123AGENDA thewest.com.auMay 10-11, 2014

89-point win to the Swans, thefootball standard is surprisinglyimpressive and a worthyadvertisement for the code inAsia. Soft drinks, water andbeer — well, mainly beer — flowmerrily in the after-matcheuphoria where respect betweenthe two teams is palpable.

The feat of victory quicklysinks in for Glendinning, who isalso a dual premiership playerwith South Bunbury.

“Mate, I coach a country, notmany people could say that,” hegushes, before turning hisattention back to his warm canof Tiger beer as shadows start tostretch across the ground.

The 50-year-old, who was oneof his team’s best players on theday, has been living and workingin Vietnam for almost two yearsand explains how the Swanshave almost become a religionfor the club’s members.

He is proud of what they haveput on show to mark one of hishome country’s most importantoccasions.

“It’s all history and I wantedto show the boys why we werehere today and emphasise whowe were here for,” Glendinning,who is also teaching English toVietnamese schoolchildren,said.

“It’s special, but actuallybeing in the area, talking to theguys (former servicemen) whowere in the war and playing onthe same ground they played onmakes it even more special.Sometimes a player in our teammight not make the side becausesomeone is a bit better thanthem, but they made changes totheir team when guys died.

“We’re just so close to thehistory.”

AFL Asia president PhilJohns, who has also been adriving force for the Swans, saysthe AFL “genie is out of thebottle” in the heavily populated

region of the world. He said theAnzac games played inThailand, Vietnam, Borneo, thePhilippines and Cambodia weredesigned to honour those whohad made the ultimate sacrifice,to learn and try to make sense ofthe madness of war and to bringpeople together and to celebrate.

In Indonesia, 10,000 local kidshave been put through anAusKick program and theJakarta Bintangs have alreadydecreed that at least two localplayers must travel with themfor every match.

On another front, the Vietnammatch raised money for the localorphanage and Swim Vietnam,which is tackling the problem of30 children drowning every dayaround the country, and that iswhere Johns believed the morecompelling reality of Asian footywas starting to make its mark.

“There’s something a wholelot richer out there and whatyou find with these footy clubsthat mix with the community,you get a couple of good causesbehind you and the roughest,baddest person still melts,”Johns, who is awarded lifemembership of the Swans afterthe match and is also thenational executive director forthe Australian Chamber ofCommerce, said.

“Through footy, relationshipsare getting stronger and richer.What’s happening is we’restarting to get a real Aussierules network starting to flowthrough Asia that can tap intobusiness as well and it’s going towork a lot faster when more ofus start to believe in itspotential.

“When you’re overseas, you’rea bit of an alien, but whenyou’ve got Tommy Sherrin inyour hands, you’re no longer analien and you’ve got that Aussiesense of humour again. That’sunreal.”

THE VENUESThailand Tigers v Pakistan MarkhorsKanchanaburi, Thailand

Vietnam Swans v Malaysian WarriorsVung Tau, Vietnam

Cambodian Eagles v Jakarta BintangsPhnom Penh, Cambodia

Philippine Eagles: Nomads v DingoesManila, Philippines

Borneo Bears v Indonesian GarudasBalikpapan, Borneo

Trailblazer: Former East Perth footballer and now Vietnam Swans coach Andy Glendinning, centre, with Vietnamese players Tuan Nhan and Andy Marr. Picture: Steve Butler

There is a look in RonVernon’s eyes as hegazes out over the LordMayor’s Oval, where hebecame an inaugural

Vietnam Football Leaguepremiership player in 1967,which suggests the 47 years thathave passed since have hardlycreated a blur in his memory.

Watching two teams play onthe same Lord Mayor’s Ovalwhere his Royal Australian AirForce team once reigned, tearsof emotion are not far from thesurface as he reveals his sonBrad also played his first gameof Australian rules there fouryears ago. But while some of theNorth Queenslander’sreminders from Vung Tau areunpleasant because of hiswartime involvement, he andhis wife Ailsa have returned tothe city and are making a realdifference for the local people.

Having initially raised $3000to build a kindergarten andhire a teacher for the region’scountless orphans, the pairhave been instrumental infunding more than$50,000 for theburgeoning project.

Their selflessefforts havestarted to changelives of povertywhere even the

gift of a boiled egg is receivedwith a Christmas-like joy.

The Vung Tau Orphanage iscurrently home to up to 110children, 27 of them with HIV,ranging in age from one day oldto 18 years.

“The charity means somuch to us,” Vernonsaid.

“I always wanted tocome back to Vung Tauonce I retired. We

spent a lot of timehere and when wegot home wedecided we wantedto help some kids.We’re just seeing

the kids grow upso much and Ithink we getmore out of itthan they do.

“There isjust too muchsuffering . . .it’s

heartbreaking.”Vernon said the Vietnamese

Government was planning tonext year build a new facility, tobe surrounded by a secureconcrete fence, which willfeature a swimming pool and asoccer field and allow thekindergarten to become adrop-in centre for street kids.

He gave the Vietnam Swans astirring pre-game speech beforetheir match against Malaysiaabout mates he lost in battle andspoke of how the footballmatches had been amuch-needed distraction fromthe war that consumed themsometimes 61⁄2 days a week.

“I just want to play and then Irealise I can’t,” he said,clutching his 1967 premiershipcup.

“But I just enjoy it so muchand I’m so happy these blokeshave continued the tradition. Itjust brings back a hell of a lot ofmemories.”

Real tears of joy for Vietnam FootballLeague vet trying to make a difference

Winner:RonVernonand the1967 cup.

Orphanage: Girls sing the Vietnamese national anthem. Pictures: Steve Butler

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