A Season in the Country: 1975 in the Wimmera and Farrer Leagues – Episode 8

 

 

Lockhart Football Ground

 

 

Episode 8                  Blues celebrate Bill McGrath’s 350^th game in style

 

Featuring Bill McGrath (Minyip)

 

The Wimmera League

 

 

                       

 

Lions                       v                   Blues

 

 

Match of the day: Warracknabeal v Minyip

Saturday 7^th June 1975

At Anzac Park, Warracknabeal

 

In episode six we visited Warracknabeal and glimpsed tributes to its rural character. In this episode we follow the Stawell-Warracknabeal road to the “heart of the wheat belt” at Minyip.

 

Minyip is one of those small country towns with a streetscape revealing classic elements typical of rural Australian settlements over a century ago. A stroll along the main street uncovers historic buildings that remain largely unchanged from their heyday in the late 19^th and early 20^th century. It is not surprising therefore that film and television series producers looking for authentic Australian country town settings have been drawn to the Wimmera region and towns like Minyip and Murtoa in particular. Familiar outdoor scenes for ‘The Flying Doctors’ television series were filmed in Minyip.

 

Among Minyip’s buildings of interest is the historic St. John’s Lutheran Church built in 1889 in the neighbouring village of Kirchheim. In 1935 the simple Gothic-design church was transported 6km by a steam traction engine to its present site in Minyip. The German Lutheran community who settled in the Minyip district in the early 1870s had themselves moved, in their case, from South Australia’s Barossa Valley.

 

A scan of the Warracknabeal and Minyip team lists below provides evidence that the German dryland farmers from South Australia also brought their athletic talents and have remained front and centre in the Wimmera football community for well over a century. There are the Koschitzkes and Jaenschs, the Krantzs, the Lierschs and the Pietschs and the Niewands, the Schurmanns and Uebergangs. If we look at other Wimmera League clubs in 1975 we find more German ancestry in the names: Schodde, Holz, Homburg, Schulz, Henseleit, Sudholz, Fritsch, Rauert, Schneider, Deutscher, Schumann, Weiderman, Hoffman and Stronarch, just to name some.

 

Where else in Australian Football country do we find those sorts of surnames? Look no further than the Farrer and Hume Leagues in the Riverina, where you will unearth the Klemkes, Semmlers, Steinkes, Krauses, Luhrs’, Friedleibs, Schultzs, Feurerherdts, Paechs, Schneiders, Wegeners, Lieschkies and Wiesners, again just to name some.

 

The pioneering German Lutherans from South Australia, who were encouraged to move by the opening of large tracts of land for selection in the eastern colonies, and those that followed, also settled at places such as Walla, Walbundrie, Temora, Holbrook and Henty.

 

Minyip was an original Wimmera and District League club, winning the 1922 premiership. After the Wimmera League was formed in 1937, Minyip had to wait until the 1950s before claiming its next two flags (1952, 1954). Then a long drought set in and it was 30 years before the Blues took the honours again (1984). The next period was more prosperous, with three flags in succession (1991-93) prior to their merger with neighbours Murtoa in 1995. The amalgamated club, Minyip-Murtoa (the ‘Kookaburras’) soon had success winning premierships in 1996, ’97 and ’98. A further flag, won in 2019, rounds out the club’s premiership record.

 

 

 

 

The teams

 

Warracknabeal

 

B:         R. Krantz, T. Lewis, P. Gunn

HB:      L. Martin, B. Jaensch, A. Bell

C:         B. Koschitzke, K. Norman, B. Lamont

HF:      P. Murphy, T. Lehmann, I. Bell

F:         P. Cozens, W. Hardingham, C. Staley

Foll:     K. Byron, M. Deckert (c)

Rov:     G. Clayton

Res:     R. Mason, G. Seater

 

 

Minyip

 

B:         S. Maher, P. Wood, K, Schurmann

HB:      B. Wilson, G. Uebergang, R. Clark

C:         D. Barnett, A. Niewand, N. Goodgame

HF:      A. Habel, E. Ross, M. Tobin

F:         L. Power, W. McGrath (c), W. Coxall

Foll:     G. Liersch, P. Niewand

Rov:     G. Jelly

Res:     M. Gill, D. Pietsch

 

 

 

What a way to celebrate 350 senior games (and 201 games of football in the Wimmera League). Minyip playing coach Bill McGrath kicked 10 goals from full forward and was the driving force behind the Blues unexpected win against Warracknabeal. He used his experience to good effect in the packs and kicked accurately all afternoon. Right from the outset Minyip looked the better side with rover Gary Jelly continually clearing the ball from the centre and delivering it deeply to McGrath or to co-coach Bruce Wilson at centre half forward.

