In round eight, Horsham umpire Don 'Glen' Rigby did just that, running onto the field for the 500th time at City Oval to call the match.

However, he was reminded of the occasion with a text from AFL Wimmera Mallee Umpire coach Cam Pickering just before the game.

"I nominated that (game) because my son plays for Horsham. The only to way to get to watch him play is umpire as well," he said.

"But I didn't know until Cam texted me that it was my 500th game."

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Rigby said he was surprised that the milestone had come up so quickly.

"I knew it may happen this year, or may happen next year but I didn't know exactly which game it was, or when it would happen," Rigby said.

With love for umpiring in his heart, Rigby said he hadn't stopped learning since he first blew the whistle.

"I always felt that if I'm going to umpire, I want to be the best umpire I can be," Rigby said.

"I wanted to be good at it, not that I think I am good at it, but I give it my best and I was taught by the best."

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Cam Pickering, Graham Cox, Russell Argle, the late David Tapscott, Gerald White, Pete Mellington and Frank Marklew

"They've been umpiring before I started umpiring," Rigby said.

According to the veteran whistle, that drive to umpire at a high level has led to some exciting places.

"Lots of them are learning. I did a lot of what they call academy, which is interleague umpiring - above and beyond normal umpiring. I did that for ten years."

He's umpired grand finals at every level, but some moments stick out more than others.

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"There are three games; umpiring a Wimmera league grand final and my two interleague games;' those are my highlights," Rigby said.

"Nothing comes second to that, other than winning a grand final in the south-west and watching my son win a grand final."

Another highlight was receiving the Golden Whistle Award in 2005.

"That was a massive surprise, I had no idea what was going on there," Rigby laughed.

"I'd only been umpiring a couple of years."

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Rigby spent most of his early career on the field as a player, playing over 300 games across Coleraine and Pimpinio.

Injury derailed his football career at the turn of the millennium, however.

"I snapped the anterior cruciate in my right knee, so I don't have one in my knee anymore," Rigby said.

"They said, 'Good luck. You might be able to run. You might not'.

"I was able to work and umpire, but I gave up football after that... I thought there's no point anymore."

"I played 300 games, I wanted to umpire 300 games; I wanted to give back."

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Throughout his 20-year career, Rigby has seen community sport change "massively" since he began umpiring.

"I remember when I started umpiring, that the umpire abuse was just phenomenal out of the players," he said.

Rigby said the two Wimmera leagues were leaders in curbing the abuse umpires received on the field.

"The Wimmera have got a fantastic relationship with all the clubs and the players, in the sense of umpire abuse and disputing decisions," Rigby said.

"I've umpired a few other leagues and they're not as polite or well-mannered."

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Rigby said having established umpires such as Pickering and Marklew had helped develop a collaborative culture between players and umpires that made it easier for new umpires.

"There was a crew years ago, who got in and it made it better for everyone," Rigby said.

"It's really, really, really worth it... when I go to umpire a game, I like it to do it with another association umpire."

And after 500 games, that passion is still there.

The veteran umpire said he would keep umpiring "as long as the old body will keep going".

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"My biggest thing at the moment is age and frustration, not being able to move as much as I used to," Ridgy said.

"There's no rhyme or reason behind it, I just really enjoy it."

One day, Rigby said he hopes he'll be able to umpire at the same level he used to.

"I'd like to find the energy, fitness levels and time to get really fit again so I could do the Wimmera seniors," he said.

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