Omnia   

Thornton Eildon FCLast Saturday was a landmark occasion for the Thornton-Eildon District Football-Netball Club.

After the three years in recess, the Shinboners (or Boners, as they like to be known) returned to the field when they hosted Seville in the opening round of the Yarra Valley Mountain District league's second division.

But as he drove through the gates of the Thornton Recreation Reserve, club president Wayne Kupke didn't have time to be emotional.

"I was thinking about making sure the canteen was right," he said. "I knew I was doing the gate, and this at quarter-to-eight in the morning, mind you."

It was only when the thirds match (between Seville and Yea, as Thornton-Eildon isn't fielding under-18s this season) started that Kupke allowed himself to briefly celebrate.

"It really didn't hit home until that siren went," he said. "Then I looked over and I thought, 'We're back. Finally, we're back'."

The Boners have a proud history that dates back to the merger of the Thornton-Acheron and Eildon footy clubs in 1957.

The new entity, named Thornton-Eildon District FC in recognition of the fact it draws support from a number of nearby communities, including Taggerty, Buxton, Narbethong and Marysville, was soon successful, winning its first senior flag in 1961.

However, it took the Boners 30 years to win another one.
The club had a nomadic existence during its premiership drought. It transferred from the Waranga North East league to the Yarra Valley Mountain District league in 1977, making the '81 grand final thanks to the goalkicking exploits of television personality Ernie Dingo.

Thornton-Eildon headed to the Benalla and District league in 1986, where it won three flags, then spent time in the Tungamah league and Central Goulburn league, before returning to the Yarra Valley Mountain District FL in 2006.

The Boners celebrated their 50th anniversary by winning the senior flag in division two in 2007.

They remained competitive right up until 2010, winning seven games and finishing fifth that year. But a host of departures in the lead-up to the 2011 season left the club unable to field two teams.

With heavy hearts, the club's passionate members were forced to place it in recess.

As the seasons rolled by it seemed less and less likely that the Boners would return, but
a gathering of former Thornton-Eildon players and supporters at a party last August sparked the revival.

Among those at the party were 2007 premiership coach Brad Coller, who grew up in Eildon, and long-serving player John "Scooter" Creighton, whose family ties to the club go back decades.

They got things rolling by recruiting Kupke to take on the presidency. "I'm still the treasurer as well," he joked.

Coller was soon appointed senior coach, while Creighton pledged to come out of retirement at the age of 35 and take on the role as playing-coach of the reserves.
Support for the cause was rallied via Facebook, and when a meeting was held in October, 35 committed footballers turned up.

The plans were stalled for a brief time after a number of Yarra Valley Mountain District league clubs voted to reject Thornton-Eildon's application for readmission. But the Boners soon proved they had the players and the finances to be sustainable.

After that came a host of other jobs.

"We had issues with our pavilion, which cost us quite a few dollars to rectify," Kupke said. "Our kitchen wasn't up to standard, and someone had knocked off a hot water service, so we had to replace that.

"We had to put in a new gate to stop the spectators coming in for free. And after 2½ years we had decided to let the liquor licence lapse.

"We just had a temporary one for last week. So we've had a few hiccups, but it's all good."

A big crowd greeted the return of footy and netball to Thornton last weekend. The senior game pitted the Boners against a grand finalist from last year, and the home side led at the final change before fading late and losing by 26 points.

Yesterday, Thornton-Eildon was aiming to break through for the first victory of its new era when it travelled to Powelltown.

In three weeks, one of country footy's most passionate rivalries will be reborn when the Boners take on Alexandra.

Kupke has set the club a goal for the next six months. "My aim is for our two football and two netball sides to get on the park for the whole 18 games. Then I'll call it successful."

By Adam McNicol

Article first appeared The Sunday Age, April 13, 2014