 

Again Max Deckert won the ruck contests for Warracknabeal, but was overshadowed in the second half by the Minyip big men. The Lions were on the slide after losing three games on the trot, meanwhile Minyip looked forward to taking on Murtoa and Horsham, the two teams just above them on the ladder, in coming rounds.

 

 

 

Final scores:

 

Minyip 19.11 (125) defeated Warracknabeal 14.21 (105)

 

 

Around the Wimmera League grounds

 

Jeparit full forward Doug Schumann showed all his class and experience and like Bill McGrath also celebrated his 350th game in fine style. The veteran Schumann kicked nine goals in the Redbacks five point win over Stawell. Doug is our featured player in episode 19.

 

Dimboola spearhead Ritchie Kalms booted six goals in his side’s 65 point win over Nhill. Ararat had a comfortable win over Murtoa and Horsham were untroubled by Rupanyup.

 

The Wimmera League ladder published in the Wimmera Mail-Times after round 8 was:

 

 

 

Next week in the Wimmera League:

 

Next week the Wimmera League travel to Hamilton to do battle with the Western Border League. No home and away fixtures are scheduled.

 

 

Farrer League

 

Under the ‘Clear Points System’ used in the Farrer League at the time, this is how the teams fared in Round 8: Wagga earned six premiership points in its narrow victory over MCU (1 point); Collingullie lost heavily to TR-YC (6 and a half points) but earned half a point (for equalling TR-YC in the third quarter); North Wagga earned five points in their 22 point victory over Holbrook (2 points) as did Henty in their win over Temora and Lockhart, who were pushed all the way by Culcairn (1 point), held on for a narrow win and took six premiership points.

 

 

Next week:

 

In our match of the day, North Wagga host Henty. MCU play Lockhart at Mangoplah, Temora take on Wagga at Nixon Park, Collingullie are at home to Holbrook and Culcairn face visitors TR-YC.

 

Next episode’s featured player is North Wagga’s Alan Hayes.

 

 

This episode’s featured player: Bill McGrath (Minyip)

 

                                

 

 

Minyip farmer Bill McGrath was a legendary figure in Victorian country football who went on to become a long standing Victorian Member of Parliament and community leader. He was born at Swanwater near St. Arnaud. The McGrath family moved to a farm at Minyip when Bill was still at school. After leaving school at 14 he worked on the family wheat sheep farm becoming a very successful farmer with a deep pride in his wool clip twice winning the Wimmera district merino sheep champion merino fleece award.

 

Bill started his football career as a 16 year old with the Minyip reserves under the coaching of former North Melbourne player Laurie Icke. A golden opportunity presented itself the following season at Horsham when he came into the Wimmera League team at the last minute in a match against a visiting VFL combination. So impressed was Melbourne’s Ron Barassi in young Bill’s talent that he was invited to try out with Melbourne. He took up the offer and played several practice matches in 1958 but chose to stick with the family farm for the time being. In 1959 he had a change of heart and decided to give the VFL another go, playing not with the Demons but with South Melbourne. Like many country recruits at the time, Bill travelled each Thursday to the city to train and then play on Saturdays before driving home to the farm. McGrath played just one season (15 games) at the Lake Oval club before returning to full time farming and resuming his country football career.

 

After leaving South Melbourne Bill McGrath captain coached Watchem- Corack (North Central League) to premierships in 1960 and 1961 before taking Donald to the 1963 North Central League premiership. He later enjoyed a second stint as coach of Watchem-Corak and led the North Central League in the 1970 VCFL Country Championships.

