The organisation I’ll be working with is the football club I play for, Ramsgate RSL Football Club. They play in the suburb of Ramsgate in the St George area, and they have teams from U5’s all the way to O35S men’s and women’s teams. I have played for the club for the past three years, holding captaincy positions within my team, and I helped run the BBQ last year for the canteen; in that role, I built rapport with many board members, including the former and current club president. They are a club with a storied history, founded in 1959 by the local primary school and later, in 1984, merging with the local RSL club, and have grown ever since, with up to 40 teams in competitions at one time.
As an aspiring historian, I have always loved history from below, focusing on the community aspect of history and the people most affected by the events around them. One area that is most overlooked to me is sport. It isn’t as academic or impactful as other areas of history, or as credible in our society compared with museums or libraries, which hold our histories. Although it is less formal than these areas, I strive to show that sport and recreation institutions carry as much weight in telling a story as other institutions. I have previously assessed the importance of sports and recreation societies in the local community, specifically within migrant communities, which is the case for Ramsgate, as according to the 2021 census data there is a higher Greek population than there is Australian in the Ramsgate-Sans Souci area. This organisation is a cornerstone of the community and has become a place for all people to come together and continue making history.
I came forward with this project as someone as a member of this community, wanting to show off the proud history of our club and our community, and they have been very receptive and welcoming to the project so far and the idea of strengthening our already strong bond within the neighbourhood. Their club webpage has gaps in the history: they once had a physical display in the RSL, but it has since been removed, and the archives and materials have been stored safely in the RSL and around the suburb, in community members’ homes. There have been previous attempts to recreate a physical display and update the webpage, but these have stalled due to other priorities and a lack of time from club board members to complete them. Working together on this project kills three birds with one stone: creating a much-needed update to the club’s history, me conducting my project for my university course, and, most importantly, telling the story of this organisation that has been so influential in the community and how important is still important today. I’m looking forward to working with the club in the coming weeks to create something that showcases their amazing history and supports the organisation’s longevity.