WAY BACK at the end of 1987, a young Anthony Bergin attended a Ballarat Demons’ sportsmen’s night at the Buninyong Golf Club.
Aged just eleven, Anthony was - and is - a Geelong supporter, with his mother and sister both Melbourne and attached to the Ballarat Demons to this day.
However, on this particular night, quarter of a century ago, Anthony managed to obtain a very special part of Melbourne’s heritage.
‘Mum said there would be raffles, and maybe people auctioning off a jumper or something if you’re lucky. So, Mum took my cheque book - I don’t know why an eleven year-old kid had a cheque book - and Sean Wight’s jumper came up for auction.’
The attraction for the young Anthony was in the promotion. It was ‘Sean’s playing jumper, and he was the first Scotsman to play VFL. He signed it, and I looked over at Mum, and she said ‘Oh, if you want to’, so I think they started off at about $50’.
Anthony stuck his hand up at $60, then as a bidding war started, stuck his hand up at $80, while his opponent continued the contest. Putting $100 on the jumper, his mother couldn’t believe what her son was up to, telling him to stop bidding.
Fortunately for Anthony, his opponent bowed out graciously, saying, ‘Let the young fellow have it!’ When he went to pick up his new acquisition, Sean was there, saying ‘Congratulations - I hope you enjoy it.’
While banter about Anthony’s Geelong support ensued, he promised Sean that he would look after the jumper. Sean responded with ‘I’m sure you will - you’re a fine lad.’
That comment has stuck with Anthony today, as has the jumper itself, wrapped in blue tissue paper in a red box.
As Club CEO Cameron Schwab pointed out to Anthony, the jumper is special in many ways. Upon hearing of the passing of Sean three weeks ago, Anthony got in touch with Triple M and Garry Lyon.
The message was duly passed to the Club, and the connection was made.
Sharing the sorrow of so many, ‘I just felt that I wanted to do it, I have to hand this back to the Club’, said Anthony. With the VFL badging, and the navy blue, it also holds the honour of being a jumper dating from Melbourne’s welcome return to the navy blue in 1987.
Anthony says even now that he feels he has had the role of guardian of the jumper over the years, with fellow travellers on the Ballarat Demons bus asking him regularly, ‘Have you still got Sean’s jumper?’
Now, of course - and with heartfelt thanks to Anthony Bergin, the jumper - a little bit worn, one number slightly unstitched, a smear of mud on the tag - is with the Club, and will continue to help perpetuate and honour the Sean Wight story well into the future.
Watch the Sean Wight tribute video
