Early Goulburn Valley Football Umpires Association History
The association's first president was Don Walker,a schoolteacher from the North Techinical School.Secretary-Treasurer was another schoolteacher Keith Hindson,of Kyabram.
Hindson was secretary to inaugural City United (now Shepparton United) coach and former Collingwood ruckman Pat Dalton in 1960 while Joe Clarke took over as Dalton's right hand man until 1964 when Owen "padge" Power beam secretary-treasurer of the association.
Power took up umpiring in 1956,when president Jack Edwards suggested he hadn't played so well at Kyabram.It was the year after he won Shepparton Football Club's reserves best and fairest award.In 1965 and 1966 Hindson was chief of the umpires after having set the wheels in motion in 1958 for the for the umpires at Kyabram and Shepparton to form themselves into the GVFUA.Before the formation of the association,Goulburn Valley League secretary Jim Trevaskis made the second appointments while Hindson,
who was secretary of the KDL made the appointments for the Kyabram league."Clubs used to put your name up to Jim Trevaskis and gee up for you to be appointed as a umpire."You used to receive your appointment in the post plus four pounds 10 shillings ($9) as your payment.We used to get 10 bob ($1) travelling in those days" Power said.In 1967 and 1968 another Telecom (telstra)technician Jim McGregor became president with Neil "pepper" Young acting as secretary-treasurer for five years.In 1971, 72 and 73 Lloyd Freer was chief umpire with John Florence becoming the umpires first official fitness coach in 1971 and continuing for the next two years. Padge power was secretary from 1973 until 1981,while Andrew de Crespigny became president in 1976 followed by Harry Close in 1977.Andrew de Crespigny had been successful in the summer of 1976 of convincing the Murray,and Picola leagues they should have senior umpires from the GVFUA as Melbourne umpires were becoming more expensive and the quality was slipping. The previous year the umpires and GVFL had clashed over grilling umpires had been getting at tribunal hearings and a cash flow problem. We weren't getting paid,or the pay wasn't flowing on to us from the league,that was the major reason for going on strike,not so much the grilling Padge Power said .The 1964 Stawell gift winner Noel Hussy became coach in 1976 taking over from another professional runner and umpire,Leo Clurey,who had previously had success in distance races at Stawell while Hussey had returned from Wagga to become Sports Editor of The News the previous June.The training intensity increased dramatically with umpires at first reluctant to do the repetition work around the High School Oval,which was then the training headquarters for the association.However the first round of matches,they realised the pressure of doing senior matches was a daunting task.Umpires who were the first from the association to do senior games in Murray league were Tom O'Halloran,John "Dickie"Harry' , Graeme Dodd and Roger Bone.In the Picola League the senior umpires were Robert "Banga" McLeod Peter Murray and Andrew de Crespigny.