“Men almost always walk in paths beaten by others and act by imitation” - Niccolo Machiavelli
Expatriate rugby in Korea was first played when the Seoul Wanderers were formed in 1972 to play the University and Army teams. With an abundance of blokes from the UK, Australia and NZ they were a formidable team.
To quote Mike Seros, a Seoul Survivor original, “the Wanderers were eventually disbanded for getting into too many punch-ups with Korean sides. Barry Martin could shed light on this”.
According to Barry Martin, the Survivors legendary Great Captain: “Sometime in 1976 in a game against Yonsei University there was a ruckus that really blew up and they walked off the field. This was one that I was unjustly blamed for”. After that the Wanderers could not get a Korean team to play against.
The one game they continued to play every year was against the Contemptibles in Hong Kong on the Thursday evening before the HK 7’s, before that event became the rugby function in Asia.
One evening in late 1977 Billy Cornett started up a conversation with Brad Handley in the men’s room during a function at the US Embassy where Brad worked. Rugby came up.
Brad Handley, working at the Embassy, could get access for a large number of people on to Collier Field at Yongsan, and also had the AFKN contact to make an announcement about rugby. Newspaper ads were also placed.
Seven people came out at the first practice... Brad Handley (US), Chris Ball (Eng), Mike Seros (US), Robbie Douglas (NZ), Billy Cornett (US), and two captains from the UN forces, who heard about it on the radio and had played at West Point. Barry Martin (Aus) did not make it because he was on a trip to the US. They all promised each other to bring at least one other recruit the next week...and the group got off the ground that way.
Franz Misch (US) was a certified referee and he not only refereed but served as de facto coach as only he knew all the Laws (there is a lesson there somewhere). Franz also owned a big old US taxi and ferried everyone onto the base and to his or Brad Handley’s home for after match drinks and sing alongs.
When discussing the name for the team it was agreed that the Wanderers name could not be used because no one would play them. Kathy Seros, Mike's first wife, came up with the name Seoul Survivors. Brad Handley funded the kit – red and black hooped jerseys – and balls.
Steve Gulson, Pat Edwards, Dermot Taylor, Alex Suvoltos, Paul Ellis and Robin Ellis are some of the names from those early years.
In the early 80's the Survivors had tours to Japan (with the Kobe club and later the Fukuoka Monkeys) and Hong Kong and also hosted Hong Kong at Mike Hamlyn's house.
The Survivors were fundamentally an expat club. It was after the Olympics, when a lot of players left and soccer became very strong among the Brits, French and Germans, that the Survivors really began to pick up with army players.
Written by Les Edwards based on contributions from Brad Handley, Barry Martin and Mike Seros.
