FOR nearly 70 years, Ian McRae has been a regular face around the Dimboola Football and Netball Club.
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The 96-year-old farmer and former air force pilot said the club continued to be of the upmost importance to the town.
“If you don’t keep clubs going in the small towns, then the towns die,” he said.
“So it’s pretty important to support them in order to keep young people involved in some sort of sport.”
After returning from the air force, McRae played a couple of seasons at both Warracknabeal and Kalkee before he settled in for a number of seasons at Dimboola from 1950.
He played about 80 games on the wings and through the middle of the ground before retiring at the age of 31.
He rates playing alongside his younger brothers Greg and Ron as one his best memories from his playing days in the 1950s.
“It was always a pretty good feeling to run out alongside my brothers,” he said.
“I think they were better footballers than I was – they were a bit bigger and I had to work hard to get my kicks.
“Ron was probably the best of the three of us while Greg and I both missed out a bit during the war times.”
He has continued to support the club ever since but has more recently had to split his allegiances between the Roos and the Horsham Saints, where his grandson Alexander plays.
He said it was a win-win situation when the two sides faced off in the 2013 grand final.
“I told Alexander that I would only barrack for him when he had the ball and the rest of the time it was for Dimboola,” he said.
“The club was lucky enough to import some very handy players for that season but they also had some really good players from around the area as well.
“We’ve had some very good products come out of the club – like Tim Watson and Merv Neagle – but one of the best footballers was Lester Marks back in my day.”
McRae and Jim McCabe – himself a premiership player at the club – have shared the driving duties to and from games for a number of seasons.
The pair analyse the game each week unless the Roos are playing too far away. At home games, a special place in the box looking over the benches and the oval is reserved for the loyal supporters.
“They even fixed the ladder up for us so we could still get up there,” McRae said.
“It used to be an old rickety thing but now it’s nice and sturdy, so we usually find some space up there.”
