In 1979, Tongala trained pacer Opalite was named the Trotting Control Board’s most consistent Horse of the Year, a prize accepted by trainer-driver Bob Usher and Kyabram Trotting Club president Karl Mansfield.
1979
Bob Usher trained pacer, Opalite, won a $2000 cash prize for being the Horse of the Year at the Melbourne Showgrounds when he came from the 15m handicap mark to win the Discretionary Handicap.
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The win was Opalite’s fourth at the showgrounds track in as many starts and, added to his five wins at Moonee Valley made for an impressive record. He had also won four country races for a total of $59,956 in prize money (the equivalent of $350,000 in 2024).
Tongala farmer Alan Corry and former Tongala resident Bob Miller own the pacer.
Paul Normington (centre) played his 50th game for Haslem Street and accepted the congratulations of coach Col Anderson, while Danny Hicks (left) was celebrating a seven-goal haul and 55 goals for the season.
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Paul Normington and Danny Hicks were the stars of Haslem Street’s Under 13 team, which was coached at the time by Col Anderson.
Normington was in his fourth season at the level, playing alongside outstanding goal kicker Danny Hicks. Hicks had kicked 55 goals in 13 games for the team, which had just won its semi-final against Nanneella.
Normington’s younger brother Dallas was also among the team’s best players, while for St Augustine’s Garry Lyon kicked four goals in a win against Echuca. Girgarre’s Rod Hoyling and Brian Casey were stars for their team.
Other familiar names in junior football at the time were Tongala’s David Connally and Peter Ryan, along with another Melbourne bound footballer in David Bourke (St Augustine’s).
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Kyabram golfer Graeme Brown collected his second Goulburn Valley Golf Championship on Sunday when he outplayed his Shepparton opponent Bob Dixon at Hill Top Tatura.
They had tied the previous Sunday, but Brown carded a three over par 76 to win on the second try by four shots. He also won the title in 1976, while Dixon had claimed the title the following year.
Kyabram golfer Graeme Brown (right) accepts his prize for winning the Goulburn Valley Golf Championship for the second time in 1979.
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After 15 rounds of the season, Lancaster was sitting second on the Kyabram District League ladder and Merrigum fourth.
Keith Argus, Col Flanagan and Noel Reddrop were stars for the Wombats, Reddrop kicking seven goals and Flanagan six.
For the Bullodgs, Wayne Leppard kicked five goals, as did Greg Pell as they combined with Gary Vardy and Sev Cortese to feature prominently in a win against Murchison.
Girgarre was second bottom in 1979, having lost by 14 goals to top team Undera in the late season contest. Ruckman Bob Bertoli and Austin Maxwell were the Kangaroos best players.
1989
Kyabram was announced as the host of the Goulburn Valley League’s first semi-final after club legend Vic Morris had played his 200th senior game in the competition.
Fittingly he played the game against Tongala, who he had played 102 of those games with, joining friend Mick Shanahan in the club.
Morris, 33 at the time, had played senior football for the Bombers since 1975, but switched to Tongala in 1981 and was a member of the Des Campbell-coached premierships of 1983-84
Kyabram and Tongala rivalry was a big part of Goulburn Valley football during the 1980s and two close friends who were also combatants were Brendan McConnell (Tongala) and Darryl Argus (Kyabram). This was from a 1989 game between the clubs.
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Rebecca Elborough, Debbie Hobbs, Jackie Elborough and Sharyn McMaster were awarded players of the match in Bendigo and Shepparton tournaments that saw teams from four age divisions represent the Kyabram Netball Association.
The Kyabram Under 16 team golf team won the Golden City tournament, while the Under 14, Year five and six teams were finalists at Shepparton.
Some of the familiar names in those teams included Moana Roberts, Donna and Sheree Turpin, Tanya and Kylie Bush, Melissa Bullington, Gaylene Napier, Fleur Macknamara, Tanya D’Augello, Tracey Reid, Natalie Campbell, Olivia Hilton, Kasey Glover and Stacey Sing.
Kyabram Netball Association’s Under 13 team (from left) Jacque Czech, Melissa Bullingham, Gaylene Napier, Kellie Gledhill, Fleur Macknamara, Wendy Gillon, Tanya D’Augello, Kellie Tranter and coach Faye Glover.
1999
Ten-year-old Kyabram cyclist Jack Quirk won a golf medal at the state time trial cycling championships at Ballarat.
Jack was in his third year of cycling and combined with Shepparton’s Ricky Peoples and Rhys Newby to win the eight kilometre Under 11 event.
Jack Quirk with the medal he won as a state cycling champion in 2009.
Kyabram Secondary College contested the state netball championships and this was the year 9-10 team that was coached by Norma Sefton-Rowston in 1999.
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Four Kyabram Secondary College teams travelled to the state netball championships at Royal Park, aiming to win a place in the finals of the Victorian competition later in the month.
The Year 11 and 12 team was coached by Di Hanslow and included Heidi and Dianne Anderson, Sarah Drysdale, Steph Reynard, Anita Dullard, Rowena Cooke, Nikki Pell and Susan Hickey.
Norma Sefton-Rowston was coach of the Year 9-10 team which included Belinda Sefton-Rowston, Sasha Pell, Sally Nepean, Rebecca Costa, Hannah Willis and April Park.
In the Year 8 team were Sara Pettifer, Rachael Vick, Jodie Tonkin, Michelle Grills, Clair Coulstock and Emily Gahan, coached by Sally Hudson.
The Year 7 team included Sarah Sweeney, Ashlea Watt, Claire Coulstock, Tiffany McKenzie and Kate O’Brien, coached by Cheryl Sweeney.
2009
Jeff Turpin with his children Ellie, Ben and Jedd before playing his 300th senior game for Girgarre in 2009.
Forty-year-old Jeff Turpin was back at Girgarre to play his 300th senior game for the club, where he won five best and fairest awards.
Turpin played three seasons with Rushworth and won two club best and fairests, along with the league’s Cheatley Medal for the best player in the competition in 1993.
He had two years at Picola United, where he won another club best and fairest. The year before returning to Girgarre he had been crowned Kyabram reserves’ best and fairest winner.
Despite all the individual honours, he said the 19912 premiership win with Girgarre remaining a highlight when the Brendan Flanagan coached team beat Lancaster.
In 2009, Tongala netballer Tracey Reid played her 250th game for the club and had premierships with both the Blues and Kyabram to her credit.
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Tracey Reid played her 250th game of netball for Tongala, the life member having been a member of the A grade team since she was just 15.
Ironically, the coach when she started, Michelle Mulholland, was also the co-coach of the team she was playing with in 2009.
She was a member of the 2002 premiership side that was coached by Adam Brunt and three players from that team were still playing at the top level.
Tracey also played in the 2006 Kyabram premiership, where she was voted the best and fairest.
