Almanac (Local) Footy/Netty – Winchelsea lose to North Geelong on past players’ day…but Blues’ netballers fly the flag!

 

 

And there they were, the two of them. Hiding in plain sight as they have done for decades, blissfully ignored by most if the truth be told.

 

The Walter Burley Griffin designed and National Trust classified grandstand pictured above greets all comers to the aptly, if not, rather unimaginatively named Eastern Reserve at Winchelsea. As kids growing up, we always just called it the footy ground.

 

Like so many other small rural communities, Winchelsea folk were keen to punctuate their moment in history by honouring the local war dead between 1914 and 1918 in the poorly predicted ‘war to end all wars’. Of course, French Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch would famously have none of that. He perspicaciously observed at the time that the Treaty of Versailles was ‘not peace; it is just an armistice for twenty years.’

 

Thirty metres closer to Bennett Street, the entry gates to the ground are a second monument in honour of the further locals killed in action between 1939 and 1945 in World War 2. Give Foch due credit then. It took a tiny bit longer than he thought but he certainly had the right idea.

 

So, why then the history theme behind last Saturday’s Geelong and District Football and Netball League’s clash between Winchelsea and North Geelong, you ask?

 

Winchelsea’s annual past players day of course. And they turned out in their scores. Fatter tummies, greyer hair (or no hair at all), more wrinkles around the faces and more saggy bulges around the jowls. The deteriorating angel – as somebody once cruelly described the ageing process – had paid regular visits to most of them. But they were a proud bunch. They wanted to come and cheer on their beloved Blues again and enjoy a beer or three.

 

 

 

 

Further around from the old grandstand, the newish clubrooms pictured above are convincing proof of the benefit of living in the then marginal Federal electorate of Corangamite. Word on the street fifteen years ago spread rapidly; all the local Border Collies were soon barking that the Gillard Government would spend whatever it took for such new ‘community building’ projects. This specific project therefore became very highly regarded by local voters, apparently. Just saying.

 

 

 

 

But here comes the opposition. North Geelong reserves players gather at the gate to welcome their senior colleagues on to the ground. The Magpies have won 18 senior flags, the last one in 2013. Wins have been less frequent in recent years, but new coach Peter Riccardi has them firing again this year with six wins from six games. The hosts are currently just outside the five. Winch has 19 senior flags but, with the last one back in 1987, the premiership drought can’t break soon enough – rather like the current one crippling Western Victorian agriculture and communities.

 

 

 

 

Umpires at the ready.

 

 

 

 

This fellow obviously didn’t want a rubdown to stand in the way of the action. Erstwhile twentieth century Winchelsea trainers such as Dave Warner and Ian ‘Gandy’ Raynor would have probably raised an eyebrow at this.

 

 

 

 

But the Blues are away to a flyer and lead by two goals at quarter time. Former players above like what they see at the huddle. (L-R) Peter Gubbins, David Schroeter, Peter McConachy and Alan Bruno.

 

 

 

 

Playing coach Ben Moloney (11) likes it too as he explains finer points to his charges on the ubiquitous whiteboard.

 

 

 

 

A quick bit of bonding, a guttural raw of encouragement and it’s on with the game.

 

 

 

 

Eight minutes into the second quarter and it’s time to compare the new with the old. True, the new scoreboard is much slicker whereas, back in Harry Budge’s day, working bees would have been necessary to hand paint the white numbers on the dark metal plates inserted into those grooves. Mind you, you still had to kick enough goals to win the game so at least that much hasn’t changed.

 

 

 

 

At half time and with Winch down by a kick, your columnist’s highlight of the day was an interview with Noel Witcombe. A spritely 87 years young, Noel and wife Shirley made the trip down from Dalby. He was the oldest surviving player from the 1960 flag side at the ground on Saturday. He is pictured at RHS above talking with long standing local businessman and staunch club sponsor John Knuckey. In the team photo below, a much younger Noel is at LHS of the middle row standing next to my older brother Bill.

 

 

 

 

(Photo courtesy of Winchelsea Football and Netball Club)

 

RDL: Tell me about the 1960 flag Noel.

NW: It was one of just a handful of games I played in the senior side that year. I preferred the much easier pace of the seconds (laughs). We played Lorne in the Grand Final down at Forrest. The league wanted a neutral ground.

RDL: Right man, right place, right time huh? Any game highlights come to mind?

NW: We were behind at three quarter time but clawed our way back into it in the last quarter. My brother-in-law Graeme Lupton kicked a few and I jagged one too. Some people reckon mine was the winning goal but, I dunno, you’d think I would have remembered it if I had kicked it wouldn’t you (laughs again).

RDL: So what happened at three quarter time to make the difference?

NW: Coach Bob Gazzard, an old Colac boy, moved himself from the backline into the centre and things suddenly started to change. Bob had played 71 games at full-back with Geelong between 1954 and 1959 so in 1960 we got him fresh from VFL standard football. He was a wiry, even six foot with a prodigious spring. And he could drop kick the ball halfway into next Wednesday! Forget my goal, Bob was the game changer. He was a class better than everyone else on the ground.

RDL: Noel, thanks for your time.

NW: Pleasure!

 

While Noel and I chat, the Winch gals are showing why they are one of the top GDFL netball teams.

 

 

 

 

A tense moment under the ring but the Winch goalkeeper gets both hands on the ball…

 

 

 

 

…and sets up this swift passage of play down the court as North Geelong do their best to defend. Winch maintain their dominance near the top of the seniors’ netball ladder with a final score of 70 to 12.

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, back at the footy and, with apologies to poet John Milton, ‘they also serve who only stand and wait‘ (On His Blindness).

 

 

 

 

The shadows lengthen at three quarter time as the Blues forward group including Indi Parish (4) plan for the last quarter. Essendon fans will quickly recognise the family name. He is one of three Parish boys now playing with Winch. Their eldest sibling Darcy is a key cog in Essendon’s midfield. With the scoreboard in the background telling us North Geelong lead by just three points, Winchelsea seem to be on the verge of causing a massive boil over.

 

But alas, it seems the adrenaline of past players’ day can carry you for three quarters but not four. North Geelong get their act together and slam on eight goals to one in the final term to win 14.15.99 to 7.10.52. Best players for North Geelong are O’Brien, Farrell and Jewell while for Winchelsea they are Sauni, Nagle and Thomas.

 

 

 

 

 

After the game for the postmortem and I am joined above by nephew Chris Lowrey for a cleansing ale. But zoom in dear readers and check those prize details in that trailer raffle in the background – and, of course, a bloke always needs a new trailer.

 

Only at a country footy club surely? Pure genius!

 

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(Your author acknowledges the cooperation of the Winchelsea Football and Netball Club and the Winchelsea and District Historical Society in the production of this post).

 

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

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