1952 TO 1963
Cyril Minge - My Football times at
Williamstown Rovers Football Club
I started playing in 1952 at the age
of 15 in the senior side as Williamstown did not have a Colts side. Playing in
the Torrens Valley Association through the 1950s Williamstown had A and B Grade
teams with workers from the South Para
reservoir boosting our numbers. Coaches I am not sure of but Ivan Dicker, Ivo
Venning and Peter Eaton are some I think coached but there could be
others. In the 1950s the oval grass was
fed off to sheep to keep it down, so it was fun running around with sheep dung
all about. Then I can remember the coming of the lawn mower and up to 8 hand
mowers were used to mow the nut weed that the sheep would not eat. After some
time the Park Committee got a tractor and a slasher. In 1961 Jim Marshall coached our premiership
side going through undefeated.
In the
1950s the Oval had a cycle track with a camber all around. Our change rooms
were first near the large gum tree near the current bore pump then a building
was built where the four cabins are now. Then in 1982 we moved into our present
building.
In 1962
Williamstown left the Torrens Valley Association and joined the Gawler and
District Association as they were short of teams after Gawler South and Roseworthy College went to the Adelaide Plains
Association as they thought the competition would not be great. The teams in
the Gawler and District Association were Gawler Central, Williamstown,
Willaston, Roseworthy and Lyndoch. Williamstown
had to change colours as Lyndoch were Blue and Gold.
In 1962 I was made Captain of the
team. We were not very successful that
year as we lost good players to Freeling but our Senior Colts won the premiership.
Then in 1963 through lack of numbers Williamstown went into recess with colts
and senior players going and playing for Lyndoch where I played until 1979.
1967 TO 1979
As remembered by Trevor Fromm.
1967
The WRFC
was reformed in 1967 after a recess since 1963.
Blue and
Gold were always the colours. We played in Hills zone 2.
Teams
played included Pleasant Valley, Gumeracha,
Woodside Army, Lenswood
Ranges,
Birdwood, Sedan
/Cambrai and later Mt Torrens.
In 1967
Captain Coach was Brian "BG" Davies and Vice Captain Len Jones.
No B
Grade side
The
colts, U16, used Kersbrook Jumpers, double blue, as Kersbrook were not
using
them at the time. The Club couldn't afford to buy guernseys for the
colts.
The
committee had a busy bee to put concrete on the floor of the change rooms
as previously
they were dirt floors. Two showers per team which were quite often cold
and when
you went to use them possums had to be chased out first.
The
change rooms were an iron shed situated at the entrance of the oval on the
left as
you come in. These change rooms were used until the early 80s when
new
clubrooms were built.
1968-69
From my
recollection Jim Marshall was captain coached, ex
Pleasant Valley and was a very tough
player and a good coach.
I
remember Aldo Baraglia lining up David French a starry ex league footballer
with Norwood, from Pleasant Valley.
One day on the Eden Valley Oval as Frenchy was
bouncing
the Ball down though Centre half forward dodging players Aldo
knocked
him out cold. The stretcher came out and he was taken straight off.
Aldo said
you never let the opposition know how much it hurts you and always
make out
it doesn't hurt.
***Editors Comment. Not a bad achievement. I
played with David French and he was one of the toughest players I ever played
with.
1970
Captain
Coach- David, Clumsy, Wilkin, uncle to Shane Wilkin, coached
the team
into Finals. Clumsy won 2 or 3 mail medals I think and also a
reserves
medal in the Gawler League.
Clumsy
was a great player and specialized in looking after the young players
I
remember him chasing a player around Cambrai oval one day trying to hit him
because
this player hit me!
Speaking
of playing at Cambrai oval it was that windy one day the boundary
Umpire
could not throw the ball in as it always went back over his head. The
ball
would continue roll to along the ground it was that windy. Players also
had the
ball go back over their heads when they kicked the itl!
1971
Coach was
Neil Green, came from down Cudlee Creek way. This was my
first
year in Seniors and we played off in the 1st Semi and lost at Birdwood.
I do
remember some rivalry with Birdwood and an all in brawl of spectators
after a
game at Williamstown out in front of the Change rooms after a game. I
remember
Des Rehn getting a bit "fired up" that day.
1972
Trevor
Polkinghorne was Captain Coach. It was a lean year for the club
only
winning 2 games as I remember.
Somewhere
here I remember Reg Smith playing his last game for the B Grade at
Sedan
Oval at the age of 56 years and he was best on ground.
Sedan had an
ex league footballer by the name of Ron Jantke who would
allegedly
hit players behind the play. My Dad was president of the club at the
time and
was that angry with him in one match at Sedan
he ran out and put a
headlock
on him, couldn't do that now.
1973
Captain
Coach,Trevor Stanton, previously All Australian ruckman and Vice Capt Trevor
Polkinghorne. This is the final year that WRFC played in the hills league. Won
the 2nd Semi at Gumeracha oval and lost the Grand Final to Birdwood at the
Lobethal oval.
We lost
our Captain with a broken bone split through the finger and Vice Capt with
8 stitches
to the head before half time, wasn't our day.
1974
Joined
the Gawler and District League. Captain Coach, Bob Betson.
Lyndoch
were Blue and Gold so Williamstown chose St Kilda colours for
their
guernseys.
We beat
every club that year in the minor round and played Willaston in the
1st Semi
which was drawn. We played off the following week and won by 6 goals then
played Lyndoch in the prelim final on the Gawler oval and lost.
1975-1976
Brian
Harris coached. Buck or Buckets as he was known played
with both
his sons Randy and Chris in one of these years. Buck was a very
tough and
talented footballer.
1977
Peter
Sheperdson was Captain Coach
1978
Jon Spry
captain coach
1979
Jon spry
coached the 1st half of the season and then had a job transfer to
Victoria. Merv
Alcorn was playing coach for the rest of the year.
There was
always "friendy" rivalry between Lyndoch and Williamstown and we
looked
forward to these games.
The round
1 game was played at Lyndoch oval and we were up by 6 goals at 3quarter
time and
cars were driving out the gate. Lyndoch came home in the last
quarter
and won by 8 points. The return Game at Williamstown was a huge game for us as
amalgamation was being rumoured. We were desperate to win and did so by 3
points in a very exiting game it, it was really like a final.
I
remember a meeting in the Williamstown hall, 7th Nov 1979 I think, where it
was
passed that the Lyndoch Football Club and the Williamstown Rovers Football Club
would amalgamate to become Barossa District Football Club. The colours were
selected to follow Central District Football Club colours, red white and blue,
the club wanted "neutral colours".
The
feeling among the players about the amalgamated Club was great and very
exciting
as at least 60 players came out to training both on Tuesdays and
Thursdays.
Hence the
BDFC was born.