Hi, my name is Lesa Bonnici. I started following the Brisbane Bears in 1994, we merged with the Fitzroy Lions in 1996 to become the Brisbane Lions AFC. I was approached by the Club to be a part of The Great Outdoors story on the Brisbane Lions and I jumped at the chance!
The first day was a closed shoot at the Gabba with Ernie and some other folk, including Don Kelly, our club historian. Ernie talked to all of us about different aspects of the footy and the club. He had a kick with the kids on the hallowed Gabba turf, which in itself is a privilege. Jeff the producer then invited us to go out to training at Coorparoo so we were shooting out there that afternoon. I am a keen photographer and take around 370 shots a game so attending a training session is an ideal opportunity for me to snap away!
Ernie is one of the sweetest blokes, an absolute champ! And he's quite a good athlete, he is an uncle to the great Darryl White, who was premiership player for Brisbane and also to Sampi from the West Coast Eagles. The footy gene runs in that family gene pool. Best thing was that Ernie knows his stuff when it comes to footy - he is a fan of the game and understands the rules and culture of the club.
On the second day, we shot at the Chalk Hotel. We invited a number of friends we have met through football, either at the game or online through sites such as The Pride or other footy chat websites . We do things like go away to interstate games, watch the away games, attend the club dinners or catch up at the home games. These guys are my extended family!
You could hear a pin drop when three of the players walked in. There was Chris Scott, Cameron Wood, one of our up and coming young ruckment and Justin Sherman, a future club captain (or so we all believe). The boys sat and talked to all of us! My friends and I had the time of our lives. Some people had to leave but those who stayed got to meet Simon Black - one of our co-captains and Brownlow Medallist and current Club Champion.
It was an honour taking two days annual leave to be a part of this shoot! Be sure to check out Ernie's Flickr account where he's uploaded my pics.
Got a sports travel tale to tell? Feel free to add a comment to this post or drop us an email at: greatoutdoors_producer@yahoo.com.au
