One of Melbourne’s most innovative chefs and lifelong Bulldogs fan, Shane Delia (Owner & Head Chef of Maha and St Katherine’s) has given his father Ted Delia an early Father’s Day gift with a very special meaning - a seat in the EJ Whitten Stand at Whitten Oval.
Shane recently bought his father Ted down to Whitten Oval under the false impression he was helping the Club put together a video of his memories at the ground, and Shane surprised him with the sentimental gift to honour his father’s love for the Club.
Watch Celebrity Chef Shane Delia and his father Ted on the media player above as they reflect on their favourite Whitten Oval Memories ahead of Father's Day.
Ted Delia migrated from Malta in 1971 and began working at the Olympic Tyre factory (later known as South Pacific Tyres) opposite Whitten Oval in 1974. Ted’s first taste of AFL footy was watching the Bulldogs take on Essendon at Windy Hill.
“A gentleman kindly sat with us and explained the workings of the game,” Ted recalls. This gentlemen Ted later learned was club great and Hall of Fame inductee, George Bisset.
“It wasn’t until I attended the Fight Back rally at Whitten Oval, did I realise who this gentleman was, the same man who so kindly sat with us at Windy Hill was standing in front of the crowd at Whitten Oval passionately appealing to all to save the Club.”
For Ted, his journey following the Bulldogs has been a long and memorable one. After getting hooked at that first game at Windy Hill, Ted used to come down to the Whitten Oval after work on a Saturday at every opportunity he could - rain, hail or shine - and with the family in tow of course.
“Some of our fondest memories are of time spent here at Whitten Oval - we met some of our closest friends here,” Ted says with a smile.
Shane too, has some great memories of coming to the ground. “I remember the excitement of walking over the road and through the turnstiles, the smell, the atmosphere, you knew you were home,” he says.
“It was birth right for us, as opposed to a choice,” Shane laughs. “The Delia family bleed red, white and blue and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
You too can make your dad’s Father’s Day even more special this year by purchasing a seat in the EJ Whitten Stand.
