Dawson was due to be the guest of honour at a planned reunion of Tongala’s four Goulburn Valley League football premierships — 1949, 1961 and 1983-84 — being the last survivor of the 1949 team.
His son Peter told the Free Press Dawson “lit up’’ when told of his invite, but just couldn’t make it to the August 12 event.
Former Collingwood star Dave Newman, grandfather of Kyabram coach Paul, guided the team to the 1949 victory, ironically beating Kyabram for the flag.
Dawson was a champion player of the team which beat Kyabram 10.19 (79) to 6.13 (49). He also held the rare honour of being the oldest living St Kilda player before his passing on Monday at 10pm.
He was born on January 3, 1921, and lost his wife Nance four years ago. She was born in 1922.
His senior football journey started with his home town club Elmore in the Bendigo league as a 16-year-old.
He played three games for St Kilda in 1941, making his debut against Melbourne at a ground he had only seen photos of before playing in the match — the MCG.
The Saints lost that game and Dawson soon after signed up for the war and didn’t play again until 1946, when he captain-coached Elmore and won the league best-and-fairest award by 20 votes.
He came to Tongala to work at Nestle and captain-coach the Blues. He eventually retired in 1959, but coached the Tongala under-17 team for the next 18 years.
Dawson had younger brother Ken, children Kaye, Peter and Robert, six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
He remained a devout Saint until the end, watching his team kick nine goals in the opening term and go on to win against Hawthorn on Sunday.
He watched the game with Peter from his room
Dawson’s funeral will be held on Tuesday, August 8, at 11am and the family is hoping to confirm the Tongala Shire Hall as the site for a service.
Daffodil Day event
A Daffodil Day event is being planned for Kyabram Town Hall on Thursday, August 31, with entry by gold coin donation.
One in four people in Australia will suffer from some form of cancer, with 98 people diagnosed with the disease every day.
The three-hour Kyabram event will start at 10am and feature a presentation from cancer survivor Leonie Trevaskis (Moffat), with slices scones and sandwiches on offer, along with pens, pins and other fundraising items.
There will be an oncology display table for information and brochures available.
Organisers are asking people to RSVP to Vanessa Cross on 0407 055732 or Dawn Booth 0429 821013 for catering purposes.
Cannery booklet $28
Copies of the second print run of the 138-page Kyabram Cannery centenary book cost $28, not $38 as printed in last week’s Free Press.
Copies of the The Journey to Here are now on sale after the 400 books from the first print run sold out in five months.
The 50 books from the second print are now available at the town hall, on the website or via email for $28.
To purchase a book, email kyabramcannerycentenary@gmail.com or visit www.kyaramcannerycentenary.com.au or the committee’s Facebook page.
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