Mark Robinson remembers Danny Ellis, a close friend and dedicated Sandhurst Football Netball Club volunteer

Danny Ellis was everything that makes community sporting clubs great. But more than anything, he was a great friend to many. MARK ROBINSON pays tribute to his close mate after his death at the age of 57.

Danny Ellis died at the age of 57.

Most people won’t know Danny Ellis.

But most will know a person like Danny Ellis.

Danny died two weeks ago and was buried in Bendigo on Thursday. He was 57.

He died after the most recent surge of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia viciously gripped him and wouldn’t let go.

CLL has a very high incidence rate in people older than 60. Danny, father of three, was diagnosed at 47.

It’s an understatement to label him a fighter. He tried real drugs and experimental drugs. He was sick, then fine, then sicker again.

Yet, it would always say: I’m OK, pal.

This time, his Peter Mac visit would be his last. What a place the Peter Mac is. And the Royal Melbourne. The people there make approaching death, as scary as it is, as comforting it can be.

People will know a person like Danny Ellis, but not because he’s another fallen cancer-patient.

No, Danny was a special kind of man. He gave 40 years of his life to the Sandhurst Football and Netball Club.

He was a player, and then had roles as a committeeman, treasurer, secretary, president, recruiter, merchandise manager, sponsor chaser, raffle-ticket seller, kiosk organiser and anything else which needed to be done.

He was more than a volunteer, he was the lifeblood of the club — the constant amid the ever-changing community which radiates in a footy club.

Danny loved Sandhurst. In order, wife Kylie and the three kids — Genevieve 24, Jeremy 22 and Audrey 19 — were first, Sandhurst and Carlton was equal second. And golf was third. There was no fourth.

Have you ever wondered where we would be if we didn’t have dedicated volunteerism — and people like Danny — in all facets of life?

It takes special people to sow and stich the fabric of our communities together, and which is exemplified through the prism of sport.

Would we even have footy and netball clubs, or tennis clubs, or golf clubs?

The AFL says there are roughly 300,000 volunteers nationally.

Danny dedicated much of his life to his beloved Sandhurst Football Netball Club. Picture: Aaron Cook

AFL boss Andrew Dillon didn’t know Danny, but he would’ve liked Danny.

“It’s volunteers like Danny Ellis who are the heartbeat of their footy clubs,’’ he said.

“The ones who selflessly make things happen behind the scenes so the players can run out every week and play the game they love.

“Local footy clubs are often the epicentre of their communities, and we are very lucky as a game to have so many volunteers rolling their sleeves up and making an unbelievable contribution week in and week out.

“From coaches to canteen co-ordinators, team managers to the parent in charge of cutting the oranges, umpires and committee members, everyone behind the scenes play such an important role and on behalf of the AFL we cannot thank you enough for making your clubs the great and welcoming places they are.”

Danny was a great mate. We were born two days apart and never missed a birthday call. We met in Year 7. We lived around the corner from each other. We played footy together. Kylie is my cousin so he married into the family. He was a mate for life.

We spoke by phone in the week he died, as he lay in hospital with no visitors allowed, but there was no talk of the darkness and sadness looming. He wanted to debate who was the better footballer, EJ or The Bont. He said The Bont and wouldn’t be convinced otherwise.

He was a stubborn bastard like that. And forthright. He can’t play. He can’t coach. He’s a superstar. On and on he would rant.

He was always a Blues man. He loved Sticks. He loved Kouta. He loved Charlie. And he wasn’t impressed with Harry’s kicking.

Like always at the end of our phone call, he said: ‘’See ya, pal.’’

He was a good footballer, Dan. He played full-forward. He could kick right and left foot, and straight, and was crafty on the lead. Other than being a touch slow, having a slightly big arse, and not being good enough, he could’ve played AFL.

That’s what we’d joke, anyhow.

He did train at Carlton for a brief period when was 18. He played Under-19s and a couple of reserves games. Their talent scout, Dean Strauch’s old man Neville, probably alerted them after Danny kicked 28.12 in an under-18 game for Sandhurst in ‘84.

🥲day today losing my old footy mate Danny Ellis (bottom front right) we went down together from Heathcote he came back and kicked a 100 for Sandhurst then did years as President ripping bloke gunna miss ya Roo 🫶 #only57pic.twitter.com/DloxTFURKy

— @bakes (@bakes47516205) June 5, 2024

It was against Northern United at Kamarooka. It was a wasteland of an oval between the paddocks and pastures on the corner of Cails Rd and the Bendigo-Tennyson Rd.

The away rooms was a tin shed and had one shower, and the home crowd would pay $50 and drink booze while the seniors played. They were the days.

It would be at Bendigo’s Queen Elizabeth Oval, which historically shared between Sandhurst and South Bendigo since the Gold Rush days, where Danny cemented his legacy.

He played 115 senior games which included winning the 1988 Bendigo Football League goalkicking award. He became president in 1996 after financial turmoil had stained the club, was a premiership president in 2004, was president and treasurer at the same time for a number of years, before coming secretary for 13 years. And was still on the committee in 2024.

A crowd of about 600 people gathered to farewell Danny Ellis.

Upon his death, the Bendigo Advertiser ran a story on the back page.

“You can go back to the original godfather so to speak of Bob McCaskill, who was a coaching guru, back in the 1920s and 1930, but I don’t see anyone who has made a bigger contribution than Danny to Sandhurst,” Sandhurst president Mark O’Farrell said.

“Dan was the man who made everything work. He built a vibrant community club which we now forever thankful for. Without Danny, I’m not sure we would still have a club.’’

He was a rarity. He wasn’t a drinker. Some footy club folk get pissed twice a week, whereas Danny would get pissed twice a year. He was even more pig-headed when he did, though. And funny.

About six weeks back, he called and asked if I had yet watched the Rochester Football Club doco on Fox Footy.

It was a classic. A bunch of old timers spoke of their love of the club through the glory years and the not-so glory years, and they symbolised perfectly how footy was the rhythm of life in country towns. They were Danny all over.

He was such a giver and carer. And not just with his footy. He worked for the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing for 35 years, specifically with people with who had intellectual disabilities.

Danny and his family have been fixtures at Sandhurst for decades. Picture: Aaron Cook

If his roster-on days were a Saturday, Danny would load up the mini bus and bring them to the QEO. He’d get them a pie and drink, and they’d love it. They were the unofficial cheer squad.

Kylie was Danny’s helper at the footy. When he was president, she was the ground manager. They’d be up at 7am, Kylie would be at the ground at 7.30am, Danny would get there by 9am, and they’d stay for the three games and some of the post-match.

Their kids also loved the day’s adventure — and they all had a job, be it the waterboy, timekeeper, boundary umpire, or the scoreboard operator.

“He was so dedicated to football in Bendigo, and not just Sandhurst, he wanted all of the footy to thrive,’’ Kylie said.

“He was so passionate about Sandhurst and the most amazing side of Danny is that he did it all with a young family.

“I loved him because he brought out the best in me.’’

No one was more thrilled than Danny when Kylie was also made a life member of Sandhurst in 2009.

Weeks before his death, the club, now 163-years-old, announced that Danny and the club’s greatest playing servant, Brendan Hartney, would become legends, joining two other legends, McCaskill and long-time trainer Max Healy.

Thursday’s funeral was as big as anyone could remember in Bendigo. We’re talking 600 people and there was a guard of honour at the end.

My God, people liked Danny. We worked out that at 20 games a season, over 40 seasons, Danny was at roughly 2400 Sandhurst games counting thirds, seconds and seniors.

We were lucky to have him. See ya, pal.