Edward (Ted) Medley
Ted’s association with Eastern Suburbs centred around his role as groundskeeper for the Auckland City Council. At that time the club was based mainly at Glover Park. As early as the mid 70’s Ted was a regular attendee at games at Glover, instantly recognisable in his hat and gumboots and never far away from his transistor radio and “best bets” in his back pocket. He was an avid follower of the horses and whilst not a huge gambler, a few dollars here and there made the races more interesting.
Such was Ted’s presence at Glover (and Madills), that all that played at the grounds considered him “part of the furniture”. Adding to his iconic status was the fact that in the 60+ years Ted has been around the club, his physical appearance changed very little. Being such a softly spoken mild mannered gentleman, he was like a grandfather figure in appearance, even in his younger years. Everyone loved Ted!
One of the endearing features of Ted was his humorous catch phrases which didn’t change at all over the years. Requests such as “please keep off the grass” and “don’t forget to put your losing scores up” were Ted’s jovial instructions as teams passed by on their way to or from games. During first team games, you’d hear Ted shout “hand ball ref” when the goalkeeper caught the ball and “pretend you don’t like them” referring to the opposition.
For many years Ted was the face of Eastern Suburbs down at Madills Farm setting up grounds for the children’s games early on Saturday morning and then being available to direct lost children and parents that generally had turned up late. Throughout the years no one ever saw him angry or frustrated, he was always just there to help with a smile and a humorous comment, which everyone largely took for granted.
For many years, Monday mornings involved Ted turning up at the Madills Farm club office for a “debrief” with Tracey and the girls to discuss important matters such as a corner flag that was missing, or a line rope with a difficult knot that may require cutting. In reality, the cup of tea and conversation were an important part of Ted’s social calendar, as with no family to speak of, Tracey filled that void. It can’t be understated the time, effort and love Tracey committed to Ted for many many years, she was the daughter he never had. The club (as was Ted of course) will forever be grateful to her for this, and our condolences go out to her at what is undoubtedly a very sad time.
Ted was in his own very subdued and mild mannered way, extremely proud when he became a life member of the club. His longevity and commitment to supporting Eastern Suburbs made him a worthy recipient. Perhaps in a somewhat unique way, Ted’s most enduring contribution to Eastern Suburbs has come through one of his catchphrases. For decades supporting on the sideline, irrespective of the Suburbs team playing, Ted could be heard shouting “C’mon the Lilywhites”. Over time the club adopted the phrase and around 2010 began using it in social media posts and it caught on quickly. Now in the Auckland football fraternity it is a commonly recognised “nickname” for Eastern Suburbs AFC, with its roots firmly attributed to a much loved, Edward (Ted) Medley. RIP
