I was recently going through a box of my old football photos - team shots, actions shots and crowd scenes showing friends and family. It made me reflect about a very successful bygone era when I was fit and competitive. Although some of these photos made it into family photo albums the majority are still orphaned in a shoe box in my cupboard. I only notice them when I am cleaning up and it makes me very nostalgic when I do read them again. I am reluctant to throw them out but I know that one day someone will because they only make sense to me.
Then there are the numerous newspaper cuttings,
trophies and winner medallions. I consider these
are just as valuable as my photos but what to do
with them is the question. They adorned my
mantlepiece for a number of years before being
turfed into the same box as the old photos. The
newspaper cuttings, in particular are rapidly
yellowing and starting to look a bit tattered. When
I die I am sure they will all be thrown out and
my soccer history will be lost.
I feel a need to preserve my football story for
future generations. I am sure there are many
people out there with a similar tale just waiting to
be told.
What I need is some way to present my football story to my children and grandkids. No-one except me would fully appreciate my passion and how much I cherished playing football. You get some sense of this flipping though my photos etc but the history and the storyline needs a much fuller explanation. How do you document being the youngest player to ever play in State League, representing two countries, winning numerous player awards and making the all Australian Amateur Soccer team (equivalent to the Olympic side today)? You create a book!!
Printed books are still the most tangible way to remember your special story. Printed books also make a wonderful gift for that special someone. The major advantage is that when photos and cuttings etc are converted over to digital format they can be easily manipulated and can be easily backed up so that that will not deteriorate further.
Beyond photos