 

Bill returned to the Wimmera League in the early 1970s, firstly as playing coach at Warracknabeal in 1972 and ’73, before coming home to Minyip where he was captain coach between 1974 and 1977. His tally of over 350 senior games saw him recognised as a life member of the Minyip FC and the Wimmera League and named coach of the Donald FC Hall of Fame team. During his long and distinguished football career he coached inter league teams, including the North Central, the Wimmera and the Victorian Country team. He was renowned as a tough and vigorous footballer who gave no quarter and always brought a strong physical presence on the football field.

 

 

Football was not the only sport that Bill excelled in, with tennis in summer his favoured game. After entering the Victorian Parliament in 1979 as the Member for Lowan he was a key figure in getting the proposal for an international tennis arena at Melbourne Park (the Rod Laver Arena) through parliament. He later served as a Minister with agriculture his most passionate interest. McGrath served as a MLA until 1999 when he was replaced by another Wimmera identity and VFL footballer, ex-Essendon player Hugh Delahunty originally from Murtoa.

 

 

    

 

 

In the VFL … Hawthorn had no trouble securing a 49 point win over Collingwood at Princes Park. Rene Kink, originally from Ararat, booted four goals for the Magpies, while Peter Knights starred for the Hawks in a best on ground performance. Footscray scraped home against South Melbourne, while Richmond got back on track with a convincing win over Essendon. Geelong staged a strong comeback to defeat Melbourne by six points in a show of support by Cats players for coach Polly Farmer. Carlton had to pull out all stops to get over the line against an unlucky Fitzroy who were making a habit of going down in close ones.

 

 

North Melbourne defeated St Kilda by 22 points at Morrabbin. Former Geelong full forward Doug Wade led the way for the Kangaroos with five goals while Keith Greig was in total command on the wing. It was the small men, Peter Chisnall (from Corowa), Paul Feltham and Wayne Schimmelbusch who overran the Saints in the last quarter and put the result out of danger. North climbed to seventh on the ladder but remained two wins out of the five.

 

Warracknabeal rover/forward Graeme Schultz was granted a clearance by Essendon to WAFL club Subiaco in early June 1975. He had made a big impact at Essendon as a classy rover with a sharp goal sense. The Bombers were reluctant to lose him but eventually relented, allowing Schultz to take up tertiary studies in Perth. He hit the ground running in the west, coming close to winning the Sandover Medal that year despite only playing half a season in the WAFL. Schultz played 85 games for Subiaco before returning to Windy Hill in 1981 where he played a further 19 games for the Bombers over the next two seasons.

 

 

Meanwhile …

 

France commenced underground nuclear testing at Fnagataufa atoll in French Polynesia.

 

Bill Hayden replaced Dr Jim Cairns as Federal Treasurer after a cabinet reshuffle in the wake of the resignation of Lance Barnard. A by-election in Barnard’s Tasmanian seat of Bass was about to shake the foundations of the Labor government.

 

Australia won its first round Cricket World Cup match against Pakistan at Headingley. Great individual efforts by Western Australians Dennis Lillee and Ross Edwards saved the day for Australia. Edwards top scored with an unbeaten 80 in Australia’s total of 278 before man of the match Lillee swept away the Pakistan lower order, taking 5 for 34 off 12 overs. Speedster Jeff Thomson caused concern for captain Ian Chappell after delivering 12 no balls in his eight overs. Thommo got things right in the next game, at The Oval against Sri Lanka, taking 1 for 22 off 12 overs without bowling a no ball.

 

 

Read more episodes of A Season in the Country – 1975 in the Wimmera and Farrer Leagues HERE 

 

 

To read about Geelong’s Record Run, click HERE.

 

 

Peter also wrote about St. Kilda’s premiership season in his 1966 and All That series. You can read that HERE.

 

 

To return to our Footy Almanac home page click HERE.

 

Our writers are independent contributors. The opinions expressed in their articles are their own. They are not the views, nor do they reflect the views, of Malarkey Publications.

 

Do you enjoy the Almanac concept?

And want to ensure it continues in its current form, and better? To help things keep ticking over please consider making your own contribution.

 

Become an Almanac (annual) member – CLICK HERE.

One-off financial contribution – CLICK HERE.

Regular financial contribution (monthly EFT) – CLICK HERE.