1979
Peter Lyon, the man who broke Kyabram’s premiership drought in the Goulburn Valley league in 1975, was appointed non-playing coach of Tongala for the 1980 season.
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The 37-year-old said he had accepted the position after a couple of years off coaching and had been offered the role when Des Campbell decided to move on after two seasons as coach.
Tongala also interviewed champion South Bendigo ruckman Tony Southcombe and former Essendon hard man Ken Roberts for the coaching role.
Former Hawthorn player Lyon ended Kyabram’s 17-year premiership drought and was already recruiting strongly. He had signed his younger brother Graham, who was fresh off kicking more than 100 goals in each of the two preceding seasons in the Bendigo league.
⋅ Kyabram honoured one of its most faithful supporters, Charlie Meade, with life membership at its presentation evening.
A regular at games for the last 30 years he was among the most generous supporters of the club and supplied each member of the 1975 premiership team with a trophy after the victory.
Barry Williams won the club best and fairest award, with Len Cooper runner-up and Bill Fry recognised for his season with the Andrews Furniture award. Mick Fry was best first year player and Trevor Castles most improved.
Rob Harrison won the reserves best and fairest, while Nola Gregory picked up the best clubperson award.
1989
Merrigum named Rob Walters coach of the club for the 1990 season after naming Reg Poole as the new club president and awarding a pair of life memberships.
Walters had coached Murchison for the last two seasons.
Sev Cortese and Mick Pettifer were both given life memberships at a presentation evening where Alex Dennis was named the club best and fairest ahead of Jason McCormick.
Troy McCormick was the club’s most consistent player and Peter Hall was best utility, with other awards going to Jamie Corish and Mick Costa.
Tom Kightly won the reserves award, while A-grade netball best and fairest was Judy Ballantyne, ahead of Yvette Hodgkinson,. Other netball winners were Melissa Lawler, Jo Nevette and Julie Ainsworth.
In the other major executive role was Peter Wyman, replacing secretary of the last six years David Wilson.
⋅ Kyabram was leading the charge to introduce a fourths' competition into the Goulburn Valley League.
Rochester was supporting the Bombers bid to have the new competition introduced into the league, with Kyabram delegate John Fanning saying juniors had been a nightmare at Kyabram as they tried to fit players into two teams.
⋅ Bill Hill was celebrating the Caulfield Cup victory of Cole Diesel after selling the horse as a yearling for $13,000.
He bought the horse as a foal from South Australia, fed and polished him and sold him for a profit. He had a history of “pinhooking” horses, buying them as weanlings in the hope of turning them over at a profit.
Grey colt Cole Deisel was among several of his success stories, which also included Retainer, a winner of five stakes races.
1999
Tom Montgomery was awarded life membership of the GV Sports Assembly after his tireless contribution to junior football.
The Wyuna farmer was only the second life member of the 14-year-old sports assembly, recognised for serving as president of the Goulburn Campaspe league for 11 years and for two years as the Kyabram and district primary schools football competition boss.
He also has been in the Wyuna Fire Brigade for 20 years and was a decade long volunteer with Rochester and district umpires association. He won the Kyabram Sportstar of the Year award’s Jack Arthur Memorial Awards in 1996-97, for the best contribution to local sport.
⋅ Promising Rochester footballer Daniel Harris, Tatura soccer star Michael Sacco, Tongala junior football coach Murray Gemmill and Merrigum golfer Gai Johnston were the latest to join the Kyabram Sportstar of the Year award for 1999-2000.
Harris was runner-up in the Under 18 state TAC Cup’s Morrish Medal, Sacco won the North East Soccer League’s best and fairest, and Gemmill was coach of the year in the Goulburn Campaspe junior league.
⋅ Brad Campbell and Alicia Brennan won Tongala Football Netball Club’s two major awards, Campbell the senior football best and fairest and Brennan the A-grade netball title.
Campbell best Russell Byrnes in the senior count, with Gerrard Power, Brent Smith, Troy Snelson and Travis Johnston other winners. Brennan beat Sarah Tointon to win the netball award, with Lisa Scoones and Karen Connelly winning the minor grade awards.
Shaun Tomkins won the reserves best and fairest, while Bryden Power beat Liam Brennan in the Under 18 count.
2009
Corey Atkinson-Harlen was selected in AFL Victoria’s state indigenous program, part of a 25-player squad of Under 16 footballers from all over Australia involved in a two-week tour of South Africa.
His grandparents Bernie and Jan Harlen were the first to congratulate him for making the team which had been dubbed the Flying Boomerangs.
⋅ Six Kyabram P-12 College students collected medals at the Victorian Secondary Schools Sports Association Track and Field Championships, including a gold medal to long jumper Cameron Kelly.
Kelly won gold in the boys 16-20 (AWD) event and jumped 4.38 metres. Carlie Witford and Emily Lawson came away with silver medal in the 200 and 100 metres events, while Zerlina Green won a bronze.
Georgia Bacon won silver in the 800 metres and Nikki Genio won bronze in the 80 metres hurdles. Tom Willingham-Allen, James Lovison, Kara Hazelman and Natalie Dillon all registered personal bests at the event.
⋅ Herbie Prior chalked up 50 years of playing pennant lawn bowls as he had his 80th birthday in sight.
He started playing alongside club legends Perc Perkins and Jack Arthur, enjoying a career which featured 14 premierships and a pair of club championships at the Kyabram and Valley View clubs. He had enjoyed stints at both clubs, also playing alongside legendary 14-time club champion Des Nuttall.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor