and the family at this sad time. It wont be the same at South without Col.

I certainly agree. It will not be the same at South without Col. You could always expect that he would give you a warm welcome, his warm friendship, and his inclusiveness is a role model for us all. To put some more of the works of Colin and his position in the community on record, I draw on the words of Peter Alexander, former chair of the South Adelaide Football Club. I quote from Peter's eulogy:

Colin was a city boy. He lived near the Green Dragon Hotel on South Terrace when 40,000 people lived within the CBD. The two city clubs were South and West with King William Street being the boundary. The South Adelaide Football Club would always play a significant part in Colin's life, first as a player and then administrator throughout his life up until the time of his passing.

Col's loyalty to the club was complete. He was no fair-weather supporter, he was a true club man. It takes a lot of ticker to be a Southie and Col never lost the passion for the club regardless of how hard it got. His positive attitude was an inspiration for all. Colin was always optimistic regardless of how black the situation seemed to be. Colin always had a great affection for the players and took an interest in them individually and became a father image to many of them. Colin showed respect for people, members, players, opposition—he was always the same regardless of who he was dealing with.

During Colin's life, South won only three premierships, two when he was a child during the 1930s and, of course, the 1964 flag. Colin had a great respect for, and was respected by, the players of that team. In fact, Colin had a love of all who wore the blue-and-white. He had great memories of the talents of Jimmy Deane, Peter Darley, David Kantilla and Mark Naley in particular.

Many of us—

and I add myself here, too—

myself included, had the benefit of Colin's wise counsel. During my time on the board, Colin was always alongside at meetings with government ministers, local councils or special interest groups. He was always supportive and objective; always prepared to reach a win-win outcome and able to put people at ease and inject an element of humour.

Vale, Colin Francis.

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