News
BFNL REWIND - Recommendation for Ballarat and Bendigo amalgamation
News
BFNL REWIND - Recommendation for Ballarat and Bendigo amalgamation
Published on:
18 February 2025
It's entirely true that the late 1970s were a period of great ructions in major Victorian country leagues, but one recommendation had entirely slipped my mind.
This was the recommendation of the Victorian Country Footy League's investigation committee in the late Seventies to throw the Ballarat and Bendigo leagues in together.,
Now there's things that slip in the memory from close on five decades back. But a joint Ballarat-Bendigo league proposal couldn't have lasted long because that theory has completely been dislodged from my mind..
VCFL investigators John Lauritz and Allan Dunstan were the investigators who trotted out this theory and unsurprisingly the flood of protest letters and faxes which arrived in VCFL head office in Jolimont didn't stop coming.
Credit to our BFL office bearers because they lodged three separate proposals.
First they re-iterated that Maryborough should be admitted. I recall that one. Two others I recall only just.
Those were to admit either Maddingley or Sebastopol to come on board the BFL vessel. All those suggestions fell through.
It was a busy off-season in late 1977. Towards the end of October three VCFL officials in John Lauritz, Joe Collery and Stewart Wren had tabled their blueprint for footy in the Goldfields.
There were no league or club officials present which was probably just as well. Here's their incendiary four-point plan.
1. These clubs from the Bendigo and Ballarat leagues should form a new league and start the 1978 season off: Ballarat, Eaglehawk, East Ballarat, Golden Point, Golden Square, Maryborough, North Ballarat, Redan, Sandhurst and South Bendigo.
2. The following clubs from the Bendigo, Ballarat and Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh District leagues to also form a new league and also start playing in 1978: Bacchus Marsh, Ballan, Buninyong. Castlemaine, Darley, Gordon, Daylesford, Dunnstown, Kyneton, Maddingley and Sebastopol.
3. Kenningtonn to be admitted into the Heathcote and District F.L.
4. Beaufort to join the Lexton F.L.
According to the minutes of that three-person meeting the investigators advised the VCFL that they had received correspondence from the Maddingley Football Club that the club would definitely consider joining the Bendigo league if it was knocked back from joining the Ballarat FL.
"The club told us it was 'most keen' to gain major league status," the report states.
So where is Maddingley ? Well, it's 62 km east of Ballarat and is really a suburb of Bacchus Marsh where that town's CBD is just three klicks away.
Unsurprisingly the three investigators concluded their report by stating "we see no peaceful solution to the problems of the Ballarat and Bendigo districts although it's quite clear that radical action is needed."
So before Christmas in '77 things really started to boil. Not surprisingly, after these suggestions had reached everybody.
BFL president the late Ned Flood and other BFL officials met VCFL president Allan Dunstand and other VFL officials at VFL House in November to discuss our league's proposals.
Dunstant tried to calm down proceedings by stating the prime reason the investigation body had drawn up "Its controversial plan was to gauge the reaction of the Bendigo league and its seven clubs.
"Given the huge strength of the reaction nwe at the VCFL are satisfied the seven clubs had an unbinding loyalty to their league: the BFL," Mr Dunstan stated.
"So we're not going to proceed at all with the investigations committee's recommendations to split up the Bendigo and Ballarat competitions."
Phew! But it wasn't all done and dusted in 1977 just yet.
Not long before Xmas VCFL boss John Lauritz officially asked the three clubs which were in the BFL's sights --- Maryborough, Sebastopol and Maddingley --- for their feedback on the Bendigo league's campaign to include one of them for 1978.
Here's what they had to say (in brief for this article). 1. John Woodlock (Maryborough).
"My club officials have unanimously agreed to abide by the VCFL's decisions when we lost the appeal to enter the Bendigo league.
"We are now adamant that our Magpies should remain with the Ballarat league. And our officials feel the Ballarat league is better administered than the Bendigo league."
Ouch. Cop that Messrs. Flood and Anderson.
2. Maddingley president Graham Dawson (no, not the ABC radio's Graham 'Smokey' Dawson): "We are a suburb of Bacchus Marsh and we have a population of 7,000 with a growth rate of 6 per cent a year.
"We're 50 km from Ballarat and 150 km from Bendigo. The club's first choice is to play in the Ballarat F.L., but we would consider moving to the Bendigo league."
3. Sebastopol secretary Ian Rose said it "would be unfeasible for our club to play in the Bendigo F.L. Our club maintains its ambition to play major league footy in the Ballarat league."
So that's how things were progressing --- or regressing --- close to five decades ago.
We've currently lost Kyneton to the Riddell District league and Maryborough is in recess. Hopefully to resume in 2026.
So there's hardly ever a dull moment in footy ---- both on the field and off. Let's hope 2025 is a great season.
[with thanks to former Addy sports desk colleague Paul Daffey and his 2017 book: "Behind The Goals -- the history of the VCFL".
