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Lorelei 
Joined: 17 Jul 2000
Location: Ryder Stand/Ponsford Stand
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| Post subject: Collingwood historical fact for the week... |  |
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Just after reading some stuff for Hotpie's post on the origins of Good Old Collingwood forever, I thought I'd give you an insight into the little motto that so many of us have in our sigs...!
This is another extract from the wonderful book, Kill for Collingwood, written by R. Stremski. 
Floreat Pica
During the post-premiership celebrations of 1910, Collingwood adopted a motto suggested by Club treasurer, Bob Rush. Rush, who was Richmond bred, was better educated than most Collingwood players or officials. That was evident in the motto the club adopted at his urging, Floreat Pica. Figuratively translated, the meaning was intended as 'May the Magpies Prosper'. At the time it was coined it may have seemed pretentious to modify Eton's motto for the sake of a football club in a working-class suburb. But Collingwood was unique, and regarded itself as unique. Club spirit was reinforced by the motto. All that mattered was that Collingwood prospered.
PS - Eton, as in, the prep school in England. Their motto is, Floreat Etona, or May Eton Flourish.
Jen
_________________
HANDS OFF OUR JUMPER
**Craig Kelly**Craig Kelly**Craig Kelly**
Floreat Pica |
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MissMagpie_20 
BUCKS SIMPLY THE BEST!
Joined: 02 Oct 2002
Location: Ballarat
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Interesting facts Jen. I always wondered where 'floreat pica' came from. Im planning on getting it added to my tattoo 
_________________
Those with the most invested are the last to surrender!
So when i'm lying in my bed, thoughts running through my head and i feel that love is dead...
IM LOVING BUCKLEY INSTEAD! |
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nitric
Joined: 13 May 2002
Location: Canberra, ACT
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Knowledge is Power, Jen.
Great stuff.
Keep it up. |
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Mike 
Joined: 20 Sep 1996
Location: Lilydale, Tas.
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Following a discussion about the motto on this BB, I once asked Richard Stremski if he could give us some more information about the origin of the motto. This was his reply.
| Quote: | Mike
As I pointed out in my book, the motto was adapted from the similar Etonian motto. In Eton's case it applied to a singular institution containing a collective number of members and the adaptation did not bother to differentiate. Had it been applied to the Collingwood Football Club itself rather than to the symbol of the club the singular tense would have been more appropriate. However, the originator of the term, Bob Rush, would not have thought about that presumably and there weren't many pedantic public school boys around the CFC to nitpick about it. I don't see it as a problem, both for the above reason and because it can be considered to apply as in the royal "we", even though the monarch is really only singular.
The matter has been raised on various occasions over the decades by people who wanted to display their knowledge or mock Collingwood. You have to remember that Collingwood was a heavily working class club that was succeeding far beyond expectations (4 flags in its first 19 years), and the natural inclination to brag led the early leaders to be a little pretentious in this instance. They may not have received an "A" in their Latin class, but that hardly mattered.
As for pica, it has nothing to do with the American pica pica, but rather is a term applied to black and white birds in general. Both pica and magpie were in 1910, and still are, used generically by non-ornithologists to apply to large black and white birds. That's the closest Bob Rush could find when he tried to discern how to say magpies in Latin, and he didn't bother nitpicking. It was the thought that mattered: an Australian working-class institution transposing the slogan of England's most prestigious public school. It was pretentious, audacious and just a little bit inaccurate.
Cheers, Richard |
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