FEW people define a club spirit as perfectly as Herb Milburn does at Eaglehawk.

He devoted his whole life to the community of Eaglehawk and is a legend at the Borough.

He first entered the Canterbury Park ground in 1935 at the age of 18, and was still there 65 years later.

And why did Herb wander into the Two Blues ground? He wanted to play with the club's under-21 team under the stewardship of coach Mitchenson.

He actually played there for four years with those seasons capped off with the 1938 premiership in the then junior division.

By 1940 Herb had taken over the coaching duties of the under-21s and stayed in that role until the BFL dropped out of competitive football during World War 2.

But he also had another concurrent coaching stint. Herb was playing coach of Eaglehawk's Seconds and led them to the premiership in 1941: the last year the BFL would be active until footy started up again in 1945.

He was a tough, little rover always busy around the packs. Herb loved his footy as his commitment to Eaglehawk over many decades was to amply display.

In 1950 Herb and his Magoos entered the grand final as raging hot favourites to take the premiership. They hadn't lost a game during the home-and-away season, but in a real heart-break for Herb and his boys they lost their only game for the season and the grand final was gone.

In the seniors that season, South Bendigo won their first of five Fifties premierships under coach Alan "The Fox' McDonald: 10.12 (72) to Echuca 6.10 (46).

BY THE early Fifties Herb had joined the Eaglehawk committee and served in a number of roles for the next decade.
But it was when he gave away committee duties that his best-known period of service began.

Herb became a trainer and was the most familiar figure in white at Eaglehawk for the next four decades.

Initially stationed on the sidelines, Herb's role became more centred on the inner sanctum trainers' room as the years rolled on.

Perhaps his greatest contribution came as head trainer, a position he was to hold for more than 30 years before retiring at the end of 1999.

HERB'S contribution to local footy was recognized with the naming of the Milburn-Squire Shield. Eaglehawk and Kangaroo Flat clubs played for the shield on an annual basis for a number of seasons with points tallied for all grades of football and netball before the winning club was announced.

And he was a committed supporter of Bendigo representative football down the decades. For close on 20 years he served as the Bendigo Blue and Gold head trainer, a period which coincided with the golden era of the late 80s-early 90s.

One time we were on an away fixture and a couple of Bendigo's gun players were a trifle doubtful. To say they were "under an injury cloud" is understating the situation a trifle.

Anyway, I think it was in the rooms at Lavington (or maybe it was in NSW, at Narrandera) for a semi-final clash and, from memory, either Ron Best or 'Charger' Davey was on the rub-down table, pre-match.

"Will he be right to go, Herbie?" I asked, somewhat hesitantly.
Always a man of few words where the media was concerned, Herb replied: "Of course he'll be right, Richard. Do you think I'd be working this bloody hard on him if he wasn't!"

WHEN his lifelong service to the game of Aussie Rules football is racked up it's no surprise that Herb was recognized at all levels of the code.

In 1954, Herb received an Eaglehawk Football Club life membership and that's way back in the 1950s. The award marked the start of another 40-plus seasons of service.

The Bendigo Football League also recognized Herb in 1970 with a league life membership, but an even more significant award awaited him.

In 1984 the Victorian Country Football League awarded Herb a life membership --- a fitting reward for close to half a century of devoted service to the game he loved.

Herb's last form of community or civic recognition came in 1988 when he was named the City of Bendigo's Bicentennial Personality of the Year.

THERE are other trainers who have remained in my memory down the years.

George Thompson was busy with Northern United during the Swallows' glory days of the mid to late 1980s.

He was never short of a word so goodness knows what the players had to endure as they lay prostrate on the rub-down tables.

At Sandhurst there's a couple of characters who are still around.

Max Healy has been a trainer with the Dragons since 1984 starting off when his son Mal played in the under-18s.
Three decades on and he's still there. Not strictly a trainer but the Hurst property steward is Don Armstrong.

In the early 80s Don took over from a Maroons' legend in Charlie Runnalls and has been the property steward ever since.
Woe betide any Dragon player who doesn't return his match day jumper to Don's tender care.

Out at Wade Street 'Snowy' Baker was a Golden Square trainer for many years.

Like George, 'Snowy' was always keen to have a chat with a match-day reporter about how his team might fare that particular afternoon.

And he had formed pretty unshakeable opinions about the merits --- and behind-the-play activities --- of certain opposition players.

Many's the time I've rocked up at MyJet Oval (formerly just known quite simply as 'Wade Street') and had that morning's Advertiser match previews and player profiles dissected and commented upon by a fired-up 'Snowy'.

Herb Milburn was inducted into the BFNL Hall of Fame in October 2010.

It's quite likely that this year he'll be joined in that illustrious group of people by further Borough inductees.

The Hall Of Fame committee has convened again in 2014 with nominations set to close (only on the official BFNL forms) by May 31st.

To be eligible a football or netball player or coach must have served seven seasons in the BFNL, previously the BFL. For a trainer, administrator or club official the length of service must be 20 years.

Eaglehawk people already in the Hall of Fame include George Ilsley, Robert "Ninga" O'Connell, Alan "Bruiser" Williams, Frank Crapper, Harry Morgan, Neil "Darby" Monro, Geelong dual premiership player Peter Pianto and Eddie "Moots" Esposito along with Herbie Milburn.

With thanks to the Hall of Fame selection committee and 2010 panel executive officer, Darren Lewis.

And to HoF panel member Bert McIvor. I never knew until recently that Herb was such a great singer. Especially on the bus trips home with the Blue and Gold inter-league side!

Richard's tips for Round 4 --- Anzac Day: Strathfieldsaye by 30 points, Gisborne by 9 and Eaglehawk by 12 (at Beck Legal Oval, night).
Saturday: Kyneton by 11 points over South Bendigo. Sunday: Sandhurst by 49 over Maryborough.
2014 season tally: 14.

By Richard Jones