BENDIGO Athletic Club great Rick Ermel is glad the stars aligned and he was back in town as he was unveiled as the club’s newest life member.<\/p>\n
The 64-year-old, who has called the Gold Coast home for the last three years, was bestowed the honour at the club’s annual cross country presentation night earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Back in Bendigo due to multiple commitments, including his granddaughters’ first birthday, he was proud to accept the award in person.<\/p>\n
Despite a few hints from family members, Ermel declared his life membership as a nice surprise.<\/p>\n
A 19-time club champion, he continues to look on his involvement with Bendigo Athletic Club with fondness.<\/p>\n
“It was just a really great part of my life,” Ermel said.<\/p>\n
“What it did is, when you become a runner and meet good people, you get really grounded and everyone stays fit and healthy.<\/p>\n
“Your lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n
“It also gave me a job and career, as people know you have a good work ethic,” Ermel, who worked for 36 years in disability services in Bendigo, added.<\/p>\n
“I’d like to think I was a pretty dedicated club person.<\/p>\n
“It’s a wonderful club.”<\/p>\n
His 1984 club champion win was not only his first, but launched a streak of five straight award wins.<\/p>\n
He won three more straight from 1991-93, six on the trot from 1997 to 2002 and three on end again from 2005 to 2007, before winning for the final time in 2009.<\/p>\n
Ermel said he was humbled and honoured.<\/p>\n
“There probably just over a dozen people in the history of the club, who have been honoured since about 1974,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I came into the club as a 21 or 22-year-old, trying to find my way in life and found out I had a little bit of running ability.<\/p>\n
“I didn’t know a whole lot about sports.”<\/p>\n
Ermel, who dabbled in amateur boxing under renowned Bendigo trainer Pat Connolly before<\/p>\n
“I had a go at boxing mainly to try and lose weight and was lucky enough to represent Victoria at 20 years of age,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I quickly found out I was a lot better runner than fighter.<\/p>\n
“I have a saying \u2013 I won all my fights by one hundred metres.<\/p>\n
“My nickname was The Astronomer; all I saw was stars.”<\/p>\n
Ermel’s long association with the BAC coincided with a successful career, highlighted by back-to-back 3200m wins at the Stawell Gift Carnival in 1985-86, the latter won as the backmarker.<\/p>\n
“Those wins were a real privilege, especially the second one in the red jacket,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I gave eight runners a lap start and was lucky enough to reel them in.<\/p>\n
“Amazing memories and a great honour winning at Stawell, as it’s the pinnacle of professional running.<\/p>\n
“That’s the biggest thing I learned with athletics, it doesn’t matter whether you are a millionaire, or on the arse end of your pants \u2013 we’re all equal.<\/p>\n
“I took that into life; everyone deserves respect and dignity, and that’s applied all through my career in disability services.”<\/p>\n
Other major wins included a victory on home turf at the Bendigo International Madison, a Maryborough backmarkers’ mile, and success at the Wangaratta Gift.<\/p>\n
Despite the move interstate, Ermel retains an involvement with athletics through the Southport club as a parkrun volunteer.<\/p>\n
“Athletics is still in the blood \u2013 just enough to give me another injury,” he joked.<\/p>\n
“The old body has nearly given up on me, but what a journey I’ve been on.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BENDIGO Athletic Club great Rick Ermel is glad the stars aligned and he was back in town as he was unveiled as the club’s newest life member. The 64-year-old, who has called the Gold Coast home for the last three years, was bestowed the honour at the club’s annual cross country presentation night earlier this […]<\/p>\n