A 1969 Players’ Pre-Season Dinner menu, signed by Australia’s longest-serving Prime Minister and Carlton’s No.1 ticketholder Sir Robert Menzies, is amongst a collection of rare artefacts recently donated to the Club's archive.

The menu, which included whiting caprice, roast prime wing rib of beef and 1968 Premiership cake and ice cream, covered the Dinner held in the Carlton Social Club within the since-demolished George Harris Stand on the evening of Tuesday, April 1 – barely six months after John Nicholls had captained the senior team to its drought-breaking Grand Final victory over Essendon.

Sir Robert addressed guests at that function, as did the lifelong Carlton devotee and former Lord Mayor of Melbourne Sir Leo Curtis, in the presence of Carlton Coach Ron Barassi, Chairman of Selectors Jack Wrout and the senior list players and prospective recruits including Greg Kennedy and Brian Walsh.

The menu forms part of a 23-piece set of relics donated by Sue Berry, the niece of Carlton’s Under 19s Secretary Ken McLeod, who in 1970 was presented with a trophy as a mark of respect for eight years of outstanding service.

Berry, whose father Malcolm McIlvena was also involved with the Unders as a Committeeman, saw fit to forward the well-preserved items – throwbacks to the Harris-Barassi era that took in most of McLeod’s eight years when future senior Premiership players like Bruce Doull, Andy Lukimitis (Lukas), John O’Connell and Phillip Pinell were young hopefuls.

Other items in the McLeod collection include:

• senior players’ pre-season dinner menus for 1970, ’71 and ’72 (the latter signed by the late Robert Walls);
• season’s ticket with a VFL-sanctioned Officials and Players’ pass insert for 1965;
• Under 19 team tour itineraries to Morwell (1961), Wangaratta (1962), Echuca (1964), Adelaide (1965), Deniliquin (1966), Warrnambool (1967), Tasmania (1968) and Sydney (1969 and 1970); and
• Under 19 Premiership Souvenir, 1963 (Carlton 12.11 (83), Essendon 6.9 (45)) featuring Adrian Gallagher as Best & Fairest.

The Carlton archive has been the beneficiary of a number of other historic items this year, amongst them 

• Robert Walls’ Premiership medallions of 1968, 1970 and 1972 as a senior player, and 1987 as senior coach, bequested by Robert Walls in the final weeks before his passing.
• Charles Boyles photocard images of wartime players Ron Savage, Jim Clark, Jack Howell and Jack Conley, plus a 1951 Scholar’s seasons ticket kindly donated by Paolo Serafin.
• 16 VHS tapes, specifically comprising interviews with David Parkin in his capacity as Carlton Coach, courtesy David Parkin;
• 50 assorted VHS matchday tapes, circa 1980s, courtesy Stephen Gough; and
• a 1933 Season’s ticket carrying the signature of Fred Stafford (father of Carlton Premiership player Fred Stafford jnr.) - donated by Fred Stafford III.