Emotional history lesson

For East Gambier, the opening round of the Bendigo Bank Limestone Coast Football Netball League provided a golden opportunity to achieve two really important goals – to honour four club stalwarts who lost their lives in the off season and to teach emerging generations about what it takes to build and develop a club.

Bill Tye, Bob Charlton, Geoff Tobin and Martin Markiewicz were the four treasured Bulldogs the club wanted to honour and a call from Martin’s son Matthew, about a month ago, allowed the club to make the day even more special.

With his sister Malinda Foster suiting up to coach her first game as East Gambier A Grade netball coach, Matthew was going to be in town and in true Markiewicz style he offered to pull on the boots for the reserves football team.

The family’s long standing association with the club, including Liz Markiewicz’s illustrious career as a netballer as well as her role managing the club, provided the perfect storyline to honour all four past players and life members.

It was all about helping the current crop of Bulldogs understand why they were wearing the black arm bands for the day.

The entire senior playing cohort were on hand as Robert Shepherd spoke about the four men and then Martin’s nephew Simon Golebiowski and Matthew spoke about Martin’s time as a club member, growing up in club environments what it means to them and their family pride of having Malinda return to East Gambier Netball Club where Liz is also a life member.