Rod ‘Rocket’ Gamlin the ‘heart and soul’ of St Kilda City Football Netball Club
Since playing juniors at St Kilda City 44 years ago, Rod Gamlin has been at the club’s heart, taking up positions from president to recruiter. And after almost closing its doors in the early 2000s, he reminisces on the club’s history — including famous past players.
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It’s a fresh morning at the Peanut Farm in Blessington St, St Kilda.
Frost makes a sheen of green on the oval as dogs walk their owners, and there’s a hint of a sway to the palm trees ringing the reserve.
Rod Gamlin — “Rocket” to most people in the Southern Football Netball League — takes in the scene from a bench near the barbecues outside the pavilion, the Edgewater Towers high-rise apartments behind him.
To his left he can see the Palais Theatre and Luna Park.
The St Kilda City president says there is no place he’d rather be.
“This is paradise,” he says.
“Have a look at it. The sun’s out and a day like this brings out the best of it. You can smell the beach. We’re as close as we can be to the centre of St Kilda here. This is a special place, mate. Unique.”
He’s thought as much since he was a schoolboy at Elwood Primary and followed his friend Nick Hemstrom to St Kilda City to play juniors.
That was 44 years ago. Since then, Gamlin has been as much a fixture of the Peanut Farm as the palms that make it such a memorable setting for suburban football.
What a name for a reserve. Many years ago it was in fact a peanut farm.
What a football club. City has had more ups and downs than some of the rides at Luna Park but turns 75 next year and will celebrate with a big function at St Kilda Town Hall.
And what a servant it has in Gamlin, who is proud of its history and his involvement in it.
He’s seen a lot and heard plenty more, revelling in the stories from players and officials who were with St Kilda City before he landed there in the late 1970s (it’s fair to say a good proportion of the yarns are told about “colourful’’ characters who have drifted through the club).
Gamlin has been at St Kilda City for so long that he’s seen four upgrades of the pavilion.
When he joined City the rooms were about one third of the size they are now.
“It was like a cell, a dungeon,’’ he says.
“That’s all we had, you know? But it was ours.’’
Gamlin played just over 100 junior games, 170 in the seniors and a few more in the reserves. With about 300 matches behind him he retired in 1998, going from player to runner.
What sort of player was he? “Aww, I battled through, mate. Up and down. I could play most positions. I was OK. I played with a lot of champions, the Peter Owens, the Chris Phelans, the Mick Hartnetts. I was well down the rung,’’ he says.
His family – his parents David and Marja and younger brother Matt – followed him to the Peanut Farm. His son, Wade, was a Saint, too.
Mr and Mrs Gamlin had been involved at North Caulfield football and cricket clubs.
They became valued volunteers at City, David serving as president and Marja serving hamburgers from the canteen and doing all sorts of jobs.
Her cooking attracts a crowd, with residents at Edgewater Towers crossing Spenser St for a bite to eat and perhaps a fix for a hangover.
Aside from one year, Gamlin has been on the committee every year since 1999.
He took 2011 off because of his weekend work commitments. But he still pulled in sponsors.
President, vice-president, secretary, football manager, chairman of selectors, chief recruiter (give him the number of a star player up for grabs and watch him go) … he’s done it all.
One year he almost had his most difficult task — closing the doors.
That was in 2004. The previous season had been a let-down for City as a good side accustomed to success fell down the ladder.
There were injuries and Gamlin saw that players were worn out.
“We had about 16 blokes retire and about 15 blokes move on,’’ Gamlin recalls.
“We were left with a dozen blokes. We couldn’t get any in. Then pretty much on the eve of the season the Under-18 competition didn’t get off the ground. So we grabbed all the kids and said we’d play them. A couple of older blokes came back, and we had a side. We got flogged. But we showed spirit, showed what the club was all about. That year launched us back, even though we went down (to Division 2).
“But, yeah, that was toughest month, that March. Really emotional and draining. Didn’t sleep much. But we held on. And within 48 hours I went from locking that door for the last time to watching us train a bunch of kids.’’
Soon, City was back winning games, with Robbie Walker as playing coach and Mark Tasiyan a major recruit.
St Kilda City won the Division 2 premiership in 2005. Division 1 flags came in 2007, 2009 and 2010 under Richard Houston, who everyone said had lots of money to spend on players but no idea how to coach. He could point the doubters to the scoreboard.
And Houston says of Gamlin: “He’s one of a kind, calls a spade a spade, and he’s the heart and soul of St Kilda City. He would do anything for that club. In fact, he has.’’
He describes the Peanut Farm as “a funny old place’’.
“Once you’re there and you get a taste of it, it’s hard to leave it,’’ Houston says. “You see some different things.’’
Former Cheltenham player Brett Anderson still laughs about the time a streaker bolted across the ground, ran to his car and drove off. Some Chelt players were startled. City stalwarts used to unusual sights didn’t think much of it.
While a senior premiership has eluded St Kilda City for a decade, it has played in the past five Under-19 grands finals and won three flags.
Fifteen nationalities were represented in last year’s team.
City has also had success with netball since creating a section eight years ago.
Gamlin describes St Kilda City as a “different’’ club, “inclusive and before its time’’.
“We’re a massive multicultural club, and we’ve had a huge indigenous influx in the past 10 years, which has been fantastic. We’ve embraced everything about it,’’ he says.
“Bit of a brotherhood. I’ve been reconnecting with a lot of past players. It just takes a phone call to ignite the passion. They speak so passionately about it.’’
A mural on the pavilion, the work of street artist Adnate, has images of young St Kilda City indigenous star Jesse Firebrace and his younger brother Jake.
Gamlin gets emotional as he looks over it. He says it was a proud day when the mural was unveiled.
“The whole indigenous issue … you have to interact with them to understand how they feel about it,’’ he says.
“I’ve learnt a lot from them. I’ve learnt a lot about life. I love them being at our club. The more the better, as far as I’m concerned.’’
The club song aside, there has been a musical side to City, too.
Billy Miller from the The Ferrets, Mark Evans from AC/DC and Rose Tattoo and Alan Johnson from Real Life all played at the Peanut Farm, presumably with a lick in their kick.
And Gamlin has recently been in contact with Chris Stone, another ex-City player.
He is the husband of Belgian Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes and, having played a few games with St Kilda, is counted in the club’s roll-call of former VFL/AFL players. It includes Billy Mildenhall, Brett Bowey and Jeff Hogg.
St Kilda City has played continuously since being formed as Inkerman Rovers in 1946.
But the coronavirus pandemic has stopped it and all other football clubs in its tracks.
For Gamlin, it’s meant some rare Saturdays at home. But “Rocket’’ — St Kilda City’s rock — is ready for the return to play next month, and the thicks and thins and ups and downs of the football season.
They’re blessed to have him at Blessington St.