PREMIUM
Sport

Plays of the Past

Tongala was D grade permier in 1979. The team is Cathy English, Robyn Beer, Michelle Parkinson, Pauline Thomas, Tracey Alford, Michelle Aynsley, Sally Thompson and Louise Tooley. Coach is Elizabeth Fuller.

1979

Rod Bray kicked four goals for Kyabram in its 22-point win against Euroa, a performance matched by Lawrie Casey and supported by three goals from Len Cooper.

Peter Warburton also kicked three in the win, which was the Bombers 12th win of the season and had it sitting second — ahead of Tongala on percentage in the top five format.

Tongala lost to top team Seymour, by a massive 73 points, with Lions star forward Ray Stomann kicking seven goals, Barry Richards five, Tony Barnes four and Eddie Shiels three.

Ironically, the latter pair came from Kyabram district league club Nagambie and both Stomann and Richards would go onto play in premierships for another KDL club — Avenel.

D-grade runners-up in 1979 was St Andrews. Team members were Kerri Harlen, Candy Adams, Christine Stokes, Rebecca Dunn, Kerri Saunders, Lisa Cooper, Tara Goldsworthy and Meagan Mueller. Coach Marilyn Salter.

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Senior and junior netball finals were decided and Tongala won at least one premiership when the A-grade netball team won its first premiership by beating Lancaster by three goals.

In 1979, the C2 runners-up was St Andrews. Team members were Jane Bleasedale, Debra White, Mandy Howard, Elizabeth Smerdon, Joanne Baker, Tracey Andrews and Fiona Sear. They were coached by Mandy Cormack.

Lancaster was also chasing its first premiership.

The Bev Cahill Memorial Trophy was presented to the team by Ron Saunders at a Tijuana celebration.

The team consisted of Sue Crow, Bev Hill, Lorraine Wallden, Leanne Butler, Pauline Laidlaw, Meredith Purdey, Chris Wallden, Wendy Mulholland, Jill Peppard and Chris Davis.

Jackie Bathman, Lancaster’s Loretta Dillon and Merrigum’s Judy Taylor all finished on the same votes in the KDL A-grade netball best and fairest count. With them is competition president Rita Warren (second from right).

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Ardmona coach Gavin Saunders polled seven best on grounds to win the Kyabram district league’s McNamara Medal by 12 votes from Lancaster ruckman Keith Argus.

Saunders polled in 16 of the 20 home and away games. It was his second victory in the count.

Lancaster’s Bruce Crawford finished third in the Wade Medal for the reserves, while in the Under-17 Inch Medal Lancaster’s Joe Corso and Girgarre’s Glen Greenman finished third behind Tally’s Barry Briggs.

In the A-grade netball best and fairest count three players, Lancaster’s Loretta Dillon, Merrigum’s Judy Taylor and Murchison star Jacki Bathman all finished on 24 votes at the end of the count.

After a countback Loretta and Judy could not be split and both were named winners.

Keith Argus (left) congratulates the 1979 McNamara Medallist Gavin Saunders, while league official Keith Whitfort looks on.

1989

Kyabram High School’s 1989 senior netball team (from left Yvonne Brett (umpire), Margie McQueen, Janine Toms, Sharon Weeks, Natalie Cussen, Sandie Cox, Chrissie Brewer, Fiona Cox, Kathleen Gawley and Joanne Harris.

Two Kyabram High School netball teams were about to compete in the state schoolgirls finals, with the junior team involved in a curtain raiser before a state league match.

The junior team was coached by Yvonne Stansfield and Norma Sefton-Rowston.

It consisted of Moana Roberts, Janelle Butler, Lyndsey White, Louise MacFayden, Rebecca Elborough, Sally Hindson, Kelsey Murley, Renay McHale, Keli Dixon and Fiona Armstrong.

The intermediate team was coached by Fiona Woods and was made up of Christa Friesen, Adele Smith, Narelle Shilling, Julie McQueen, Christie Vanderburght, Adele Blamey, Nicole Mitchell, Suzanne Caldwell and Julie Asquith.

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Merrigum rover Roy Emini won the Under-17 Inch Medal for the best under age player in the Kyabram district league. His coach Troy McCormick was on hand to congratulate him.

Lancaster’s Phillip Binion tied for Wade Medal reserve grade best and fairest honours.

Merrigum footballer Roy Emini (right) in 1999, accepting the congratulations of his Under-18 coach Troy McCormick, after winning the KDL Inch Medal.

1999

Three Kyabram footballers claimed league best and fairest awards, reserves star Jarrod Chapman leading the way as a runaway winner in the Abikhair reserve grade medal count.

Josh Dicketts was runner-up in the Under-18 Pattison Medal count, while Scott Hausler and Brendan White tied with a Notre Dame player in the Ken Keating Medal count for the Shepparton junior league’s Under-16 competition.

Benalla’s Tony Pasquali was the winner of the Morrison Medal for the senior GVL competition, while Sharon Mellington was crowned the best netballer in the GVL with the Wellman Family Medal.

Jarrod Chapman polled 25 votes to win the 1999 GVL Abikhair Medal by a massive 14 votes.

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Lancaster’s Corey Carver finished runner-up in the Kyabram District League medal count, with Merrigum ruckman Scott Greig and another Lancaster player, Andrew Thomas, also polling well.

Girgarre coach Bryan “Jack” Casey won the reserve grade title, while Stanhope’s Jarrod Mason finished third in the Under-18 Inch Medal count.

This was Rusty and Jane McDonell in 1999, with new son Will and his older siblings Sean and Benjamin.

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Not only did Tony “Rusty” McDonell claim the Goulburn Valley League games record with his 334th appearance at the top level, but the 35-year-old also welcomed his third son into the world.

Will McDonell was born on the Friday before his father broke the record, weighing 4kg and arriving at 6am after a 12-hour labour.

Later, McDonnell helped put Kyabram back into finals contention for the first time in six weeks Then, later that night, 200 people attended a function in his honour.

His parents Joan and Kevin flew in from Cairns to witness the event, while Ebony Boswell provided a rendition of Tina Turner’s Simply the Best and Skew Wiff presented a poem on Rusty’s career.

2009

In 2009 Jenna Lawson was national championships bound after finishing fifth in the Victorian cross country event.

Jenna Lawson had again won Victorian selection in an athletics event, on this occasion for the Australian Cross Country Championships.

The 10-year-old Haslem Street student finished fifth in the state 3km event and had also qualified as a member of the state 4x1500m relay team.

She finished eighth in the individual event a year earlier, and grabbed a bronze medal as the last runner in the 1998 relay event.