Bloods brothers reunite

By Kath Gannaway
RON Jeffery considers himself more than lucky when it comes to footy grand finals.
“You are lucky to play in one winning grand final in a lifetime, and I have been lucky enough to play in three. It’s something you never forget,” he said on Sunday, still buoyed by an afternoon of reminiscing at Healesville Football Club’s ’60s and ’70s grand final reunion.
The club won back to back grand finals in the seconds in 1966/67 and again in 1976 when the seconds took the prize once again and ‘77 when it was the firsts who powered home to glory.
Jeffery, who was vice-captain for the ’60s games and captained the ’76 team, has some indelible memories – one, in particular, he says, he has spent 40 years living down.
Basically it was what he recalls as “a bit of finals cheer” which saw him and his brother Laurie – the infamous Jeffery boys – along with two of their stoushing mates from Belgrave up before the tribunal.
They all got two weeks for some push and shove, which led to a few punches being thrown in the heat of what he said after going undefeated all year was nevertheless a pretty hard-fought match.
The 1967 game against was more than a nail-biter. With just minutes to go Warburton ahead by a goal Healesville kicked and evened the score for a draw.
“It was scary,” Jeffery is not ashamed to admit. “I know some of our blokes who wouldn’t go down near the other goals in case they gave away a free kick.”
Victory was all the sweeter when the game was replayed a week later after the first close shave.
Garry Young, who had tasted the sweet milk of grand final victory as a player in Hawthorn’s first premiership side, had the privilege of coaching the 1977 team to victory against “arch rivals” Upwey Tecoma.
Healesville’s victory on Saturday of a replay of that match was, Young said after the game, a double celebration 30 years later.
He rates the 77 team with Rocky Larkin as captain as possibly the best ever team in the 120-year history of the club.
“We had a philosophy of going with the youth and what we had was a good blend of youth, tall players, a good running side and great team work and determination led by Rocky.
“You can’t get away from the fact it was a good team effort which won the game.
“I was asked by a reporter from the local paper to pick out the best players on the day and I remember telling him “don’t press me”.
Just the same he can still roll off the names – Alex Smith, Jack Christie, Rocky Larkin, Terry Lalor, Perry Wandin and Maurie Watson.
Young attributes the fact that all but three of the ‘77 team made the effort to get to the reunion as evidence of the strong bonds football in general, and a premiership in particular, mean to players over a lifetime.
“Rocky came from Queensland and it was just a super day,” he said. “Lots of stories told, lots of memories shared,” he said.
“The thing about premiership reunions is they represent a lot of people including the current hard-working committee, players, families and supporters.”
The fact that times, and football, have changed, makes the retrospective all the more interesting.
It was a different town then, says Young who opened a business in Healesville and basically gave up resisting pressure from the club to take on the coaching role.
“They lived hard, played hard and worked hard,” he says of the ’70s players.
“Healesville people were a sporting community and they were certainly football conscious because the club had a great tradition over the years.
“It was a great challenge for me but one I regard as a privilege,” he said.
Jeffery was born and bred coming up from the Under 14s Boys Club.
“Back then if you lived in Healesville you played for Healesville.”
He says the move away from that is all down to jobs.
“We have always been farmers and for a lot of the boys they now have to go chasing jobs.
“Back then you had Telecom, the Board of Works, The Army School and you got teachers who came to the little country schools and would come down to play. You just don’t get that now.”
Jeffery said in the ’66 grand final four players were army. Ron Thomas was one who came back for the reunion and Jeffery said it was great to get phone calls from the others on the day.
“The thing is we grew up together, stick together and played together. You can always go back, you’re always mates. You can always go back and say ‘remember when ….’. These days the kids haven’t got that.”
Reunion organiser Lyn Hay said the day had been an enormous success.
“We had lots of past players, committee and life members who came along to catch up with old team mates.
“Two of the past players who were there, Ron Jeffery and Boe Hay had played in three out of the four premiership sides.”
Hay not only played in the ’67 and ’76 reserves and ’77 seniors games but in the ’68, ’69 and ’72 premiership teams.