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TWO TALES OF A SEIPEL...JEFFREY GEORGE
A Profile on Jeffrey Seipel.
This story was put together mainly by Geoff Gebhard with the help of Ted Winnett both long standing work mates and lifelong friends of Jeff.
Jeff went to Junction Park Primary School at Annerley when the family lived at Cavanagh Street, Jeff went to Salisbury High until 1958. The family then lived at Winsome Road Salisbury.
Jeff was a good tennis player at high school and I am pretty sure he went on to play Pennant Grade, so tennis was probably his main game. He also played rugby league at high school, both Ted and I were great mates of Jeff in those days, and remained great mates till Jeff passed on.
He started his only ever job on 9th March 1959, as a "Carto" (Cartographic Draftsman) in the Survey Office on the Lands Department.
After the college and training was completed, he gravitated to the lithographic side of things and so he knew the map reproduction and colour separation side of things.
His branch worked very closely with the Government Printer back in those days, he was always a lover of sport, and played mostly halfback for the Lands Department in the Public Service League. He was later co-manager of the team.
At one stage he was the coach/manager of a ladies basketball side from the Lands Department.
In the late 60's or early 70's he had the mandatory Valiant Charger so life was full on. I took Jeff over to Boomerang Squash Club in 1970, where his tennis skills were apparent, so were his social skills, and with the happy egalitarian nature of the club and members, Boomerang became the centre of his social orbit.
He used to also come along to watch the Bulimba hockey teams, so finally he took over as a team manager or "the ger" as he wanted to be called. The nickname never stuck as everybody called him "Jeffrey George" or just "George" and also Baldy was another nickname but that was not really popular with Jeff.
At Boomerang his partners in crime were mainly Creve's and Landy, I can still see the 3 of them sitting at a table in a café in Melbourne Street very late at night sipping from the Worcestershire sauce bottle while waiting for the burger and chips or whatever was being cooked. I am not sure if this was before or after a session under the "tree", if Landie denies this then it might have been Smithy.
I still fondly recall the Saturday afternoons training in the private bar of the Coronation Hotel in Hope Street, where closest two bob to the wall without hitting it (winner take all) was practiced to perfection.
Jeff was my best man on a rainified 14th of January 1972, and he was still celebrating with my dad and 3 brothers the next morning when Sue and I dropped in to home to pick up some stuff to take on our honeymoon.
His mother's passing was way too soon and he looked after his dad Fred at the Winsome Road address. Around 1972 a "Dish Licker" called Myer Milo used to command his interest at the Gabba Track Jeff used to race Myer Milo with his good mate Peter Land.
Jeff fell in love with a great hayburner called Charlton Boy, and won plenty on Charlton Boy as the horse won many races. This sparked off his interest in the Neddy's, he was in a syndicate or two and the best of Jeff's horses was called "Luminia", which also won some good races.
Once again, attracted to sport in Caloundra, Jeff was the Secretary of the Brisbane Lions Supporters club and did his bit, although I believe there was a bit of dummy spitting by some of his fellow supporters and Jeff thought he didn't need that sort of thing, definitely not like the camaraderie and good will at Boomerang we experienced so many years before.
Jeff's record on and off the court at Boomerang/Gabba is listed below.
Ladder Secretary 1971-72. Secretary 1972-74, Vice Captain 1977-78, Vice President 1980-81.
Jeff's Team was successful in winning the Col Brandon Teams Incentive Trophy 1970-71 in the E1 Grade. His teamates were Doug Loveday, Geoff Gebhard, Alan Griffiths, and Mick Mulcahy.
1972 Jeff was runner up to Robin Bennett in the 3rd Division club championships.
1973 Jeff was again runner up in the 2nd Division of the club championships this time to Barry Ashby.
Successful Teams in which Jeff won Pennants were, 1970-71 Summer E1 Grade; his mates were Doug Loveday, Geoff Gebhard, Mick Mulcahy & Alan Griffiths.
1972 Winter Season C1, his team mates this season were Doug White, Noel Messer, Col Brandon Jnr & Terry Watt.
Jeff also won the E Grade State Teams Title in 1970-71; his teamates in that side were Doug Loveday, Geoff Gebhard, Noel Messer.
Sadly Jeff has been punting from the member's enclosure in the Big Grandstand in the sky since September 2005, and I take the time every now and then to raise a cold glass of amber to him.
A response from a mate...Griffo
What a great story by Geoff and Ted. It lit the lamp in my mind of a great bloke who to this day I still miss.
Like Jeff, I went to Junction Park School at Annerley. His sister Joan was in my grade and not a bad sort. I lived near Annerley Junction and Jeff near Chardon's Corner. I would ride my push bike up to the Seipel home at Cavanagh Street to talk to Joan after school. I also used to steal old Fred's home grown strawberries. Jeff at that time was about seven and just a pest. He and his mother and sister got together one time and filled the fattest strawberry you have every seen with several of those dreadfully hot and red Hudson's cold jubes. They gave me the fruit and I popped it in whole, they then stood back and waited until I got off my bike and hurtled to the nearest water tap to put out the fire in my belly. I can still remember Jeff lying on his back in the grass kicking his legs and laughing hysterically. He called me Strawb for years after that.
I did not get square until 20 years later when we were on the same team playing for the BDSRA E1 Pennant. Geoff was nervous and his anxiety boiled over with a spew in the back left hand corner of the court in the hit up. I had a grubby little towel which I used for all sorts of unmentionable things. So I threw it down and he mopped up the spew with it. He then threw it back. I was handling it with my racquet as I did not want to touch it. At about seven all in the first, he's done it again in the same corner. I scooped up the same towel with my racquet and threw it down. He caught it, wiped his sweaty face with it, said thanks and threw it back; it was my turn to laugh! The good news was that nobody slipped on the spew.
My mum and Jeff's mum used to shop at Annerley Junction and became friends. Fred and I became pretty close and remained so. He was a great gardener and the Winsome Road property was a picture; so much so that it won first prize in its category of the Courier Mail Garden Competition with the results published in the Sunday Mail. Regretfully, it was Joan's 21st birthday party the night before publication and I was in charge of beer (fancy that!). After the party in my stupor I transferred an empty XXXX keg from the venue and just hurled it over the fence at Winsome Road right in the middle of the garden. There would have been one thousand cars driven past to see the prize winning garden that morning, and Fred just never forgave me.
Jeff looked after Fred wonderfully in Fred's later years. He became a great cook and very house proud. He'd make Felix Unger look like a garbage collector. I can remember many a Christmas day at Winsome Road with Fred, Jeff, Kingie and Honest Joe before I joined my own family for Christmas dinner. They were great times for stories while Jeff cooked Christmas dinner.
I still have my Surf Life saving involvement and whenever I was at the Sunshine Coast I would stay the Saturday night with him. He would try to have Podge Land visit concurrently so we could talk about old times. He always had news of Geoff Gebbard and his family and of Ted Winnett. He was the cleanest neatest guy I have ever met. Everything about his unit was spic and span - thoughtfully arranged and with good taste.
I have gathered many Surf Life Saving t-shirts over the years and from time to time gave several to Jeff. During one of my visits he gave me his original Boomerang Squash Club t-shirt. He had kept this for about thirty five years and valued it very much. I took it with me to his funeral and it went with him at the end.
Like I said, I miss him.