THE WIMMERA Football League will present backdated Toohey medals to past winners who did not receive an actual medal.
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The league best-and-fairest award began with winners receiving a commemorative plate and 10 pounds, before changing to a cup and 10 pounds.
Wimmera league chief commissioner Greg Schultz conducted some research and found there were 13 medals without an owner.
"Going through the league's history and seeing our honourboards, it's known as the Toohey medal, but the first few given out were actually plates and cups," he said.
"Everyone assumed that everyone probably had a Toohey Medal, but it wasn't until we presented a life membership to Jack Kranz a few weeks back that we realised it wasn't the case.
"Jimmy Lindsay received the first actual medal in 1961 and I thought all the others aren't really Toohey medalists so let's go back and give it to them.
"When we present the Toohey medals on presentation night we talk about Mr P.J Toohey.
"So they decided in 1948 to recognise him and I found in the history that it started off as the P.J Toohey Trophy."
Mr Schultz consulted a number of people regarding the possibility of backdating the medals, and was met with positive feedback.
"I spoke to some other life members and old commissioners and they thought it was a good idea, and the clubs thought it was okay too," he said.
"So I presented it to the commission and they all thought it was a good idea. They saw fit that we'd backdate them and give everyone a medal."
Ararat's Jack Antonio was the first past winner to have his medal backdated, with Mr Schultz presenting the medal to Antonio's wife and son.
Antonio claimed the honour in 1956 and when his son Glen won the Toohey medal in 1992, the pair became the first father-son duo to have both won the league’s best-and-fairest.
Of 13 medals to be presented to past players, there are six players, only one of which is still alive.
Robert Dunlop won back-to-back league best-and-fairests in 1958 and 1959 and will return for a Rupanyup reunion, where he will be presented with his medal.
Murtoa's Arnie McIntyre won three medals from 1948 to 1950.
He will be honoured alongside Stawell's Geoff Stewart, Nhill's Wes Warrick and Jeparit's Eric Clayton.
"It's about getting the history of the league back," Mr Schultz said.
"When we presented Jack Antonio's to his family, they were very grateful."
The league will give out the medals to family members at club functions.
"Now everyone can say it's the Toohey medal," Mr Schultz said.
