Sixty-one years later he has been named as the inaugural Legend of the Girgarre Football Netball Club, the toast of the club’s centenary celebration that was held on Saturday evening.
A player, coach, president for nine years, trainer and supporter, he was considered by the judging panel to have no peer when it came to making a contribution to the club in its first hundred years.
Both his sons, Greg and Shaun, played with the club, Greg also serving as secretary during the 1990s.
While Halls’ achievement sent the crowd into raptures, there was widespread agreement when 1983 premiership coach David Marshall was named in charge of the Team of the Century.
He is one of only four Girgarre senior football premiership coaches and earned the gong because of the significant amount of Girgarre-based players that were in that team.
The club launched its centenary book, They’re Champions You’ll Agree, and named a netball Team of the Century.
Club president Matt Graetz, and the centenary celebration organising committee, had been forced to delay the event due to COVID-19 regulations.
He said it was great to finally be able to recognise some of the club’s greatest on- and off-field/court contributors.
Unfortunately the celebrations didn’t extend to Sunday as traditional rival Lancaster spoiled the party when it beat the Kangaroos by 17 points in the opening round Kyabram district league fixture.
The Team of the Century was:
Backs: Col Scripps, Ross McDonald, Algie Tonkin
Half Backs: Alan Carson, Gus Wallis, Maurice McDonald
Midfield: Tom Atkins, Keith Dunstall (captain), Jack Mannes
On Ballers: Jack Brown, George Arthur, Lawrie Casey
Half Forwards: Austin Maxwell, Ray Doolan, Maurie Varcoe
Forwards: Jeff Turpin, Andrew Jones, Laurie Doolan
Coach: David Marshall
Interchange: Peter Myers, Kelly Hewitt, Jake Hyland, Jack Casey
Emergencies: Phil Tomasini, Andrew Parsons, Paul Parsons, Gino DeAngelo.
More about the centenary celebrations, along with photos, on pages 23 and 24.
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