George Voyage’s toast to the VAFA

By George Voyage – VAFA Board Member

IT’S MY HONOUR TO BE ASKED TO PROPOSE THE TOAST TO THE VAFA, ESPECIALLY TO LAUNCH OUR 125TH SEASON ANNIVERSARY.

IT’S A PITY THAT OUR ORIGINAL ‘TOASTMASTER’ MARK HIBBINS WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND TONIGHT.  HE’S FROM THE FAMOUS HIBBINS FAMILY WHOSE GENERATIONS ARE SYNONYMOUS WITH THE COLLEGIANS FC.

THIS YEAR WE HAVE 74 CLUBS CONTESTING IN VARIOUS GRADES OF SENIORS,  RESERVES,  3RDS,  U.19,  CLUB 18,  AND WE WELCOME THE PLAYERS AND OFFICIALS FROM THE 40 TEAMS THAT WILL PARTICIPATE IN THE INAUGURAL WOMEN’S COMPETITION.

SINCE 1892,  201 CLUBS HAVE ENTERED OUR ASSOCIATION.  

THEY HAVE BEEN DRAWN FROM VARIOUS COMMUNITY GROUPS,  SCHOOL ALUMNI,  BANKS AND BUSINESS,  CHURCHES,  MILITARY,  TECHNICAL SCHOOLS,   UNIVERSITIES,  AND OF COURSE OUR DISTRICT AND SUBURBAN CLUBS,    AND FROM THE 4 CORNERS OF AN EVER EXPANDING CITY OF MELBOURNE AND BEYOND.

AND FROM THE VERY 1ST DAY IN 1892,  IT HAS BEEN THE VALUES TO WHICH WE ADHERE IN THE VAFA THAT BRINGS AND UNITES EVERYONE,  WHETHER YOU ARE PLAYING AT THE TOP OF PREMIER,  OR TEAMS BATTLING AWAY IN CLUB 18,  TO OUR ADMINISTRATORS,  OUR OFFICIALS,  AND ALL OUR VOLUNTEERS,  IS THAT IT IS A COMMON PURPOSE OF THE L.O.T.G.

MY 1ST CONTACT WITH THE VAFA CAME IN THE EARLY 70’S AT CAULFIELD GRAMMARIANS FOOTBALL CLUB.

IN THOSE DAYS CGFC WERE AT THE TOP OF A-GRADE AND PLAYED COBURG IN AN EPIC GRAND FINAL.

I REMEMBER ATTENDING MY 1ST NIGHT AT PRE-SEASON AT OUR THEN HOME GRAND AT ALBERT PARK.

THE VERY 1ST PERSON I MET WAS A VERY CHEERFUL GUY NAMED KEITH MEIER.

KEITH INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS HE UNLOCKED THE ROOMS AND PROCEEDED TO CLEAN EVERYTHING DOWN,  TURNED ON THE GAS HOT WATER SYSTEM,  PUMP UP THE FOOTBALLS,  AND BY THE TIME  TRAINING HAD BEEN COMPLETED,  HE HAD PREPARED THE EVENING MEALS FOR THE PLAYERS.  AFTER THAT,  HE WASHED UP AND LOCKED UP!

DURING THE SEASON,  IN ADDITION TO THESE DUTIES,  HE WAS ALSO THE U19’S TEAM MANAGER AND TIME KEEPER.

2.

ON ONE OCCASION,  HE WAS TIME KEEPING OUR U19’S AT KEW,  AND LEFT AT ¾ TIME WORRIED THAT THE PEOPLE ON DUTY AT THE SENIORS GAME WOULDN’T KNOW HOW TO WORK THE PIE WARMER FOR THE AFTER MATCH.

AND AS WE TRAVELLED AROUND MELBOURNE TO PLAY AGAINST DIFFERENT CLUBS OF ALL BACKGROUNDS,  I BEGAN TO REALISE THAT EVERY CLUB HAD A KEITH MEIER – SELFLESS MEN AND WOMEN WHO ARE AT THE CORE OF OUR ASSOCIATION.

A FEW YEARS AGO,  I WAS TALKING ABOUT OUR VAFA TO THE LEGENDARY FORMER DE-LA COACH BERNIE SHEEHY.   BERNIE HAD JUST ACCEPTED THE ROLE OF COACH AT AJAX.

