When Roland Moore learned at short notice that Patrick Cripps was to visit the school where ‘Crippa’ himself once boarded, the Year 2 Aquinas College student wasn’t going to miss the chance to alert the Carlton and West Australian Captain to his family’s 160-year club connection.
Seven year-old Roland fronted up to today’s signing armed with an image of the John Gardiner-captained Carlton team featuring his 4 x great grandfather ‘Lanty’ O’Brien, which was taken in the tranquil surrounds of Royal Park way back in 1874.
It’s a matter of fact that Orlando Thomas Lockyer (Lanty) O’Brien represented the Carlton Football Club in its first known recorded match - against Melbourne Grammar at the Myall Ground (site of the Alfred Hospital) - on Saturday, May 27, 1865. O’Brien was also part of the Carlton playing group that earned the club’s first piece of silverware, the South Yarra Presentation Challenge Cup, with victory over Melbourne in early October 1871.
Fast forward to November 2024, and Roland, together with his mother Jacquie Moore (nee O’Brien) and father Ron, jetted into Melbourne from Perth to accept Lanty’s Hall of Fame certificate - one of nine presented to the descendants of other greats of the late 19th/early 20th century - at a special event at IKON Park. “We had a wonderful time,” Jacquie recalled, “and felt welcomed to the club with open arms”.
Immediately following the presentation, Jacquie completed a swift tour of the IKON Park facility, locating ‘Lanty’s’ name on the player wall and discovering him standing larger than life in the aforementioned Carlton team photograph captured amongst the gum trees.
“When I saw that photo for the first time I thought I was looking at my Dad,” Jacquie said at the time.
“That has really blown me away.”
As with Roland, Jacquie’s love for ‘Lanty’ has only intensified since Carlton made contact, and so it is that the Moores are all true Blue diehards from afar. As Jacquie said: “Roland now knows the Carlton song off by heart, his teacher tells me he sings it all day long, which we believe will help indoctrinate all those ‘Freo’ supporters if he just keeps singing it”.
Aquinas College posted a wonderful image of the two Carlton identities on its Instagram page, with the following message which read in part: “The signing session revealed an incredible full-circle moment. Year 2 student Roland brought in an 1874 Carlton Football Club team photograph featuring his 4 x great grandfather – a founding member of Patrick’s club”.
