Peter Rose: Rose Boys

By JOHN CONNOR

A visitor from another world arriving in Melbourne on a Saturday afternoon in mid-spring might think some terrible disaster had struck the city. The place is deserted - no traffic and not a soul in sight.

He might believe that the distant roar is the sound of the fantastic beast that has devoured all the citizens. Well, he'd be almost right - but the beast is no Godzilla. It is the Melbourne Cricket Ground and the roar comes from the thousands upon thousands of fans watching the Grand Final of the Victoria Football League.

Other football codes have their determined followers but for sheer, all-consuming, fanatical devotion few could match the fans of Aussie Rules. When it comes to sporting idols none could be more adored than members of illustrious old teams such as Collingwood.

Robert Rose was such an idol. The son of a famous sporting family, not only was he a first-class footballer but also a first-class cricketer. On Valentine's Day 1974 all this ended. A car accident severed Robert's spinal cord and left him paralysed from the neck down. Rose Boys is Robert's story told by his brother Peter.

If you know nothing about Aussie Rules and care even less, if the phrase "taking the mark" sounds like a German financial transaction, it doesn't matter. Rose Boys is not about sport.

It is a story of heroism that goes far beyond the narrow confines of a sporting hero. Not that it is all positive, uplifting and completely unrealistic. Peter details Robert's physical and mental suffering, his despair and his anger, with a candour which, at times, makes for harrowing reading. He is equally honest when dealing with his own and his family's reactions to Robert's tragedy.

Robert died in 1999. In many ways Rose Boys is a cry of grief put into words by a loving brother.

In the hands of a less talented writer Rose Boys could have degenerated into self-obsessed sentimentality. It never does. Peter Rose is an established poet and writer. In clear, simple prose he tells a moving story of courage, family love and the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.

Allen and Unwin

$36.95

* John Connor is a writer and lecturer.