I ASKED HIM HOW IT WAS GOING??  

HE REPLIED…. “GEORGE,  I KNOW I’M AT A TERRIFIC CLUB….   THERE WAS A GUY SWEEPING OUT THE ROOMS AFTER TRAINING THE OTHER NIGHT, … SO I WENT OVER AND INTRODUCED MYSELF TO HIM….

AND HE TOLD ME HIS NAME WAS… MARK FELDY…”

BERNIE WENT ON … “I THANKED MARK AND ASKED WHY WAS HE DOING THIS…..  WHY NOT GET A CLEANING COMPANY??”  

AND MARK REPLIED “BECAUSE SOMEONE DID IT FOR ME WHEN I WAS A PLAYER”.

THOSE WORDS FROM BERNIE HAVE STUCK WITH ME.

AND I HAD THE HONOUR OF BEING OUR B-D4 REP TEAM COACH FOR 11 YEARS.  AND THIS GAVE ME 1ST HAND CONTACTS WITH ELITE PLAYERS FROM ALL THESE GRADES.

MANY HAD SPURNED THE MONETARY GAIN OFFERED BY OTHER COMPETITIONS TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR VAFA FOR THOSE INTANGIABLE VALUES.

THE SPIRIT OF OUR PLAYERS AND LIKE-MINDED OFFICIALS AND UMPIRES IS EVIDENT AT EVERY CLUB,  IN EVERY GRADE,  AND AT EVERY LEVEL OF ABILITY.

AND OUR SPIRIT AND OUR VALUES WHICH WE ASPIRE TO,  ARE ALSO EVIDENT IN OTHER UNHERALDED  WAYS…..  

THE UHSVU U19 COACH GATHERING NEWLY ARRIVED MIGRANTS AND HELPING THEM ASSIMILATE INTO THEIR CLUB AND COMMUNITY.

CHADSTONE AND OTHER CLUBS INTEGRATING PEOPLE WITH CHALLENGES AND DISABILITIES,  INTO THEIR CLUBS AND COMMUNITY.

OUR SUPPORT OF THE FIDA AND THE MANY CLUBS SUPPORT OF CHARITIES,  AND THOSE IN OUR COMMUNITY NEEDING THEIR SUPPORT.

3.

OVER THE 125 YEARS WE HAVE HAD IN EXCESS OF 250,000 REGISTERED PLAYERS,   12,000 UMPIRES,   COUNTLESS OFFICIALS AND VOLUNTEERS.

WE HAVE HAD VC RECIPIENTS,  PEOPLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND FROM ALL CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS AND RELIGIONS AND BIRTHPLACES,  AND FRANKLY THIS IS WHAT UNITES US ALL AT THE VAFA…. OUR PEOPLE …

THE PEOPLE OF THE VAFA AND CORE VALUES OF SELFLESSNESS,  FAIR PLAY,  CAMARADERIE,  ENJOYABLE SOCIAL INTERACTION,  OUR AMATEUR STATUS,  AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER BOTH ON AND OFF THE FIELD,  AND OF COURSE NOT FORGETTING… DAMN HARD FOUGHT CONTESTS!!

THESE VALUES AND THE WAY WE ADHERE TO THEM,  ARE THE ENVY OF ALL OTHER CODES AND COMPETITIONS THROUGHOUT AUSTRALIA.

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN,  WE SALUTE THE COUNTLESS PEOPLE BEFORE US OVER THE PAST 125 YEARS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE VAFA.

TO OUR CURRENT COMMUNITY AND THOSE PRESENT HERE,  AND TO OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS  WHO WILL TAKE THE BATON TO FUTHER CONTINUE OUR LEGACY WITH THE CHALLENGES OF AN EVER INCREASINGLY MATERIALISTIC,  QUICK FIX,  SOCIETY.

I WOULD ASK THAT WE TOGETHER ALL  PLEASE BE UPSTANDING AS I PROPOSE A TOAST TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF THE VAFA, PAST,  PRESENT,  AND FUTURE,  AND TO OUR WONDERFUL ASSOCIATION ON OUR 125TH ANNIVERSARY.

GEORGE VOYAGE

29th MARCH, 2017.