Ron Jnr learned about his father's football ability from other players from his Dad's era. "He was a bit of a smart arse at times (laughing). He liked a bit of a joke, but he was courageous and fair dinkum about his efforts. He was strong in the trying-very-hard department, which is something I always admire about anyone."
Ron Jnr came to Melbourne despite not living in its zone. "[Melbourne] being a strong club, they held an interest in the family. They started to take a bit of interest in me, because I was showing a bit of ability in junior football. Somebody said one day 'what happens if he's good enough to play league football; we won't be able to get him, because he lives in Carlton or Collingwood's area'. They put the proposition up to the VFL of a father/son rule and it was accepted. I was the second player to get through under that father/son rule. I'm very happy about that."
As a player, Ron Jnr was involved in an outstanding period in the club's history. "I played in eight grand finals for six premierships. How lucky was that? I'll give you an example of someone who didn't have that luck, just to prove that I'm fair dinkum about the word luck. You've got no control over who you were born to and when - it's not in your control. So if it turns out to be very good … you are a lucky person. Just after I left in 1965, a fella called Stan Alves came [to Melbourne] and he played here for 12 years, like I did and he didn't play in a final - let alone a grand final. If I'd been born in 1948, when Melbourne won a premiership, I wouldn't have had the thrills that I had. If he'd been born in 1936, like myself, he'd have played in all those premierships, because he was a very good player."
On Anzac Day, Ron Jnr will be marching with the Seventh Australian Division in honour of his father. It will be his second time marching, but the first with this division. "I have taken part before with Legacy many years ago … so that was quite an experience. But I imagine this one might be taken even further."
He doesn't believe the division will think it is an honour having him march with it. "I would doubt that and I'm serious about that. This is a day for themselves and their not-with-us mates. No, I don't think they'd be worrying about an ex-footballer of some years."
Ron Jnr has met some of his father's war veteran mates, including 92-year-old Ron Williamson. "He's one of the men I'll be marching with. He said things I'd heard before - or were intimated before. It just painted a picture of my father, who was a typical Aussie, from what I learned. That's a good enough memory to take with me, as I'm a very proud Australian."
He has visited his father's grave at the Tobruk War Cemetery in Libya and intends to return one day. "I'll go over there again in the next four or five years - a homage to my father. I did think about bringing his body home, but I thought it through and I think he would like to stay there with his mates. It was [an emotional time] - there's no doubt about that. If I was a film star being coached by a director in an emotional scene and they said 'c'mon Ron, give us some crying' and I had trouble doing it all I would have to do is think about my father. Then I would do the crying bit quite easily. I'm not ashamed of that and I shouldn't be, by the way, I know that. It's interesting … as I've got older, I've been more inclined to have a little bit of a cry about it - my father and war in general. We should fight like hell to avoid getting into war - that's not to say I wouldn't go to war myself, but it'd need to be a huge cause before I would do it."
The Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne is a place for Ron Jnr to think about his father. "We're so lucky that people many, many years ago thought of honouring [those] who gave service in such a way. It's overlooking the city and we're so lucky they were thinkers."
Ron Barassi Snr was a father, war veteran and footballer. His achievements have not been lost on Ron Jnr. "Unfortunately, I had only had a couple of remembrances of him and I don't even know if they were genuine ones. So, you could virtually say, I didn't know my father. Occasionally, I look at his photos, read his letters and [look at] football memorabilia about him and it makes me quite proud, because he was a fun-loving Aussie, from what I make out. But he was a good bloke. To be a good bloke in Australia, I reckon it's a bit of an honour. I wish everyone was a good bloke - including the girls (laughing)."
Ron Jnr wants other teams to play on Anzac Day. "This was a bit of foresight from Kevin Sheedy many years ago. He kept going with the idea and rattled on … he's a very persistent man, Sheeds. It's a great idea, but at the same time I don't think it should be two clubs' territory. Perhaps if we revisited Essendon and Collingwood for Anzac Day every second year and shared the others around - that might be OK too. We certainly wouldn't want to get rid of it. It's been a fantastic success from all points of view."
The Anzac Day match between Collingwood and Essendon will be televised live around Australia on Channel 7
