Wickers celebrate their golden tradition

CRESWICK Football Club had something of a false start when it was first formed 150 years ago.

CRESWICK Football Club had something of a false start when it was first formed 150 years ago.

“It started in 1869 and they played three games, and then they were hit with a massive flood,” says club historian Peter Fontana.

“1870 was the big floods right across Victoria, and then they got hit again in 1871 and it washed away every bridge from one end of Victoria to another.

“So the club went into recess … and they didn’t start again until 1876.”

Creswick was formed during the gold rush, but over time the major industry in the area morphed from mining to forestry and also agriculture.

The local football club has also gone through several changes of names, competitions, and especially jumpers.

Creswick Football Club — 1878.

Fontana says Creswick wore red uniforms in 1876. Several years and jumper changes later, and to avoid a clash with Geelong, Creswick put a red sash over its then-jumper of blue and white hoops.

At the time of World War II, Creswick had a red jumper with a blue V, earning the players the nickname the “Bloodsuckers”.

But for most of its known history they have been the “Wicks” or “Wickers”.

Among the club’s alumni is William Spence, the union leader, who became secretary when the club reformed in 1876, the first of three secretaries that year, Fontana says.

“When the football club restarted, things were done through the mines,” he says

“That whole group (of the club leaders) lasted about three games and then the townspeople took over.”

Creswick Football Club team photo from 1893.

There is also Sir Alexander Peacock, who was born in Creswick and would go on to become Victoria’s premier. He played in the 1870s, was later a club secretary and remained a club patron until his death.

These days Creswick is better known as the junior club of two-time North Melbourne premiership player Matthew Capuano.

This year will be about celebrating those men and all those that came in between, says president Mick Alsop.

But also, crucially, it is about recognising those whose names perhaps aren’t up on the honour boards

“The crux of this year, the 150th year, is that we want to celebrate not just the past players and past committee members, but all the volunteers and so on that have made the club run for so long,” Alsop says.

Creswick Football Club 1945.

He isthinking about longtime Creswick volunteer Archie Lubeek as he says this. Lubeek has been a player, umpire and club volunteer for more than 60 years at Creswick, and has been described as the “heart and soul of not only the club but our whole community”. Such has been his presence at the football club that the club person of the year award is named for him.

“He has been around the club for 40-odd years and volunteers for everything — he is there at 6.30 in the morning on a Saturday, he is there every single training night, without fail,” Alsop says. “He then turns up on a Sunday and brings in all the wheelie bins.

“Everyone in the league knows Archie.”

But in terms of on-field exploits, the Wickers do have several records to tip their hats to, boasting their league’s reigning senior games record holder.

Tim Rieniets marked his 20th in a row playing in the senior team in 2017, and over that time won four club best-and-fairest awards.

Creswick football club 2019.

In 2016, aged 36 years old, “Reno” played his 300th senior game, a Central Highlands Football League record.

Creswick was a founding member of the competition when it was formed in 1979, and last won the senior premiership in 1987.

But it has also won 11 junior premierships, and has broken new ground in recent years.

Alsop says Creswick is the only club in the Central Highlands league to have a female football team, which competes in the AFL Goldfields competition. Its youth girls team began in 2016.

Creswick’s Georgia Joynson also became the first female to play in what would traditionally be a boys Central Highlands representative team. She is the first girl to captain a boys team for Creswick (this year she is captain of the under-15s, as well as playing with the youth girls).

“She is exceptionally good,” Fontana says.

After 150 years, history still beckons for the Wickers.