This year marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of AFK Vršovice, now known as Bohemians Praha 1905. To commemorate this occasion, Miroslav Bobek, Director of Prague Zoo, has delved into the history of the kangaroos that are inseparably connected to the club from Vršovice.
The preparations for the famous Australia tour of AFK Vršovice began in 1926, shortly after the release of Eduard Bass’s book Klapzubova jedenáctka (Klapperzahn’s Wonder Eleven). The club’s secretary, Zdeněk Kalina, feared that “this nickname could also be assigned to us.” However, as we now know, things turned out quite differently. Thanks to the trip to Australia, the term “AFK Bohemians” was born, and since the Vršovice team brought two kangaroos from Down Under, they became incorporated both in the club’s crest and its nickname, Klokani (Kangaroos).
The two kangaroos were presented to the Bohemians Praha team on 20 June 1927 during their farewell at Brisbane station by Queensland’s Minister for Public Affairs and president of the local football association, M. J. Kirwan. Initially intended as a gift for President Masaryk, it was later revealed that he wasn’t interested. After the presentation, the kangaroos were transported from Brisbane to Sydney, where they were loaded onto the steamship Orvieto, which made a stop in Perth before continuing its journey, during which the entire Vršovice delegation boarded. On board, it was reportedly the goalkeeper Antonín Kulda and striker Jaroslav Hybš who primarily took care of the kangaroos.
Upon arrival in Venice, the transport of the kangaroos to Prague was delayed due to a veterinary inspection, so they arrived only after most of the delegation, likely on 31 July 1927. By this time, it had already been decided that they would be taken to the Vivarium Leknín in Havlíčkovy Sady. On 2 August 1927, Národní listy published a blurry photo of the kangaroos, and two days later, newspapers reported that they had quickly settled into their new surroundings. A report in Národní politika on 4 August stated that the kangaroos were happily hopping around in a cage and had adapted well to the new conditions.
“How long the kangaroos lived in Havlíčkovy Sady is unfortunately not known. They were still mentioned in the plural in the contemporary press as late as July 1929, but later, only one kangaroo is mentioned. The last reference to this second kangaroo was in a newspaper from late January 1931,” said Zoo Director Miroslav Bobek.
It is still not exactly known which species of kangaroo they were. In connection with their transfer to Bohemians Praha in Brisbane, they are referred to as “wallabies,” a general term for medium-sized kangaroo species. In a later article about the Vivarium Leknín, they were referred to as “rock kangaroos.” Unfortunately, there are no more precise descriptions of the kangaroos, and apart from a photo from Národní listy on 2 August 1927, only two other low-quality images remain. Together with colleagues from Prague Zoo and Australian experts, Miroslav Bobek came to the provisional conclusion that they were likely red-necked kangaroos or agile wallabies, with the former being the more probable option.
“I couldn’t find out more about the famous kangaroo duo so far. As for further information, I had no success even with Bohemians Praha at that time. But perhaps this report will help uncover previously unknown materials or information,” Miroslav Bobek added.
The kangaroos in the crest and nickname of Bohemians Praha 1905 remain, even nearly a century later, a permanent part of the traditional club from the Czech capital. And more importantly, they still play a significant role in Czech-Australian relations today.
Prague Zoo (Zoologická zahrada hl. m. Prahy)
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