We spent some intriguing and memorable hours with one of Wests Ashfield Leagues’ Directors Mr Russell Smith who provided us with an insight into his passion for technology, audio visual, recording history and ensuring we can always remember those important events...

Russell’s passion for audio visual
When Russell stepped out of a 35 year career in Information Technology some years ago, he didn’t foresee the role he now finds himself in with the Wests Ashfield Leagues ‘cultural’ events. It just grew out of his lifelong involvement with Wests and their rich history, his commitment to reinforcing the role of Wests Ashfield Leagues in our community, and his infatuation with technology.

Russell’s involvement with Wests
Russell has lived through more than half of Wests Magpies existence, and all of Wests Ashfield’s, and has been continuously involved in some way with both. Russell can relive much of that through great efforts of people like Bill Owens whose home movie camera faithfully captured our football Club’s life and times, and our Archives section, who discover, maintain, preserve and exhibit those and mountains of other pictorial and print records and memorabilia. At any of our events, you can see how these strengthen the ‘glue’ that links our past to the present - and to the future too. Their value increases with time, and ours are unsurpassed in the Rugby League world, and enrich the lives of all involved. We must ensure that, just as Billy and others did all those years ago, we continue to record our ‘Future History’ for following generations to experience and (hopefully) enjoy.

About Russell’s background
In a musically talented family, Russell’s technical curiosity saw him recording events and performances after he worked through his school holidays to buy a Grundig TK9 tape recorder …a marvel at that time. Then Stereophonic Sound emerged, and he just had to ‘upgrade’ to the next model. Russell is still upgrading to this day! Although he loved the challenges of audio recording, the advent of computers diverted him from making it a career, and it remained a creative hobby. His interest in the visual side was limited to family ‘snaps’ until he bought a ‘Hi8’ video camera about 15 years ago, mainly because of its audio recording quality – and he was hooked.

About Video
Russell first used it for the Club when some nominees for our ‘Magpie Award’ were unavailable, and with Warren Burr, he prerecorded interviews instead. That worked well, and he repeated it in following years. He started to record events so we could review them, and progressed to a PC editing suite to tidy them up. That also worked as suitable for our archives. We then extended the practise to other significant events, and….here we are today with dozens of detailed events captured. Over time Russell has added to his own inventory of cameras and recording equipment which he uses in conjunction with our now wonderful sound, light and display systems, to produce ‘eye candy’ as well as informative content for events, and high quality recordings when needed. They also support ‘commercial’ events and every-day activities our Members and visitors can enjoy. We now have ‘state of the art’ technology that can meet the A/V needs of any function, and be enhanced and expanded as requirements, growth and finances dictate. We’ve also installed some ‘on demand’ terminals for Members to watch past football and other events of their choice.

About being a Director
As a Director Russell is keenly aware of the need to not intrude in management processes. However, what he does is something we’re not in a position to fund and staff yet, and it helps with his fundamental ‘duty to be informed’ in a constructive way while perhaps showing some leadership in an emerging endeavour. “I can say here that our Board is committed to the best practises of governance. We all maintain a close involvement in the Club and its complex administration through our outstanding management team. That ethos has been significant in our continuing evolution and considerable success. I’m fortunate to have wide experience over 40 years as a Director of many entities ranging from a family cleaning business to joint ventures like Wests Tigers and large international companies like AT&T, and I’m a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. But I’m still learning because things change. I have learnt that successful organisations have a good team and effective communication at all levels. They put in that extra effort, and it starts at the ‘top’. And maintaining success can be just as hard as its attainment (ask recent NRL premiership winners). Infrequent meetings and occasional events are not enough to stay ahead.….. But I digress….” says Russell.

About promoting Wests Ashfield Leagues
Like most clubs, we constantly struggle to change a negative perception embedded in some people of what we are about. They include some who can impede our continuing development as a community amenity. We don’t usually ‘go on’ much about the good things we do and the people we assist through sporting and other initiatives and events. Recording them provides a way to bring them to wider attention and change perceptions.

Russell’s most memorable events
For Russell the Wests Magpies Centenary celebrations were memorable, and the Magpie Award is always great. “I feel privileged to be close to activities like our schools Community Citizenship Awards, and CDSE funding allocations and I‘m glad those involved may be able to look back on them in years to come” says Russell. An event that Russell found overwhelming was a fundraising luncheon for a couple who approached the Club for assistance with their severely handicapped son, Mitchell, who could not be present. ‘I visited their home to record some of the difficulties this family faced. Those who attended saw the result and were able to share the sad but inspiring emotional experience it was for me, and responded magnificently. We were able to provide a new suitably fitted out vehicle for them as a result’ says Russell.

Russell’s interest in technology
Russell has always been infatuated with all kinds of technology, but the convergence of digital technology and visual entertainment is the ‘biggie’. The slashing of costs is also fantastic. Russell recalls taking visitors through a computer centre he managed, to a floor half the size of a football field and announcing that those huge machines held TWO GIGABYTES of information! A basic PC these days has 100 times that for a start…and the cost of a gigabyte has dropped from many thousands of dollars to a few cents. And his latest high definition camera produces the same quality picture as HD TV…and with 6 sound channels. For archiving, it can remember every face, and find every instance of anyone selected. Russell also uses a home PC to edit and enhance movie-quality productions, burn to DVD, print and label the disks and compose and print the box label. The only problem is the time it takes to prepare and edit material. An hour of footage can take 10 hours to finalise (especially the audio) …but hey, he would only be sleeping…

About the future
Russell is happy to do this until the scope, scale and complexity of what we need exceeds the abilities of a ‘dabbler’ like himself and we can justify the manpower and expense of proper resources. That will come as we complete our next stage of development (proceeding at glacial pace due to some of the impediments mentioned). Russell hopes to then continue to contribute as a Director should, - and there are other activities away from the Club.

Russell’s other interests
Russell has helped to produce and record shows by Theatre Organ Australia at their two sites close to the Club, where two of Sydney’s greatest instruments are re-installed, restored to their majestic best, and used regularly for events featuring performers on an international circuit. These are the original music ‘Synthesisers’, able to replicate a single instrument or an entire orchestra or band, and play any genre of music. They extend the prodigious talent of many pianists and organists (and jazz or rock keyboard players) and can produce a phenomenal sound - which is a challenge for recordists like himself. Being decidedly un-portable, high quality recordings are important to reach wider audiences…and for the archives. Any Club Members interested are welcome to attend any of the shows held most months through the year - the first time for free. Russell is also working on a project conceived after he first visited the WW1 sites on the Western Front in France where he was deeply stirred by the largely unknown events there. ‘I have returned several times and visited Gallipoli with a view to linking the well known Anzac story to the subsequent magnificent tragic and triumphant events in France. Few know of the decisive Australian actions in France that ended years of stalemate and led to the end of the war, and also helped forge the Australian identity we share today. I hope to be part of broadening the knowledge of, particularly, school students as the centenary of Gallipoli approaches. I attended the first Dawn Service at Villers Bretonneux last year, which was the starting point…. But that’s another story’ says Russell.

Last Words by Russell Smith
There is a link to our activities which our records have turned up. Archivist Ben Fisher drew my attention to a reference in the Encyclopaedia of Rugby League, about Wests first fullback in 1908. It concludes-“George Duffin last played in Queensland in 1913 after which he faded into obscurity”
In fact, George William Duffin, from Stanmore, Private no.856, was killed in action at the Battle of Lone Pine on 22 August 1915. He is remembered on the Lone Pine memorial at Gallipoli. His body was never recovered. He was 29.

History matters.