ANYONE who saves their beloved club from going into recess --- or even worse, from folding ---- must rate among that club’s legends, a Hall Of Famer.

Such a person is Keith Robertson who actually saved North Bendigo from oblivion back in the early 1990s.
A crisis meeting was held in the then brand-new rooms which served the Atkins Street footy ground and the next-door soccer and rugby fields.
There are change rooms for footy umpires in the building, as well.
A contingent of local business people, headed by a former Collingwood star, believed North couldn’t continue to meet its financial obligations and should be wound up.
The ex-AFL Magpie was the licensee of the nearby Cambrian Hotel, a popular watering hole for North players and supporters.
A number of people – some for, some against -- jumped to their feet to air their feelings when discussion was opened as a public forum.
After they’d had their say Mr. Robertson was keen to make his points. He was quick to let the meeting know that the Bulldogs had a rich history providing sports opportunities for a range of people from all walks of life.
And when a vote was taken the members present opted to keep North going. Wouldn’t have happened had Keithy Robbo not had his say. His impassioned speech swayed the vote.
It was one of the most heartening meeting outcomes I reported on during a quarter of a century working for the Bendigo Advertiser.
Not surprisingly, when North held their 70th anniversary celebrations last season, Keith Robertson’s name was at the forefront of the Hall Of Fame nominations.
He was dully inducted and just as importantly the Dogs went on to win the 2015 Heathcote DFL seniors flag.

THERE’S been more than one occasion when aggrieved club bosses have decided to cut off all contact with me.
The most celebrated – and longest lasting stand-off – came during the Eighties in the immediate aftermath of a Bendigo Football League semi-final.
Castlemaine wingman Ashley Keighran had gone down with a fractured jaw. Two South Bendigo opponents were in the frame, but no umpires’ reports into the incident had been lodged.
I wrote a lead article in the Monday Bendigo Advertiser, alleging not only a strike to Keighran’s face but also a firm grip on the unfortunate Magpie by a second South player, pinning his arms as he was belted.
South Bendigo president, the late Roy Bakes, was livid.
“Our players have been vilified, tried and executed all in the press without a shred of evidence being presented.
“It’s the ultimate case of trial by media,” he thundered.
Later that very Monday I took a phone call from Alan Besley, sports editor at BCV8 (later the Southern Cross-Ten network).
Besley told me one of his camera crews had been at the Queen Elizabeth Oval filming the South-Castlemaine semi-final for the Monday early evening news.
And, hey presto, there was footage of the incident involving Keighran and the two South Bendigo players.
No iPhone or iPad screen shots back then. Just TV news camera shots.

THE league decided to act. The Independent Tribunal members, players and advocates hastily convened at the television station’s headquarters.
It was now later that Monday evening and the cameras rolled.
Up on the screen before us was the unfortunate Keighran, arms pinned and unable to defend himself as he was struck to the jaw.
No amount of earnest advocacy from the South official including evidence about how his players had been niggled earlier in the day was able to sway the Tribunal’s ultimate verdict.
One player was scrubbed for a period of weeks in double figures. The other copped eight matches.
Mr Bakes didn’t speak to me again --- either at the footy or at official league functions --- for the next four to five years.
I managed to survive quite adequately without this contact!
And of course all through this saga there were shades of The Age’s Caroline Wilson and her self-explanatory mantra: “The best stories are the ones people don’t want you to write.”

BRENDAN Keane arrived at Canterbury Park to play for Eaglehawk following a decorated career in the North Central League.
His time in the NCFL was marked by two big highlights: the 1967 premiership with Wycheproof-Narraport and the 1969 Feeny Medal as the NCFL’s fairest and best player.
‘Herbie’ as he was known had two separate stints with the Two Blues. The first was reasonably brief, from 1970 to ’71 and the second (and longer one) from 1977-1986.
In between those seasons in the Hawks’ colours Brendan represented Sandhurst on a wing from 1972 to 1974, was a key member of the Maroons’ premiership win in 1973 and capped off a huge season 43 years back with the Sandy McPherson Medal as the Hurst best and fairest.
Brendan one more topped the vote tally in the 1974 Sandy McPherson count before departing for the Atkins Street Bulldogs where he played 40 games for North Bendigo.
Again he was a key member of flag-winning teams as the Dogs took out the 1975 and 1976 premierships in the Golden City F.L.
Returning to Eaglehawk in 1977 Brendan was an important player in the Hawks flag-winning line-ups in 1980 and ’82. The 1982 side lost just the one game in the home and rounds – to Golden Square – but flogged the Square when it counted, on grand final day.
The narrow win two years earlier had been ultra significant. The 1980 premiership had marked – and topped off – Eaglehawk’s 100-year celebrations.

HERBIE played four inter-league games for the Blue and Gold in 1971-72 capped by the famous ’72 Country Championships grand final victory over the Murray League.
In 17 seasons of senior footy he played 263 BFL games and actually topped 300 senior games when the 40 he turned out in wearing North Bendigo colours are added to his impressive tally.
He has five Bendigo premierships to his credit: two each with Eaglehawk and North Bendigo and one with Sandhurst. Add the Sixties flag with Wycheproof-Narraport and Herbie Keane has half-a-dozen flags to his name.
Brendan was installed as an Eaglehawk and BFL life member in 1984 and later served on the Sandhurst senior footy selection panel between 1987 and 1991.
He was chairman of selectors for four of those five seasons.
And in 1989 Brendan served as Victorian recruitment manager for VFL club Richmond. His assignments meant he often had to watch several games on a weekend in order to identify the best talent.
He’s credited for facilitating the smooth introduction of Wayne Campbell –- later to skipper the Tigers -- to the Richmond club.
Campbell was, of course, drafted from Golden Square to Punt Road and went on to become a four-time club champion, Tigers’ Hall Of Fame member and the club captain from 2001-2004.
Plus he’s had a couple of top roles with the AFL’s administration.
Quite deservedly, Brendan ‘Herbie’ Keane was inducted into the BFNL Hall Of Fame at a packed Bendigo Club dinner in October 2014.

BACK to Keith Robertson for a moment.
I can’t let a story about the North stalwart go into print without listing some of his legendary TV quotes spruiking the family business: The Cabbage Patch.
How about: ‘Try not to get stuck in the mud --- but if you do, then grab a spud.’
Also: ‘Bananas are fun, but just don’t buy one’ and ‘We’ve got enough vegies and fruit --- to fill your boot.’
And my all-time summertime favourite: ‘If you’re thinking of doing the tango; Then don’t forget to eat a mango’.
All this on local central Vic. stations, of course. Not the national networks.

Richard’s tips for BFNL Round 17: Sandhurst by 19, Gisborne by 79, Strath. Storm by 33, G. Square by 29 and Castlemaine by 11.
Total no. of tips correct for 2016: 68.

By Richard Jones