By Garry Howe
A tradition forged on pies, pots and parody that helped launch sports entertainment and events company A Positive Move has been resurrected in Keysborough in memory of its founder Dick Custerson.
A baker’s dozen of sporting and entertainment celebrities turned out to revive the once famous Dave Whalen Pie Nights at Keysborough Golf Club on Thursday 2 February as a tribute to Dick, who lost a short battle with cancer last October.
Just over $4000 was raised, which will be channelled through Dick’s own charity, the A Positive Move Foundation, to cancer research initiatives.
A Positive Move general manager Sue Mason said the Pie Night tribute was a great success, both in terms of entertainment and fundraising.
“I reckon it is the funniest night we have put on in the 17 years I have worked here,” she said.
MC Dave Whalen, who grew up with Dick in Dandenong and both later worked in the electrical industry, explained the origins of the old Pie Nights.
Dave said that he dabbled in musical parody and pitched a song he had written about champion AFL full-forward Tony ‘Plugger’ Lockett around the time he controversially ironed out Sydney Swans player Peter Caven during a match.
He pitched the song to radio station 3UZ, which asked him to “come in and show them something”.
They liked it and wanted to book Dave for a regular Friday gig.
“I thought ‘sh**, what do I do now’,” Dave recalled.
“So, you know what I did? I rang Dicky Custerson and asked him to manage the whole thing.
“That’s how it (A Positive Move) all started.”
Around the same time, Footscray (Western Bulldogs) champion Doug Hawkins was about to break Ted Whitten’s all-time games record for the club and Dave penned a song about that.
Channel 7 called Dick and wanted Dave to perform the song on The Rex Hunt Show on a Sunday morning.
Sensing an opportunity, Dick rang Footscray Football Club, knowing it would have a tribute function for Hawkins after the game, and arranged for Dave to sing the song as the new games record holder entered the room.
That began a long association with Hawkins, who was one of the guests for the tribute function earlier this month.
The original Dave Whalen’s Pie Night line-up was headed by AFL stars Danny Frawley and Darren Crocker, who also returned for the tribute.
There would not be too many sporting clubs in the south-east that didn’t have a Pie Night fundraiser at some stage.
The format would be for the celebrities to recruit members of the audience to play out a series of challenges devised by the MC.
For the tribute show, the room was full of celebrity guests, so teams were picked and topped up by audience members whose names were drawn out of a barrel.
Also participating were AFL giants David Parkin, Stan Alves, Terry Daniher and Terry Wallace, along with VFL coach Brett Lovett, champion swimmer Tammy Van Wisse, singer Andrew Wishart and comedians the Nelson Twins and Marty Fields.
They took turns at challenges like pie eating, Elvis impersonations, arm wrestling, kookaburra calling and Salada eating.
The team captained by the ultra-competitive Danny Frawley took the honours.
“Dicky would have had a ball,” the winning captain said, accepting the trophy.
“He would have been laughing the loudest.”
Crocker applauded the concept of the Pie Nights, the brainchild of Dick and Dave.
“I was in the AFL system from an early age and didn’t really have much experience with the club culture,” he explained.
“These nights took me back to grassroots footy and gave me an opportunity to give something back.
“I got to know some of the other (AFL) guys as well.
“They were great days, great times and gave us great memories.”
Terry Wallace, who donned the umpire’s gear to control the shenanigans, explained how he had taken a part-time role with A Positive Move after Dick’s passing.
“We sat back as a group and everyone was determined to continue Dicky’s legacy,” he explained.
“Sue and the girls run a brilliant function, always have and always will, but the business needed someone to step into Dicky’s shoes.
“No one will ever really fill those massive shoes, but I have come on board as a business development manager two days a week.
“We need to grow A Positive Move and can do that with the support of the people in this room.
“We are here, alive and vibrant and will never forget our roots.”
