By Callum Ludwig
Volunteers are the backbone of local sporting clubs, performing the crucial jobs and tasks that keep everything running smoothly.
As it is National Volunteer Week from 15 to 21 May, here are some of the most dedicated volunteers at sports clubs in the Upper Yarra.
Upper Yarra Pony Club (UYPC) Secretary Amanda Broussard said District Commissioner Anita Prowse basically organises and runs everything, from the canteen to events.
“She’s the chief of operations, without her, it definitely wouldn’t run as smoothly or maybe not even run at all. I think that the club owes her an enormous debt of gratitude for all that she does,” she said.
“She is extremely passionate about the club, attending herself as a child and still involved even without any children of her own involved in the club itself.”
Ms Prowse was instrumental in organising the UYPC’s 60th-anniversary reunion last year, bringing together past and present members to honour the club’s history despite the event being delayed by Covid.
Ms Broussard said Ms Prowse is very deserving of recognition.
“She’s exactly the kind of volunteer that any club would value and would love to have, you can always go to her for advice and she’s always willing to help out if you’ve got a problem,” she said.
“She’s a fantastic role model for the younger generation to aspire to be.”
Rodney McKail is a life member of the Warburton-Millgrove Football Netball Club, having played over 240 games and having first joined the committee in the mid-1970s and is the volunteer the club wanted to recognise for his continued efforts.
Mr McKail said he has been involved in the club since he started playing, bar a break for most of the 90s as he raised his family.
“I was made a life member of the club in 1987 and came back when my son started playing junior football around 2000. Since then I’ve been treasurer for the last 16 years, been club trainer for the same period of time and coached juniors for a number of years during that time,” he said.
“I manage the rooms in terms of bookings and organising cleaning and am the bar manager most of the time. My wife washes the towels, all of those things that need to be done around the club we’ve tended to do between us, so my wife’s been a big part of it as well.”
Such is the influence of Mr McKail at both the Warburton-Millgrove Football Netball Club and Wesburn Junior Football Club, he has had calls from players he has previously coached to say hello and see how he is. He even quipped that ‘despite me coaching them, a lot of them did alright.’
Mr McKail said having a local club was very important for him growing up, so he wanted to put back in what he got out of it.
“I’m very strong on having a good culture around the club and I’m very much a team person, so I like playing team sport and I’ve enjoyed watching the young group come through and develop into senior players, both football and netball,” he said.
“It’s been a great pleasure and I think it’s an important thing for the town and for our community to have.”
In the last year, Gayle Seeger has done it all for the Wandin Cricket Club, helping out at every opportunity and even grabbing the bat and ball to play in the club’s first women’s side.
Club President Bryce Edwards said Ms Seeger was a deserving recipient of the Les Sharp Award for the club’s best female volunteer.
“We did a lot this year and she was the first to volunteer for almost all of it, she helped with car parking for the Rotary Club of Wandin’s Car Show, she served at basically every Thursday night ‘Doggie Dinner’ and helped at all of our functions from trivia nights to barbecues,” he said.
“There are others that have been heavily involved too but her input this year was just outstanding. She’s really entrenched now in our cricket club, just loves the club and we love having her around.”
Ms Seeger could be forgiven for taking a break over winter to rest ahead of the cricket season but she doesn’t stop there, also being one of the trainers for the Wandin Football Netball Club.
Mr Edwards said they are one club up at Wandin and she’s a true member of that one club.
“She’s involved with netball, cricket and football, we can’t speak high enough of it, she’s just a really good individual with a good family,” he said.
“Without the volunteers, none of it can get done. Everyone will say that, at every single club.”
