The Tree On The Wing History Podcast

Russell Hyland by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Football is the life blood of regional communities. It’s the place where a local would go it they wanted to catch up with a friend for a drink on a Saturday and it is a place where a new member of the community, with a large tribe of kids might head to - to meet a few people and find something for the children to do. If those children all happen to be boys and it is the 1980s, then there probably wasn’t a lot of choice for Lenny Swinton when he arrived in Barwon Heads. Lenny certainly got stuck in and allowed himself to be fully engulfed by the club and his boys all got involved in activities out on the field. Len would go on to be one of the club’s great contributors and earned himself a life membership in 2000. Shortly after arriving in town the family expanded to include son number 7 - Peter. At the time when Pete was born the fortunes of the club were not that hot, but, through a lot of hard work by people like Lenny, and a good turn in fortune, it wouldn’t be long before young Peter would play a part as the mascot in the clubs only ever senior premiership sweep when the firsts and seconds both tasted premiership victory in 1993. Peter started his playing career not long after that when he started playing in the under 15 team as a seven-year-old. Yes, that’s right he was 7. Peter has played more than 250 senior games, an unknown number of junior games, is co-skipper of the reserves and is the quintessential Barwon Heads footballer and life member. He is a man who is completely in love with his town and his football club and incredibly proud of his family and the contribution they have made to both. He even told us he is uncomfortable crossing the bridge. Peter’s brother Gary was the inspiration for the trophy we play the Geelong Amateurs for and Peter shared his emotional memories of his oldest brother. He’s an extremely popular player and member of our club and has made a contribution to the fabric of the place since he was a small boy and it was a delight to catch up with him. We hope you will enjoy our chat with Pete Swinton.

It’s always pleasing to see the kids you’ve seen grow up, go on to better things. It is extremely pleasing to see them aspire to be leaders in their community and to work hard to progress towards those aspirations. Nipper and I remember Sam Schaller being born. We grew up – in as much as any of us actually grew up – with his parents. We played footy and cricket with his father, netball with his mother and father, and his grandparents – all 4 of them – were a constant presence in our community when we were younger. We saw him play his first cricket and footy - and we have seen him rise to prominence on the playing fields of the village. He’s the gentle giant with the unusual kicking style, the left armer who can spin it either way and swing it both. He’s been a coach since he was in school and he has worked on his craft to the point where, when an opportunity rose, the departing incumbent Dan Donati recommended his services to the club as senior coach. Sam has a wonderful perspective on the football club, having grown up surrounded by the two blues. He is filled with gratitude for the little things that the non-combatants do for the players and the club and is rightly humbled by their dedication. And he is also fiercely driven to success and has already proven that he has what it takes to coach and lead teams to high levels of achievement. He realizes the size of the task he has taken on and the size of the shoes he is filling and he is looking forwards to the future and knows the hard work that goes into having a successful football program. We hope you enjoy our chat with Sam Schaller.

Mitch Herbison by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Tim Zula PtB by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Tim Zula PtA by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Ep#21_Dennis_Johnson by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Ep#20_Peter VanEck by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

The Day On The Hill by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Special Episode Covid Update by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Ep#19_Kath Kelly by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Robyn Pelham by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Ep#17 Wayne Cornes by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

For the first time since we started the podcast, we had organised to record with a guest and he was unable to attend due to illness. Nipper made a couple of calls, but at short notice we were not able to get anyone to chat with so he suggested that he wanted to have a chat about some of the little treasures he has been able to resurrect from the family archives. Since we had dedicated the time and the old saying goes that the show must go on, I thought - why not? And I am very pleased that we went to the trouble because Nipper was able to present a couple of absolute gems from the past that might escape the attention of the members and followers of the club had we not recorded them here. This is a general chat that reveals a report of one of the club’s earliest matches, some of musings of a much younger current senior club official and reveals the origins of one of the supporter’s favourite features in the club. We hope you enjoy our readings from the history books. Who Knows? It may evolve into a segment of the show.

Past Players Day Report by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Flag Unfurling by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

In the late 1970s a young western suburbs surfer was convinced by the enigmatic Jeff Nicholson to head to the coast surfing and have a kick with the local footy club. An early mix up and some fast thinking by a bright official initially saw this arty young lad headed off to Leopold for a season, but he soon found his way back to Harmer Oval and John Starr began a 40 plus year association with Barwon Heads that has seen him become a life member and take a leading hand in the look of the place that endures to this day. John played his junior footy in Melbourne where he mixed it with some VFL/AFL legends, later got to play against one of his idols and mentors, spent some time playing serious footy interstate and continued his playing career beyond the seagulls as an early adopter of super rules. A dedicated and loyal servant of the club, John has Coached at both Junior and Senior levels, played, won premierships, fought, sung, composed and painted for the footy club. He has become a significant influence on the cultural makeup of the town and the wider community of Geelong with both visual and performing arts and earned international attention for his work. Of most interest to Nipper and myself though was a song John used to perform in the late 80s which we are both fond of. We weren’t sure if he’d remember it and you’ll have to keep listening to the end to find out if he has. This is a special episode, with a beloved member of the seagull family and the Barwon Heads community and we are very pleased to invite you to join us for this conversation with Jonny Starr.

Nathan Brown by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Ep#14_Shane Mitchell by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History

Ep#13B Carpo and Frisie by Barwon Heads Football & Netball Club History