Robert Gardiner

Carlton Reserve Career: 1966
Reserve Games: 1
Reserve Goals: TBD
Height: 180cm
Weight: 89kg
Guernsey No. 53 (1966).
DOB: 13 March 1947

Robert Gardiner played U/19's from 1964 as well as playing reserve grade football for Carlton in 1966. The one game Robert played in the reserves in 1966 was replacing another Robert (Walls), who was injured. For the remainder of the season Robert played nine U19s games and won the Best Clubman award.

He didn't play a senior game for Carlton.

U19's Best Clubman Award 1966

Robert's Memories of Carlton

My hero, Barassi. We were having a lazy end to end kick, when my mate just about punched my fingers off. To my WTF, he pointed to the Heatley stand, where the Boss was sitting. He got up, the tempo quickened until he arrived among a gang of Grand Final savages. His “going well fellas, keep it up” was gold.

Speaking of stands, unfortunately I’m not related to the great father and sons for whom the Gardiner Stand was named, but gee, drumming your feet on the floor sound like the Zulus at Rorke’s Drift. Beside it was Brooker’s Hill, where old Tom used to get us playing piggyback up and down. I was pleased when Ron gave him the chop and installed Bill Hoogen, a nice man and tough competitor. His brief was to produce players for senior grades, not Thirds premierships, and see how that went.

My greatest day in football saw me skiing off the Razorback (Mt Feathertop track) on Grand Final Day 1970. White walls, blue sky, hiss of skis… I arrived at the Snowline pub in Harrietville at lunchtime raving. An old road worker asked me how I could think of skiing on a day like this. Home for lunch and a sleep to catch the last half (only radio was in the pub). 7goals! Gimme a beer. Teddy Hopkins got going and I got no more than the first sip for the rest of the game, and yeah, Wallsy was in that too. Bruce too, from memory.

Of this mob (in reference to 1966 U19 team photo), five of us went to Fawkner High. It was noted when Maurie later won the Morrish Medal, with a few more inches he’d have been a world-beating rover. The photo of him and Big John in Blueseum said it all. Would have been interesting to see if Maurie or Gags would have been first rover. As it was, he played a lot of great games for Coburg. Doug Baird became a matchwinner for Brunswick, and was the father of Cameron Baird VC. Stephen Peter-Budge played a lot of District cricket for Essendon.

Harry Stone was at Carlton forever. In 1966 there was a reunion, at which Harry was greeted with affection by Bill Redmond, worst and dirtiest in 1945! We had a beaut night at Bill’s, when we played the game of blindfolding the bloke, and sending him around the circle of girls to find her by touching their shoulder. We kept Mrs Stone out for six circuits, sledging him the whole time. Finally we put her in; with one touch he claimed her. The place erupted with cheers.

Timekeeper Alby Lugg was a WWII veteran, Coburg City councillor, and in his spare time was a wise mentor to young players.

I always  liked reminding Bill that I loved cheering him and Slugger Jordon at Coburg as a little kid. As an aside, I met Slug when I was at Batman, a Coburg affiliate. He was very nice to the little kid. Four years later, I’m streaming around the flank at Richmond and he’s screaming to his blokes to knock his f….n head off. I nearly stopped to say hello.

-- Robert Gardiner 2025