The page in this website that defines the project, About This Project, includes the following line:
… this project is not intended as a platform for grievance — though, at times, I may lapse and loosen my self-imposed restraints.
This is the place where those restraints are applied less rigorously.
Why?
Because this project is, in many respects, personal.
It centres on “The Roger Cowan Years” — and Roger is my father.
The story, therefore, is not only historical. It is also lived.
Panthers has long been embedded in the Cowan family. It is less an interest than a constant presence — something closer to home than anything else. Even now, my mother, at 91, still attends games, despite the relocation to Parramatta.
This section of Beyond the Book provides space to step slightly outside the structure of the manuscript.
Here, I may offer interpretation, perspective, or anecdote — sometimes to clarify, sometimes simply to add dimension.
There have, over time, been difficult moments connected to the events described in this material. Those are not the focus here. But nor will they be avoided if they are relevant to understanding what unfolded.
The purpose of this section is more straightforward.
To add depth where it may assist.
To provide context that sits outside the narrative.
And, at times, to share the perspective of someone who was not only observing events, but living within them.
Some of these reflections are easy to write. Others are not.
Panthers, Passion & Politics - The Roger Cowan Years 