Strevens tells all this [the story of Bob Rose’s life] in an unpretentious and utterly dinkum narrative that is exactly suited to the task and the subject.‘

Brian Matthews, Australian Book Review

the central role of biography is to help us understand others Bob Rose: a dignified life by Steve Strevens achieves this admirably.’

Christopher Bantick, Sydney Morning Herald

On the way home, well past midnight, Bob thought about his life. He thought about growing up in the Mallee, about his boxing and his football. He thought about his love for Elsie and his pride in his two sons. He thought about the journey that had brought him here.‘

Bob Rose is one of the true legends of Australian Rules Football. Regarded by many as the best rover of all time, he was also coach of his beloved Collingwood for many years. Bob’s brilliant ball skills, his toughness as a player, his inspiring leadership and his unerring sense of fair play set him above the pack over and over again.

However Bob’s life is about much more than sport. It is also about a remarkable family: his wife Elsie, who gave up a promising singing career, and his sons Robert and Peter
one a champion sportsman who became a quadriplegic in the prime of his career, and the other a celebrated poet and writer who took a very different path.

Bob Rose’s story is one of humility, grace and great resilience in the face of extraordinary adversity. It is the story of how a man climbed from obscurity, weathering life’s lows, both personal and sporting, to become one of the true greats of Australian life. Illuminating, tragic and uplifting, Bob Rose is about one extraordinary ordinary man. It is a story for everyone.