– with Peter Sweeney
Gwen Begg has lived in Bunyip for four decades and has been a life member of the football club for 20 years. Her story is the first in a new column called, From the Outer.
WHAT’S wrong with football? Nothing.
It’s great, it brings people together, it brings towns together.
You make great friends. I run the catering at the footy club. We recently had the rooms renovated and we cater for anything and everything. The footy, other sports, even funerals and weddings. This week we had a wake after the funeral of a young man. The next night we cooked 75 chicken shnitzels for dinner. I’ve worked in the canteen for 25 years.
Our ground needs a bit of work, but our clubrooms are great.
I’ve lost some of my best friends in Pearl McNamara and Pat Shallue in recent times. Gee, I miss ’em and we’re getting thin on numbers.
My late husband, Ken, and I moved here from Officer. We worked on an orchard and later at Nestle. Ken didn’t play footy here but he did a lot of work and the club honour board for the best and fairest is named after him.
We reared four boys and they’ve all played footy and cricket here. Some of them now work in the gas and oil rigs and powerlines.
We had Michael Ross picked up by Essendon last year and a few years earlier his brother Ben was selected by North Melbourne.
And of course Shane Mumford is a Bunyip boy. His mum, Janet, is a great worker for the club, as many ladies are.
The Doggies (us) have got some real good kids. Even the Catani people commented on the fast style of footy we played on Saturday.
The kids run … and they will do anything for coach Callum Pattie. Callum took over when Steve (Henwood) walked out last year and he’s doing a good job.
On Saturday night, we all went to the top pub in Bunyip. After our next away game, we will go to the bottom pub. And when we play at home, we stay in our rooms.
I’m glad footy’s back. I was reared in Thorpdale and played ladies football every Sunday there.
It was great. I love cricket, but there’s something about the footy.
