Hold the bus: Les is top Cat

Andrew Mathieson
DEDICATION, loyalty and commitment are traits paramount to success at Geelong Football Club.
Behind the scenes, Les Bailey exudes all three.
In a club littered with an abundance of public heroes, the Cats stalwart is their longest serving.
Les has chalked up 894 games for Geelong since walking through the gates at Kardinia Park in 1971.
The life member since 1989 is now the Cats’ AFL team manager and matchday interchange steward.
But the 65yearold isn’t paid a cent.
“I just love doing it all,” Les admits.
“I have the best seat in the house for the game. I’d even pay to do it.”
Les’s association with the Cats began when he won a job managing the reserves after injury cut short his playing career with Thomson.
He managed the reserves from 1971 to 1982 and has run the seniors for the past 25 seasons.
He admits just “taking note of the results” and rarely attending matches before joining Geelong.
But he runs a tight ship – or bus – nowadays.
No one turns up late or misses the ride to Melbourne.
And he’s quick to clarify he had little to do with Garry Sidebottom missing the bus from Lara to Waverley for the 1981 preliminary final
“It was before my time.
“I was with the club but I was only doing the twos.”
Senior team manager Ian McKenzie was forced to include emergency Peter Johnstone, who had driven to the ground reputedly full of chicken and chips and a strawberry milkshake.
Les recalls a calamitous trip to Arden Street to play the Kangaroos when the bus was stuck under the bridge at North Melbourne – twice.
“We had the spare tyre on top of the bus,” he tells.
“The driver thought coming back the other way the bridge would be higher but we got stuck again.”
Another time the wheels “fell” off the bus at Laverton on the way to the 1981 VFL reserves grand final.
Les didn’t panic, phoning a taxi company to ferry players and officials to the MCG.
“They thought the call was dubious, so they sent just one taxi,” he says.
“When they saw it was us they sent a whole fleet out.
“We got there, late, and won the grand final.”
Les also patrols the interchange bench like a prowling cat.
Estimating more than 50 moves off the bench each game, Les fastidiously stands on one side of the interchange line and directs players to run inside of him.
“If they go outside that, they might as well not go on the ground again,” he smirks.