Gippsland: Jack Huxtable calls time on 76-year involvement in country footy

Jack Huxtable has sounded the final siren on his 76-year involvement in country footy. He reflects on some of the biggest changes to the game he’s seen in his time.

Jack Huxtable has sounded the final siren on an involvement in country footy that started 76 years ago, including a term as Victorian Country Football League president and ending with a two-decade plus stint as Morwell’s timekeeper.

Originally from Melbourne, 92-year-old Huxtable’s first administration job was secretary of the Yallourn Churches club in 1948.

“I tried to get a game with my mates, but I was hopeless,” he said.

But, over the next seven decades he made his presence felt off-field, overseeing some of the biggest changes to the game as VCFL president in the early 1990s.

Jack Huxtable, right, has been Morwell's timekeeper for more than 20 years. He is pictured with Wonthaggi's Terry Hanley. Picture: Supplied

They included the send-off rule introduction after the 1990 Ovens and Murray league “bloodbath” grand final when 15 Wodonga and Lavington players received a combined 68 matches in suspensions.

Despite opposition around the board table, Huxtable also backed country-based teams, including Gippsland Power, joining the statewide under-18s when the VFL under-19s ended in 1991.

“Other directors were adamant they didn’t want to lose any of their good under-18 players when they could be playing senior football,” he said.

“But I was all for it.

“The metropolitan areas had come in two years beforehand and my view was the kids in the country deserved the same opportunity as they got in Melbourne.”

Peter Hall was a star player in the Latrobe Valley league in the 1970s and 1980s. Picture: Zoe Phillips

Huxtable worked for the State Electricity Commission, initially based in the Latrobe Valley before stints in the Melbourne CBD head office, Bendigo and Mildura.

He was also seconded by the federal government to work in Papua New Guinea to help it form its own power corporation.

Huxtable returned to the Latrobe Valley in 1968 and joined the Yallourn Football Club committee ahead of the monumental decision to terminate Yallourn as a town to allow for further brown coal mining.

Beforehand, Yallourn was home to one of the state’s best sporting grounds that was not only a regular venue for Latrobe Valley grand finals, but hosted a match between a touring English cricket team, captained by Len Hutton, and a Victorian Country X1 in 1955.

It was also chosen, along with Euroa and Albury, to host a VFL match for premiership points three years earlier.

“It had a reputation of being the best football and cricket ground outside Melbourne,” Huxtable said.

LVFL president Jack Huxtable, left, and secretary Joe Hutchison after the 1981 grand final that Bairnsdale won. Redlegs coach Trevor Fletcher holds aloft the premiership cup. Picture: Supplied

Huxtable was LVFL president between 1978 and 1982 at a time when it was the state’s strongest league with country championships titles in 1979-80.

Star players included Brian Royal, Jeff Gieschen, Peter Hall, Ian Salmon, Len Petch, Peter Lynch, Ray Koeleman, Peter Black and Murray Frew.

Huxtable credits a lot of the league’s success to the passion of the late Joe Hutchison, who was LVFL secretary from 1974 to 1988 before becoming president from 1989 to 1994.

It chartered trains for players, coaches, support staff and supporters to interleague matches in Albury and Coleraine.

“Other leagues used to refer to us as the ‘Jack and Joe Show’,” he said.

“Joe was 20 years ahead of his time.

“We worked so well together and were both so lucky to be involved at a time when Latrobe Valley football was so strong.”