McIntyre, a 100-game defender for the old dark Navy Blues between 1935 and 42, and a fortnight shy of his 95th birthday, recently resolved to donate four precious items of memorabilia for future display at the club’s new facility.
They are:
- the Terry Ogden Memorial Medal for Most improved Player in 1936;
- the Angus Travill Medal and Robert Reynolds Trophy for best and fairest in 1937; and
- the 1938 VFL Premiership Medal
McIntyre respectfully asked that he not be quoted for this story. The last thing he wanted was any fanfare. But the boy from Geelong was firm in his resolve that the Carlton Football Club was where his collection truly belonged, particularly now that space in the foyer of the new $20 million facility has been earmarked for a rotating exhibition of artefacts from Carlton’s illustrious history.
A quick flick through the club’s annual reports of the day go some way to telling the tale of the coveted trophies. In the 1936 report, the then secretary Newton Chandler declared McIntyre a worthy recipient of the memorial medal struck the previous year to mark the untimely death on March 2 “of that manly and brilliant little player, Terry Ogden”.
“The Terry Ogden Memorial Medal for the ‘Most improved’ player, was awarded to Mr. Don McIntyre. Don, in his first season, proved one of the best ‘Back Pocket’ players in the League. His success proved very popular,” Chandler wrote.
Then in late 1937, Chandler wrote in glowing terms of McIntyre’s taking of the Robert Reynolds Trophy (a forerunner to the John Nicholls Medal) for club best and fairest.
“As predicted in the previous Season, Don developed into the finest Back Pocket Player in the League. He was most consistent and the honor was richly deserved,” Chandler wrote.
As for the ’38 premiership medal, a much-cherished keepsake of the 15-point Grand Final win over poor old Collingwood, perhaps the last word belongs to Don himself.
In an interview to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory in 2008, McIntyre’s thoughts turned to the after-match celebrations and to the then captain-coach Brighton Diggins.
“I remember at the premiership dinner in the old Hotel Argus in Elizabeth Street we were all seated and ready to start eating, and there was no Brighton around,” McIntyre said.
“After about ten minutes we saw him coming through the door holding up both hands full of notes . . . he’d been collecting whatever he could from his betting, at double-figure odds, before the season even started.”