Growing up 300 metres from the Kees’ home ground, Lawson was destined to join the club from an early age.

“I was brought up through the club,” he said.

“I grew up right near the oval, so I always would come down for a kick.

“I started in the juniors and went through to the seniors and then onto the committee. It’s been a fair journey and I’ve probably been here for about 40 years.”

Despite joining the Wimmera Football League, Lawson said he always planned on returning to Kalkee and giving back to the club.

“I progressed into the Wimmera league and did some coaching there, but I came back to Kalkee,” he said.

“I’ve got some really good friends here. It’s good to put a bit back into the club where you grew up as a child.”

Lawson said his proudest moment as a club member was seeing his side win a number of premierships under his presidency.

“I’ve played in about four premierships for Kalkee but probably the most gratifying was when I was president and we won four senior flags,” he said.

“Then we won the fifth and that was a league record. It was great to get the reward for all the hard work we put in.”

Lawson continues to vocally support the Kees from the sidelines, and was front and centre on Saturday for the side’s win against Laharum in the opening round of the Horsham District season. 

It was a special day for Lawson, as he joined the senior premiership winning team from 2008 for a 10-year reunion.  

“It’s tremendous to have that side back here,” he said.

“We had a few drinks with the ‘08 premiership team and it’s great to catch up with them. You meet a lot of great people through football. They drift away but at some stage when you come back it’s great to catch up.”

Lawson was excited by what he has seen happen at the club throughout the off-season, and was optimistic about the side’s chances this season.  

“The club has picked up some new players so there is a fair bit of excitement around the place and we are looking for bigger and better things this season,” he said. 

“Lachie Exell is an ex-player and he should do well. We have also picked up some younger players so I’m excited to see what they can do this season.”

Fans and volunteers are pivotal to sporting clubs, and Lawson said one moment in particular encapsulated what Kalkee is all about.

“We built our clubrooms ourselves about 15 years ago with a little bit of money from the government,” he said.

“It was during the middle of a drought so we gave the farmers something to do when their crops were struggling.

“We are like any club and you need to have the workers around the place. Fans and volunteers all pull together. This club is really good with that.”