TEMtalk - 

Charles Norbury

Each TEMpo we have a member profile so you can get to know some of our members a bit better. This issue we talk to long time TEM member, Charles Norbury.

Occupation: Architectural Graduate

Hockey position: Still to be defined

Senior Games played: 365

Favourite food: Spaghetti and Meatballs

Footy team: Collingwood – and yes it should have been a free kick for blocking

Favourite band/singer: Paul Kelly / Men at Work

Favourite TV show: Lego Masters, Grand Designs

Ideal Holiday: Scotland, driving a convertible MGA with golf clubs for company

Siblings: 2 sisters, both lawyers (fun times)

Hobbies (other than hockey!):  I like to make and restore things, currently a house.

I understand your introduction to hockey, was going to your Dad’s games and actually not watching much hockey but instead rating the hockey grounds on how good their play equipment was! So who had the best playground back then?

Well that was possibly my older sister who rated the play equipment, but evidently hockey was Dad’s way of child minding (letting us run around and do whatever we wanted – provided Mum did not find out).

But Albert Park adventure playground is the winner.

How old were you when you actually started playing hockey?

6 years old

You were probably one of the youngest juniors to start playing senior hockey at TEM. How old were you when you started playing Metro alongside your dad?

I played my first game, as a 6 year old at Albert Park – was a regular player the next season. Think it took me two years to get a touch (some things never change).

I heard Phil Burchardt would often ask the opposition not to tackle you and they usually agreed and went easy on you. But did it ever get scary playing senior hockey at such a young age?

I have no memory of being scared as a result of being small, in reality I never got near the ball when I was really young. The most fearful game I have ever played in was against SNP, 6.30 on a Saturday at Dandenong… a frightening game (I was probably ten years old).  To put it mildly the crowd was vocal…

Ironically my most feared on field players were probably from TEM…. Possibly from the MacPhie family…

I would assume that playing Metro back in the 90s with some colourful TEM characters would have been lots of fun. Who were some of your favourite team mates from that time and what are some of the most valuable things you learnt form those Metro gents?

I learnt about drinking rum and coke at half time and additionally how important telling your wives etc. that hockey is a four hour game.  This would ensure approximately three hours of post match drinking is possible without suspicion (warm ups were frowned upon).

Phil Burchardt, Ronnie Elbows, Mark Brown, Ronnie Burns, Miles Nelson, Craig Sampson and Peter Robinson are some of names. Phil Burchardt would always lead the team talk and would usually utter the instruction to the team that ‘if in doubt ping it long into the corner, as there’s never anything wrong with that’.

Growing up with 2 sisters and all but one of your Primary teachers being female, do you think going to hockey on a Saturday afternoon with your dad was a good opportunity for you to experience life outside your female dominated life at home?

I think so; I was exposed to important life lessons like sharing drink bottles and the smell of deep heat. I remember going to the bottle shop with Dad (who does not drink alcohol) where he purchased five slabs of beer. The reason for this was that each week one person from the team had to buy the beer and bring it to the game for the team’s post match drinks – perhaps this is where I learnt about being a good team man? 

You’ve coached a few junior teams over the past few years for TEM and your old school Carey Grammar. What do you enjoy most about coaching?

I enjoy seeing the improvement in players and the joy the kids get when they have success. I try to pass on some of the things I have learnt over the journey to the kids coming though.

What has been the best thing that’s happened in your hockey career so far?

2015 was the best year of hockey for me.

Until that point I had played in largely ordinary seconds sides at TEM at senior level. In 2015, the VL1 side got on an almighty roll and made finals for the first time.  We defeated Melbourne Uni in a shootout, and then defeated them again in the Grand Final (1-0).

A week later my University team won the nationals in the Varsity competition for the first time.  We knocked Melbourne Uni out in the Semis and won the grand final in 9 on 9 extra time after trailing 2-0…

What do you most admire about our hockey club?

I enjoy the inclusiveness of the club. I love how people get down to watch their club mates play regardless of grade. In addition, I enjoy watching junior players progress and develop.

Do you have any aspirations to follow in your Dad’s footsteps and be Club President some day?

None – Dad does a lot of unseen work behind the scenes, which involves dealing with a lot of paperwork (I am allergic to paperwork and filling out forms).

Being an architect, what type of buildings are you working on at the moment?

I work in the commercial team at Cox Architecture.  Some of the projects I have worked on include 555 Collins Street, 140 Lonsdale Street, 150 Lonsdale Street, 148 Lonsdale Street and CSL Elizabeth Street North.

What would be your dream design job?

My dream is to restore a house like Labassa and give it to the National Trust.

I also think that doing something for the City like restoring Flinders Street Station for the people (rather than developing it) and adding the roof over the tracks would be very cool.

What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?

From year seven onwards I have only read three fiction books: To Kill a Mockingbird, Holes and Generals Die in Bed. Of the remaining six books I have read, five have been biographies about the same person.

If you were could have dinner with 3 famous people from the past or present, who would they be?

A part of me thinks I should select: Winston Churchill, John Monash and Old Tom Morris..

Another part of me thinks I should select Elle McPherson, Emma Watson and Eugenie Bouchard, however I think the latter group would be very intimidating.

Ultimately however, I never met either of my grand fathers, so having dinner with them would be the preferred dinner option.