Braydon Aitken (Facilities and Grants Portfolio).
Braydon is a proud family man and loves spending time with his beautiful wife Irene, mad bomber supporter son Caleb and potential Hawthorn supporter daughter Zoe. He is extremely proud of his extended family’s involvement in the Rochester Football Club over many decades with the Anderson, Aitken, Watson and Riordan families. During the week Braydon enjoys his role as the Team Leader of the Statutory Planning Team at the Greater Shepparton City Council. Getting the chance to meet and work with people from all walks of life.
Braydon’s 35 year involvement in our great game began as a toddler in the early 80’s following his dad, Rob, the then playing coach of the Rochester Football Club around Moon Oval. Braydon played all his junior football in Rochester with the Rochester Bulldog’s under 14’s and Rochester Tiger’s under 16’s. In 1996 Braydon was lucky enough to be part of the Rochester Under 18’s premiership in a team that featured many of his close mates, including players that went on to become club legends such as Tim and Steve Rasmussen and Chris McCarty. Braydon went on to play for many years in the Rochester reserves and enjoyed the social side of the football club just as much as the football side. Braydon’s highlights during his playing days included learning many of life’s lessons from club stalwarts such as Tony Hooppell, Noddy O’Reilly, Brendan and Warren Martin and Ross Wilson. He also greatly valued his time captaining the reserves, the opportunities to play finals football and to see younger players develop and go onto play senior football, including the 2008 Senior Grand final win. He is especially proud of his mother Jeanne, dad Rob and brother Heath’s involvement in the Rochester Football club with the highlight being the 1999 Rochester Senior premiership win with his father as president and brother Heath playing in the win.
During his final playing years Braydon joined the Rochester Football Club committee and also became a league delegate. On retirement he also took up the club running role with the Rochester Reserves for three years. This combination of roles lead to some very busy days at the football starting with dropping off the football guides at the ground of a morning and finishing up working behind the social club bar in the evenings. In 2014 Braydon had a break from these duties with his young son Caleb starting Auskick in Mooroopna, where is family currently resides, and his wife Irene working on Saturday mornings at a local chemist. This also gave Braydon the opportunity to take some long service leave and escape the Victorian winter for a driving holiday with his family. Despite enjoying his break from football, Braydon missed the social side of things and the volunteering aspect associated with country football.
Braydon was elected to the Board of the G.V.F.L. for the 2015 season and is presently working under the facilities portfolio looking closely at options for the ongoing use of the former league office in Dunkirk Avenue. Braydon enjoys the diverse skill set of the current board and the opportunity to work with the administrators of all clubs and AFL Goulburn Murray. Braydon was a supporter of the GVFL move to the regional hub and feels an obligation to help ensure this move will be for the benefit of all clubs in the GVFL. He also appreciates the opportunity he had as a delegate to listen and learn from GVFL greats such as Ian McDonald, Keith Wellman and Trevor Pollard.
Braydon's favourite former Rochester players:- Robbie Miller, Tank McPhee, Nigel Vander veer, David Williams and Tim Rasmussen
Favourite Current day Rochester players:- Ash Watson, Sam Brennan, Nathan Marrone and Heath Aitken (biased).
Best Coach he played under:- Bruce Watson.
Favourite things:- Family, Friends, Food, Reading, Music, watching the Rochester and Essendon football clubs with a good beer or wine and exercise (in that order).
Braydon’s Credo: - "Everything in moderation, including moderation."
Last Modified on 27/09/2016 18:10
