Almanac Mates: ‘What’s up Doc?’

 

What’s Up Doc

 

Citrus Bob Utber wrote a story 3 weeks ago, Paddy and The Doc. and this is the sequel.

 

They were all there.  The potato burghers from Boisdale to Bungaree and in between, the Nar Nar Goonites (sometimes called ‘the Goons’), and the who’s-who of people with a past in the annals of West Gippsland football and beyond.

 

Bill Doherty OAM is dead.  Died at the age of 99.

 

The event saw an estimated 400 people crowd into the Catholic Church in Nar Nar Goon for the funeral service. Even more attended the wake in the footy club rooms after.

 

Bill’s son Dennis in opening the eulogy said “how can you put 99 years into 10 minutes?” Well amazingly he did, but some of the spud king’s major achievements had to be diluted of course.  He did a great job.

 

To say it was a ‘grand affair’ is probably the wrong choice of words, but to me they were just right.

 

Bill or ‘The Doc’ was an icon of the area and the  Pakenham Gazette gave his death a two page spread  such was the importance of this Collingwood supporter.

 

Being catholic in a catholic part of Victoria it was a typical Irish wake.  You only had to look at the attendees to realise this.  They certainly were all there – Cunninghams, Cullinans, O’Sullivans, Dillons, Dineens, O’Hehirs, Clearys, Scanlons, Egans and Brehenys  to name just a few. The Dohertys made up a cast of their own with 67 direct descendants of Bill and his late wife Dot in the prime seats.

 

There were West Gippsland Football league officials and at least half a dozen League Best and Fairest winners.

 

For me it was like going back in time to many , many people who I was involved with in my day as West Gippsland League secretary. By the end of the wake I was still  settling arguments , if I new the answers, to questions.

 

 

‘Bushy’ Miller, ‘Citrus Bob’ Utber, ‘Frosty’ Miller and ‘Uncle’ Treloar at the funeral wake of Bill ‘Doc’ Doherty.

 

The great Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller was there at 80 years of age and still carrying his playing weight. Naturally the question came up – “who was the better out of Frosty and Fred Cook in the halcyon days of the VFA”? *

 

Frosty is still the same shy reserved person he has always been away from the football arena. I found out the real name of the only Miller whom I was not sure of ‘Tommy’. His real name was Ronald.

 

I now have all the Millers covered. They are ‘Bushy’, ‘Frosty’, ‘Tommy’, ‘Chicken’ and ‘Possum’. It was always great to be at the football when all the Millers and the Sheltons.

 

Likewise the only Shelton whose real name I did not know was ‘Todd’. He was named after his uncle Jim Shelton the fine St.Kilda forward and ruckman of the twenties. I reckon ‘Todd’ got his nickname from the great Collinwood and Williamstown forward Ron Todd.

 

The O’Sullivans were there in numbers, as they always are, headed by the patriarch Shane who has the blue blood of Carlton running through his veins.  Over 30 years with the Buebaggers. An outstanding achievement and still working.  Brother Gary was also in attendance having worked with both Richmond and Footscray.

 

Footscray (I won’t call them the Western Bulldogs ever!) were represented by another local in Greg Cunningham their physiotherapist.  His brother Jack played in Hawthorn’s first premiership team in 1961

 

Terry Dillon led the Dillons amongst his relatives. Chief operating officer at both Collingwood and Hawthorn during premiership years.

 

All these VFL/AFL/VFA names were close friends and locals of Bill Doherty and they were just some of the football fraternity there to honour this man who gave so much to the game in his area.

 

 I often wonder whether Bill’s enthusiasm for the game came through with these men who all came under his prognostications back in the glory days of footy in West Gippsland.

 

To say it was a ‘grand affair’ is probably putting it mildly. It was a wonderful affair and it would have been even greater if one had gone around the room and recorded all the stories both ‘true and false’ that emanated from the vast number of friend of the late William Joseph Doherty OAM.

 

Vale Bill Doherty

 

 

*’Frosty’  played 183 games and kicked 883 for Dandenong.  Twice he kicked over 100 goals in a season for Garfield 121 as an 18 year-old (1963) and 143 (1966). Berwick 201 (1978).

 

Fred Cook kicked 1338 goals from 333 games with Footscray, Yarraville, Port Melbourne and Moorabbin.

 

 

More from Citrus Bob can be read Here.

 

 

 

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