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Bush Beat with Ken Piesse

The Booths and Wangaratta Rovers

There have been some great bush football families headed in recent times by the Ablett clan in Drouin and the Daniher's from the sleepy Riverina town of Ungarie.

In Wangaratta, one of the proudest and most united footballing families are the Booth's.

Three generations have played for Wangaratta Rovers in the last 60 years, Mark Booth, his son Darcy and both of Darcy's grandfathers, Fred Booth and Jack Dillon, who were involved in the very first Wangaratta Rovers Ovens & Murray senior sides from 1950.

Graeme Booth, one of Mark's brothers also was a "Hawker" and trialed at North Melbourne before injury ended his chances in the Big Smoke.

Mark Booth says the football club has been a "rock" for 100s of families in the town for years, providing kids with opportunities to lead and excel.

"As a kid of eight and nine I remember watching Ken Boyd (ex-South Melbourne) play and even younger going into Bobby Rose's sports shop here in Murphy Street," Booth said.

"It was bred into you that you'd go down to training on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You'd be allowed into the rooms, too, to unlace the player's boots on the wet nights. We didn't care about the mud. We just loved the banter, the comradery and the smell of the liniment. It's the same now, too.

"People work long, long hours for the club, in all sorts of directions. It's just what happens in country towns. Your footy and cricket and netball clubs are part of one big fraternity. It's great."

Now 51, Booth played 319 games with Wangaratta Rovers in 20 seasons, punctuated by only two breaks, a year when he was overseas and another when he played with Yarrawonga

Part of five premiership teams (1974-75, 1977-78 and 1991), he says there could have been six, but for him missing the 1988 Grand Final with suspension.

"We have had some amazing players over that time," he says. "I started with Neville Hogan, one of the true local greats, Steve Norman and Norm Bussell, after he came back from Hawthorn right through to the three Wilson brothers (Mick, Joe and "Waldo"), Matty Allen, Rob Walker, Laurie Burt, Tony Pasquali and Mick Caruso. It was a pleasure to play in the same sides as all of them."

Young Darcy, 19, stockier and smaller than his Dad, is fast becoming a regular member of the senior team, having previously played with Xavier College, while 14-year-old Mitchell will no doubt advance, too, in time.

Another of Mark and his wife Clare's children, daughter Eliza is a keen dancer.

We're all into our sport. We love it," he says. "As long as they are doing something, that's what's important."

"The first of the Booth's to play football for Wangaratta Rovers was Mark's father Fred, who came to the area immediately after the War.

"He'd been based in Lake Cargelligo, not far from the Daniher's in Ungarie. He was 27 or 28 and played 50-60 games for the Rovers when they were in the Ovens and King League and another 20-odd near the end of his career from 1948 when the club joined up with the Ovens and Murray boys.

"He stayed involved, too, as a timekeeper and helping out wherever he could." Mark's Mum, now 84 is a life member and past president of the ladies committee.

Alongside him in those first Wangaratta Rovers O & M teams was Mark's father-in-law Jack Dillon, now 77 and still living in "Wang".

"He'd been involved in the Snowy (Mountain scheme) and had 10 or 11 clubs. Wherever work took him he'd go and play for that particular town. Like us all he's got a great love for the game."

Jack's son, Matt, also played with the Hawks. He was a contemporary of Shane Crawford at Assumption College.

Booth, an engineer in Benalla, says he likes to come to Melbourne for the football but family and local sports comes first.

By Ken Piesse

Article first appeared The Sunday Herald Sun April18, 2008

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