Fate sometimes works in mysterious ways, and the intricacies of  football are no exception.A promising junior in a competition that provided the WANFL with many fine players, including Denis Marshall, Ken Mann, John Thornton, Brian Ham, and Steve Berringer,  Ashley August  had the breeding to play for East Fremantle, was tied to Claremont, and it was eventually a South Fremantle player’s transfer that saw him at Fremantle Oval. Ashley’s father, Vic, played reserves for East Fremantle after moving from Kalgoorlie, and his uncle also represented the blue and whites, while wife Merrill is a stepdaughter of Charlie Doig. Recruited by the Tigers to be part of their inaugural colts side, August trained at Claremont Oval with a group of around fifteen during the pre season of 1957, only to find himself and others who had done the hard yards left out of the twenty for the first practice game at Bassendean against Swan Districts. “It was full of Scotch and other college boys, most of them unsighted at training,” he recalled.August went back to playing under eighteens at Mosman Park on Saturdays and ex Scholars Sundays, but a chance meeting during cricket season with another disenchanted Claremont hopeful, Bob Bolton, led to a move to the Bulldogs. “Bob mentioned that he was after a clearance to South Fremantle,” Ashley said. “It seemed that Claremont had appointed State full back Ray Richards as coach, and were being asked for two young players as a trade. I thought: “why not?” and got in touch with the South club, who told me to come down.”    After three weeks in the reserves in 1959, August was selected on the bench, going to full back when Harry Riseborough left the field late in the game. Starting on a wing the following week opposed to Subiaco’s Ron Triplett, he performed well, and was moved to a half back flank for South’s next game. It was in his third game that August learnt a lesson.“I had the flu and didn’t tell anyone,” he admitted. “We were playing Claremont, and Lorne Cook, a handful at any time, ran me ragged. It was a good lesson, one that wasn’t repeated.” It cost Ashley a place in the side, however, and, after spending several weeks languishing in the reserves he earned a recall, to establish himself as a regular in defence for the Bulldogs.  August was among South’s best in a disappointing loss to East Fremantle in the first semi final of 1960. “East Fremantle coach Steve Marsh was a good tactician, and made some telling pre match moves,” he said. “Ken Holt went onto Tom Grjusich and the pair had a full on barney during “God Save The Queen,” which resulted in a goal before a ball was bounced for East, Norm Rogers went into the centre, and “Boxer” Coulson lined up at centre half back, positions neither had played in before.”  East Fremantle went on to win the game by seventeen points, and it heralded the start of a bleak period for the Bulldogs. August, a player who liked to make his own game, a stylish mover, good kick and dependable mark, had become a negating defender, a role he wasn’t entirely comfortable with, and he yearned to become a more attacking player. He would have enjoyed the role of the half back in today’s game.  In the summer of 1963 Ashley was transferred in his employment with the bank to Bunbury, where he was appointed coach of Carey Park, and relished the opportunity to play in the midfield.Not only a talented footballer, Ashley August had also made his mark in other sports. An A Grade table tennis player, he admits it was his temperament that prevented selection at a higher level. In his last season of cricket in WACA pennants before moving to the South West, he opened the batting for Claremont-Cottesloe in an A Grade pennant final win over South Perth, his freak catch to get rid of the dangerous Murray Vernon a highlight and turning point of the game.  Laurie Mayne, Ian Brayshaw, Ross Edwards ,Graham McKenzie, and Laurie Bedford were team mates in that match. August coached Carey Park in 1966 and 1968. The club had lost a dozen players and were rebuilding, the efforts put in by August as mentor later recognised as a factor in the success they eventually enjoyed under Brian Sarre.  Ashley didn’t take long to get involved in the tough style they play in the South West. “I got ironed out in the first game,” he said.Returning to Perth in 1967, August decided against a resumption at Fremantle Oval. “I’d become pigeon holed into a negative defensive role there, and wanted to get away from it,” he told us.  Bert Thornley, newly appointed coach of East Fremantle, was quite frank with me, saying I probably wouldn’t make league, but I went to Moss Street anyway and played seven games with the top side that season.”It was a turbulent few years for East Fremantle, with more coaches leaving than at East Perth Station, but August reclaimed a regular berth in defence, albeit the same role as he had at South, but eventually suffered from the coaching roundabout by making way for youth, with a fairest and best in the reserves a reminder to the club of his ability. It was the appointment of Alan Joyce as coach for the 1971 season that caused Ashley to rethink his future.  “I had  just played in the reserves side that won the flag after tying the grand final and prevailing in the replay, so it was October before the season was over,” he recalled. “Joyce informed us we’d be in full training in a fortnight’s time, no correspondence entered into.”“I had a yarn with wife Merrill, who told me I could have one more year, and if I played any more after that she’d cut my ankles off.”After receiving an assurance from the coach that age would be no barrier, August put everything into pre season in 1971, and his effort in a pre season match against Footscray in Melbourne set the scene for one of his best seasons of league football.  Overwhelming Claremont in the first semi final, East Fremantle were confident they had the measure of West Perth in the preliminary final.  “If the East Fremantle win when I was with South in that final eleven years earlier was due to smart tactics, so was this one by West Perth,” he said. “They came downfield in a flood, with Farmer, Whinnen and Watling, in particular, dangerous.” West Perth went on to win the grand final over East Perth.   True to his word( or maybe appreciating the function of his ankles) August retired after the preliminary final, having played fifty eight games with East Fremantle and seventy four for South. He later took up umpiring in the East Fremantle junior competition, officiating for under twelves, fourteens, and eighteens. Leaving the bank for the car business in 1981, he later became a bookmaker’s clerk before operating a successful landscaping, brickpaving, and retaining wall business. “I got a lesson in laying pavers one Sunday and things just grew from there,” he laughed.Ever the sportsman, August plays golf nowadays at Halls Head, and won the National Veteran Championships of 2000 in Adelaide before winning a B Grade event in Canberra recently.  Daughters Stacey, an All Australian schoolgirls hockey player, Jodie, who represented Western Australia in little athletics and also a State schoolgirls hockey player, Shannon, a top line basketballer, and Fiona, at basketball and hockey, have carried on the August genes.     Frank Pyke(Perth) was a player Ashley found hard to master, and the brilliant John Gerovich( “a freak”) was best he played with. In an interview late in his career, the master rover, Barry Cable, was asked about his hardest opponents. The name of Ashley August was mentioned in  the reply. It was perhaps fitting that a player who never received the plaudits he probably should have should receive such recognition from a champion, who would have encountered the best.