Cocky 1958

I was reading with interest your story on "Cocky" I was asking my Father Alf Pinnell (who has his initials somewhere in the MCG when he worked there ) who lived in Collingwood,and his brother Billy Pinnell who lived in Abbotsford may have known quite a bit more to this story as Billy worked on the ground and also from what I've been told had a lot to do with the Collingwood football club up until his death quite a few years ago, The Collingwood boys would go to his place and play cricket and Banks would bring him to the games as he got sicker

But his son Billy Pinnel who has a radio program in Melbourne may have been told more stories about that time when Cocky was around.

My father has followed Collingwood for over 80yrs hes still the biggest one eyed supporter over here in the West

They call him Mr Collingwood

Well I hope the boys have a great season.

Victoria Park, the very soul of the Collingwood Football Club. The inner turf gave birth to so many black and white gladiator legends, football as we know it wouldn't be the same without them.

Many of us have explored Victoria Park since it's closure maybe in some way to seek closure ourselves and to try and understand the magic even mystique that Victoria Park became for over a century of football.

One eyed hill, the outer beyond the Grandstands, the scoreboard and the rubbish like tip that sits underneath. A tour of Victoria Park beyond the green grass sanctum is as exciting as it is walking through the many entrances.

Walking underneath the stand on the Turner St side of Victoria Park one can easily imagine the excitement of the youth rushing in to see the gladiators on their way to winning their fourth consecutive premiership. Had John Wren come this way with a fist full of pound notes ready to thrust into the hands of the best player of the day? Would this be the exit that Messiah McHale would come to from Coburg? In the days of cramped housing and living arrangements how many future Collingwood fans were conceieved at this location? How many times did the youth of the day jump over the fence to see the magpie heroes free of charge? Were they as passionate as we are, did they argue and fist fight, or maybe some type of gentlemanly order and calm?!

Near the toilet block on the Turner St side on the way to One-eyed hill to the left sits a war like trench about 5ft in height, its like a separation wall making sure an orderly approach to that particular brick out-house.

Sitting there since 1958 in brick mortar is 'Cocky 1958', which leads to the obvious, who is and or who was Cocky? joffasfrontpage.com is committed to find this Cocky fellow or someone who may know of him, was he Collingwood or was he some dark filthy infiltratror willing to leave his personal stamp like trophy etched in mortar for future generations to come across.

Maybe Cocky was a nick-name for a player of the day maybe from the herculian 1958 premiership triumph, could he of been an early century communist, was he down on his luck, where did he live, could he have actually lived in one of them Collingwood joints with no floor boards just raw earth, maybe he was a character featured in the 'Collingwood Coke' novel?

Could Cocky have been a mischevious lad 'dirty looking' snotty nose in long dark shorts going past his knees? Maybe even a St Josephs boy, whichever, whatever, we want to know is, who is Cocky?! What he is, has he long gone to meet his maker, or does he lurk the shadows of the modern day Ponsford stand at the MCG.

If anyone has any knowledge please email us at joffacorfe@hotmail.com with emails marked Cocky 1958

This 1958 Grand Final pic shows our boys giving it to the Melbourne Pussies!
Is Cocky in this pic maybe, or in the outer?

The tragic fire in 2007 which destroyed St Josephs Collingwood
Could this have been a hang out place for Cocky?

I kind of knew it wouldn't take long to discover who the person was, That etched his name in mortar at Victoria Park in 1958. The more people who visit this webpage the chance would become higher to discover the person that would be Cocky 1958.

He indeed was a well known figure around the Collingwood and neighbouring areas..I'd like to thank all those who emailed bits io information about Cocky 1958. Such was the response even old time Collingwood players knew of Cocky 1958. It is indeed fascinating reading. Special thanks to John from Bendigo who in his youth actually met Cocky 1958 walking the streets of Collingwood.

It is likely that Cocky 1958 was Cocky Caton [likely Allan James Caton] who was born about 1930 and lived in Abbotsford or Collingwood

r My uncle, Neville Little was only a teenager in 1958 but remembers Cocky as “if not the king of Collingwood then certainly one of the top ‘Knockabouts’ of the era and the area”

r I have been told that he was a standover man who was hit on the head with a bluestone rock and acquired a brain injury that contributed to his later bizarre behaviour.

r He was not an alcoholic as many people assumed but his behaviour was a result of his brain injury.

r He was tremendously strong and in his fifties, would grab a parking sign post, lift and hold himself horizontal.

r I cant remember the name of the pub that was opposite Victoria Park on the other side of Johnston Street but I remember him being king-hit by a local youth/lout after a Collingwood home game when I was about twelve [must have been about 1968]. I was told that the man who had been hit was called "Cocky", that he was "no good" and the name stuck in my young mind.

r About 1978, Cocky shuffled towards me in Gore Street, tapped his nose, smiled and said " I am fighting Maxy Carlos at the Stadium tonight - reckon that you should put a quid on me son" - I wished him good luck [he would have been in his fifties at the time]. I asked my dad if Cocky had ever fought quality fighters and he said that he was never in the same class as Max Carlos. Last year, I spoke [at the funeral of an old family friend] to Max Carlos' brother Adrian [Adrian himself was rated number 4 in the world in the days when there was only one title] about Cocky. He said that Cocky was a well-known knockabout and streetfighter but was never to his knowledge a boxer. My uncle does not remember him in the ring but reckons that Cocky had a thousand streetfights.

r The next time I saw Cocky was a few months later in Johnston Street when he was aggressive and throwing bottles and abuse at any Southern European ladies or gentlemen who were unlucky enough to walk past him. One phrase I remembered him yelling was "..you weren't allowed in Collingwood in my day you f#%# wog moles...". Local shopkeepers called the police and two young officers promptly arrived in the divvy van. Cocky immediately backed into a shop door way and shaped up to the police who were not prepared to risk tackling him front-on. They called the nearby police station on the radio for advice and an older policeman arrived, asked Cocky how he was going and asked him to jump in the back of the van. Cocky smiled, shook hands with the old cop and got in the van, but still stared aggressively at the youngsters.

r Local Police were told to be careful if handling Cocky as he had ‘a steel plate in his head” most likely a result of the bluestone rock attack.

r In later life, Cocky would frequently walk up Johnston or Smith Streets shadow boxing and making bizarre statements to passers by.

r It is possible that in later life, Cocky would intimidate the local homeless alcoholics but never shared their squats. He apparently had a home of his own.

Two Melbourne policemen alleged this week that a truck driver tried to run them down because he "didnt like coppers" The truck, which they had hailed, missed one of them by only two inches, the policemen said.

The driver, Allan James CATON, 24 year old sanitary worker of Abbotsford, was charged with having driven in a dangerous manner. Constable L.McLAY told the court that about 11pm on December 28 he and Constable R.P. MASON saw a truck approaching along a Collingwood street. The truck had only one light burning. The Constables waved their torches on the road, held up their hands and called "stop," but the truck kept coming. Constable McLAY said they stepped onto the road. The trucks motor roared, he saw the driver spin the wheel and the truck swung to the wrong side of the road. " I was 18 inches from the kerb and jumped back," he said. "He missed MASON by 2 inches" Constable MASON said CATONS explanation had been, "I dont like coppers" CATON told him he did not know why he did not stop. Asked why he didnt have a licence, CATON had said "It was torn up." CATON told the court that he had not tried to run down the police. " I didnt think they were coppers," he said. CATON was fined 10 pound and disqualified from obtaining a driving licence for 2 years, on the dangerous driving charge. He was also fined 2 pound for having a truck with only one headlight and for having driven without a licence.

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