As he gets ready to enjoy the upcoming Naidoc seven-a-side tournament George Aldridge still remembers the unexpected surprise he got last year.
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He turned up at Ison Park, South Nowra only to find out a football tournament was being played to honour his pioneering sporting achievements.
His son Scott and friend Neville Hampton had organised the football day and the guest of honour was the last person to find out about it.
“I can tell it was one of the biggest surprises ever mate,” he said.
“All my family knew about it but not me.
“My wife Allison sent me out to here to Ison Park and said ‘go and see what Scott and the boys are doing because they might need your help with a job’.
“I come to the oval, I walk down and there is this big banner (The George Aldridge Shield) - all for me that Scott and Neville had put together for me.
“I just stood there and Allison walked towards me with a special shirt on and I had tears coming down my eyes.”
This year’s event will be held Friday July 8 at Ison Park, South Nowra and promises to a great celebration of football and culture.
Mr Aldridge was so humbled that people would do something to honour him in such a way and wanted this year’s competition to include more people.
“When I heard they were going to hold the event this year I said to Neville that I would like to see some kids come into it,” he said.
Some 15 teams, including six juniors who will play for the Shoalhaven Local Indigenous Legends Shields, will play in this year’s event.
Locals Eileen Hampton and Josh Williams did the artwork for the special shirts for the event and each team has a special names including the Perfume Bay Platypuses, Cave Beach Crabs, Shelley Bay Snakes and the Summercloud Stingrays to name a few.
Mr Aldridge’s son Scott is looking forward to the tournament and is proud of what his father achieved over the years.
“That is why we are putting on the tournament - because we are proud,” Scott sid
Mr Aldridge started playing soccer when he was 13-years-of -age, in the early 1960s and his connection with the sport has been going for decades.
“I am the only Aboriginal here that has been connected for so long with football and started off when they were young,” he said.
“When I first started there was not many Aboriginal kids playing soccer.”
Mr Aldridge enjoyed the challenges the new sport presented him.
“Football (rugby league) is all up and dump but soccer is all skill and the ball does all the work,” he said.
“You have to learn to read the play so you know where you have to go.”
When he finished playing he encouraged his sons Scott and Nathan and daughter Tracey to play and football is now the family sport.
His grandchildren Shaeley Aldridge, Brendan Fordam, Ainsley Aldridge and Whitney Aldridge are all highly rated champion players.
The upcoming tournament will incorporate the George Aldridge Shield (seniors), Naidoc Cup (seniors) and the Shoalhaven Local Indigenous Legends Shield (juniors).
Seniors kick off at 8.30am and the juniors at 9.15am.
Some spots in the seniors - men’s open, women’s open and men’s open 35s, still could be available so contact Neville Hampton at nevillehampton1961@hotmail.com or 0490 405 739 for details and team nominations.
Cost is $100 per team and the event promises to be a great one.