AFL Country Festival: Farm life still calls for young Cat Timm House

GEELONG footballer Timm House says it is hard to see himself living anywhere other than a farm.

Far from home: Timm House, picked up by Geelong in the 2016 draft and yet to make his AFL debut, works on a small farm outside Geelong. He grew up on a cropping farm in Western Australia, but was recruited from GFL club Newtown and Chilwell and the VFL. Picture: Andy Rogers

GEELONG footballer Timm House says it is hard to see himself living anywhere other than a farm.

House grew up on a farm in the Western Australian wheatbelt, and today balances his commitments as a Geelong-listed player with helping take care of a 600ha property just outside Geelong.

The farm has sheep and beef cattle, and also a new addition — a horse called Brian.

“It’s hard to see myself anywhere else really,” House says of farm life.

“It’s a great lifestyle and I don’t think I could live in the city forever. Hopefully Dad lets me come home and help him on the farm, or see where I’m at after my footy career, but farming is my No 1 option after football.”

Within two years, House went from playing country football to being on Geelong’s AFL list.

House, who turns 23 this month, came to Victoria in 2015 to complete a farm management course at Marcus Oldham College.

He had played with Claremont reserves in the WAFL, and after the move joined Newtown and Chilwell, which at the time was coached by Geelong champion David Wojcinski.

“That was a bit of a shock, being coached by a Geelong AFL legend,” House said.

“It made me realise how much of a small town Geelong was really, having AFL players mingle in local footy clubs and that sort of thing I certainly wasn’t used to.

“I only played reserves at Claremont … moving to the GFL was a big step up. There was a lot of very good players in the GFL … it took me a while to adjust and it was my first taste of senior footy so I learned a lot in that year while I was playing at Newtown.”

Newtown and Chilwell made it all the way to the Geelong Football League that year. Then he got a call from Troy Selwood to join Geelong VFL for the preseason.

It meant that House missed the 2015 harvest back home at Gnowangerup, about 340km southeast of Perth.

“I was rapt to have the opportunity and unfortunately I had to tell Dad that I couldn’t come home for harvest, I had to do the preseason with the VFL,” House said. “He was excited — and just got very busy.”

Fast-forward roughly 12 months, and House was driving a truck carting grain when he found out he had been drafted to Geelong.

“I was literally driving the truck, and I got a call from a good mate saying I had been picked up by Geelong in the draft,” he said.

“I had been keeping an eye on it during the day, but I’d missed pick 68 — I wasn’t watching while pick 68 was drawn, and that was the one I needed to watch.”

The farm where House currently lives is located between Inverleigh and Winchelsea.

House and his partner Amelia, who he met at Marcus Oldham, live in a cottage on the farm and he helps out the owner on his days off from football or when the owner is away.

He has completed two of the three years of his course, but it has been on hold since he was drafted.

He is yet to make his AFL debut, but has been plying his trade in the VFL.

This weekend Geelong will play Essendon in the third AFL Country Game.

“I think the country game is a really good opportunity to recognise people from the country and people that support footy and follow footy,” House said.

“It can be quite isolating living on a farm in the country, and weekend sport is a highlight for a lot of people.

“It certainly was when I was growing up and living at Gnowangerup.”