Whose House??
Updated: 2 days ago
Friday, August 14. The Canadian west coast.
Our sitting room is eerily quiet. A clock on the mantelpiece ticks steadily towards midnight.
Alongside my son, I huddle around a computer. Via livestream from Australia we prepare to watch a rugby union match. On screen, the 100th playing of the Dewar Shield, emblematic of club supremacy in the state of Victoria, gets underway.
For Derek, this particular Grand Final encounter takes on special significance.
I flash back in time to January 2020.
Derek arrives Down Under, set to study physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne. The timing could not be worse, as the world shuts down just weeks later due to Covid 19.
The pandemic hits ferociously hard. Melbourne, for nearly a year, tries desperately to stop the virus from spreading. Multiple total lockdowns wreak havoc on mental health. Result in months of loneliness, isolation, stress, boredom, and misery.
Finally, the situation begins to ease. Carefully and cautiously, schools, businesses, offices, sport centres, gyms, and fields re-open.
Perhaps not surprisingly, sport comes to Derek’s rescue. Living south of the city centre, he seizes on a chance to join a neighbouring rugby club.
Power House RFC.
It turns out to be one of the best decisions of his life.
Though unable play due to a shoulder ailment, he instead joins the medical team. Looks to put his physio skills to the test. Much more importantly, he immediately forms new friendships. The club and all its members unfailingly generous, warm, and welcoming.
Indeed, days soon turn into weeks, weeks into months, months into years. Via email and Face Time, I soon sense his loyalty to and passion for the club itself. Come to appreciate his mates and friends, come to enjoy equally the anecdotes, stories, and banter, on and off the field, which are part of any successful team.
I watch as many games as I can. Hope to catch glimpses of Derek patrolling the sideline, but also to savour some good quality rugby as well.
The club can certainly play a bit. Four senior Men’s sides, a Women’s team, a developing Junior program. Progressive management, excellent coaching, talented players, allied to tireless support behind the scenes, guarantees consistency of performance. Indeed, victories begin to stack up, an ever growing number of top league table finishes and playoff successes the inevitable result.
The 2026 season promises more of the same.
Alas, halfway through league play, Derek makes the difficult decision, after six and a half years away, to return home. With some misgivings, and after several emotional sendoffs, he heads back to Canada.
Yet, a good part of him remains close to the club. He stays in regular contact. I see firsthand the detail which goes into each week's preparation, from the medical reports, to analysis, to game planning, to the actual training and rehab sessions. No stones left unturned as the club again aims for multiple Grand Final appearances and a third consecutive Dewar Shield Premiership.
This latter game, vs archrival Harlequins, is an absolute cracker. A nerve shredding, rollercoaster. Two heavyweights trading punches from start to finish. Eleven tries in total. Nine lead changes. Only for a few minutes is one of the teams ahead by more than one score.
An early second half burst quickly reverses a 19-11 deficit, as Power House goes up 25-19. Yet, Quins, resplendent in their quarter jumpers, answer back straight away with two unconverted scores. Lead once again by 29-25.
Power House returns serve. 32-29, only for Quins to then register another close quarter drive to take control. 36-32.
Emotions run high as the clock winds down. Just seconds remain. One last lineout. Just five meters from the Quins’ goal line. Five meters that will separate joy from disappointment.
Derek can barely watch. I can barely watch. Hundreds of Power House supporters, overlooking the field, hold their collective breath.
Perhaps we need not have stressed. Cool heads prevail. Preparation, trust, and belief ensure a perfect throw, a perfect catch, and a dynamic driving maul. The Power House pack marches forward, splintering the opposition. As the tail gunner grounds the ball, several others cover it to make absolutely sure.
Try confirmed. A wide angled conversion for good measure. Then the final whistle. 39-36, and the sweetest of victories.
Riotous celebrations ensue, the “hill” at the Sparks Reserve ground now an ecstatic sea of green, black, and gold. Caps, jumpers, jerseys, hoodies, scarves, signs, and flags blend together. Soon, the players, coaches, managers, and medics join the assembled throng. The club, a family in the best sense of the word, celebrates as one.
I look across the room to Derek. The clock nears 1.15am. Any previous doubts about the result now gone, his smile is a mile wide. Even though I know he will miss desperately not having seen out the season or been at finals day in person.
He will miss the congratulatory hugs, the thankyous. Will miss the bright eyes, the laughter, the tears. Will miss the changing room singalongs, will miss what will undoubtedly be a long and raucous post game affair at the club’s sparkling new pavilion. Will miss Silly Sunday on the docks at Albert Park.
I feel for him but take solace in “A Goldsmith of Words.” This posthumously published book, of a 20th century Portuguese doctor and philosopher Amadeu de Prado, reflects on life and decisions made.
Crucially, it offers that “we leave something of ourselves behind when we leave a place……but we stay there, even when we go away.”
I ponder these words, as the Dewar Shield celebrations kick into high gear. I believe Derek is there in spirit and am certain those closest to him at the club will feel it.
Together, he and I turn back to the computer screen. The presentations of medals, and the Shield itself, begin.
The awards completed, the noise levels rise again. Chants and songs fill the air.
“Whose House?” the supporters shout.
Our House.
Power House.
Editor’s notes:
Power House enjoys a hugely successful 2026 season. Each of its five teams reach a Grand Final, with both the Premier Men and Premier Women emerging victorious.
Many thanks to Rugby Victoria and to the countless superb photographs made available via the following companies.
Coutts Media
Gzshutterworks
Gsansanaphoto
Agdimages
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