Jack Dyer's Eulogy On World of Sport
At the time of Swift's death, the entire football community was deeply shocked.
On the morning of the following Sunday (1 May 1983), Ron Casey, host of the television programme World of Sport, without any prior warning, unexpectedly asked one of the show's stars, the sports journalist, Richmond legend, former Richmond coach, and Richmond selector Jack Dyer, who had been responsible for suggesting Swift's move to full-back in 1967 in place of Mick Erwin, to deliver what amounted to a eulogy. Dyer refused outright, and a very fierce argument broke out between Casey and Dyer; with Casey's will, as host of the programme, prevailing.
Many of the viewers, already deeply upset at the murder of such a brave, honest, courageous, and well-loved man apparently killed in defence of his family, were further affected by the mournful manner in which Dyer, who deeply respected and admired Swift, spoke. It was only later revealed that the reason for Dyer's initial refusal to speak on air, and his actual refusal to look into the camera whilst speaking – having been forced against his will, by Casey, to deliver the eulogy – was solely due to his having left his false teeth at home (a fact that he refused to reveal to Casey or anyone else at the time), and had nothing to do with any reluctance to acknowledge his own personal sense of great loss at Swift's murder.
Read more about this topic: Fred Swift
Famous quotes containing the words jack, dyer, world and/or sport:
“Jack and Jill
Went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water;
Jack fell down,
And broke his crown,
And Jill came tumbling after.”
—Mother Goose (fl. 17th–18th century. Jack and Jill (l. 1–6)
“Below me trees unnumbered rise,
Beautiful in various dyes:
The gloomy pine, the poplar blue,
The yellow beech, the sable yew,
The slender fir that taper grows,
The sturdy oak with broad-spread boughs.”
—John Dyer (1699–1758)
“The good enough parent, in addition to being convinced that whatever his child does, he does it because at that moment he is convinced this is the best he can do, will also ask himself: “What in the world would make me act as my child acts at this moment? And if I felt forced to act this way, what would make me feel better about it?””
—Bruno Bettelheim (20th century)
“I wish glib and indiscriminate critics of industrialists had some conception of the problems that have to be met by factory management.... General condemnation of employers is a favorite indoor sport of the uninformed intelligentsia who assume the role of lance- bearers for labor.”
—Mary Barnett Gilson (1877–?)