Grumpy Umpy
May 2014
MAY you have a lovely MAY
Happy Mothers day to all mothers, hope your
loved one’s spoilt you as they should do every
day. This month we have also had umpire
appreciation week on the 3rd of May, and again
shouldn’t that be every week and, of course, Pink
day on the 10th of May. There are not many who
have not been touched by cancer and our
associaiton takes great pride in donating to this
cause. Each senior umpire will have $10 and each
junior umpire (who is umpiring senior games) $5
with all funds going to the cancer wing at
Centenary house, Traralgon. If you are not happy
to contribute please let John Marsiglio know
other wise it will be a deduction from your pay
this month. We are already a third of the way
through the Mid Gippsland Season, with the last
of the breaks come and gone, it’s all go from here
to September
Congratulations to Jordan and Ashton Arthur and
John Marsiglio who are umpiring the Mid
Gippsland v Ellingbank Under 18s game and Brett
Harle, Peter North and David Manson who are
umipring the senior game. This is a great
opportunity for these very good umpires and
recognition of the hard work they put into their
game.
Northy is having a great start to the year umpiring
the Gippsland Power game on 11th May, his first
game at this level, with both Jordan and Ashton
Arthur. Jordan has already run a game for the
power this year and younger brother Ashton gets
to strutt his stuff for the first time as well.
Congratulations to all three of you and run well.
Just a reminder with pays – We pay at the end of
each month except August which is included in
Septmebers pay. Deductions are made each
month for any gear purchases and other things
like social activities, membership, pink footy day,
trip away, presentation night.
We are paid a certain amount by the leagues and
when we provide/run more umpires than they
pay for we must divide the money. This goes for
junior games as well where we split the fee for
two umpires between the 3 or 4 who ran the
game. If you want to earn more money, get fitter,
get better and you can run games on your own.
We also have to take into consideration the need
to give everyone a game and with the ever
increasing number of boundary umpires, this can
be difficult.
We have a lot of umpires who have still not
registered as members of the LVUA , this is an
AFL Victoria directive, please see Janine if your
having problems getting on the web site. Also
many will need to update their working with
children in the next month ortwo, when you have
please let Janine know the details so she can
update your records on our system – any
problems with getting into this web site please
see Scott Moorhouse. All umpires over 18 MUST
have a current working with children card – this
includes the board and other supprot people who
have contact with junior umpires and players.
Steve Says – the word from the boss
Mr Trotter.
Just a big thank you to
everyone that is, has and will make themselves
available for double ups and helping with the
juniors. Due to unavailability’s and injuries we
have been VERY short with umpires, particularly
field. Injuries are part of sport but please consider
the time it takes to make changes for late pull
outs, it's not just as easy as one in one out and
we also have transport issues to consider.
Appointments are now done and locked in by
Tuesday for all disciplines so please use the
unavailability book and give us advanced notice.
The shortage of umpires has opened the door for
a number to umpire at higher levels but, when
you do, you need to get a professional job done
on the field and prove you are up to that level of
umpiring. I know we have had some interruptions
to training nights but there is no excuse for not
training. You should always be looking at
improving yourself. On that note it is really
tremendous to see so many on the track on
Thursdays with the influx of a great group of
juniors. Big thanks to Col, Bob, Janine, Tim and
Rachel and everyone else who has gotten
involved with the juniors, we need to be
operating as one team and this can only happen
with the committed input of our members.
Pay Deductions:
Deductions for this
month are for senior panel running umpires
Membership ( $70 seniors, $30 juniors and
running life members and $35 for board, exec
and other working members who want to register
a year of service as a member. Traralgon Juniors (
under 18) will have their $30 membership
deducted over 3 months for those doing few
games or in one hit this month for those who can
afford it. There will also be deductions for
-
Any gear purchases
Pink footy day (Senior Panel)
TRARALGON JUNIORS
Traralgon Juniors are going along nicely and a big
thanks to all who have blown a whistle to keep
the juniors playing. We have some great young
talent on display each Sunday and many have
progressed into the senior ranks already. We are
still feeling our way with the appointments and
trying to help develop junior umpires. Really
appreciate the support of the senior umpires who
have come along and ran games and helped to
mentor the young guns. We are getting more
new umpires each week which can make things a
little difficult expecially as many are playing footy
as well, so your help is appreciated. We have also
picked up a number of girls who play netball on
Saturdays which is fantastic.
Those who are playing football or have two
games to umpire, there are showers available in
the rooms and rather than go out cold and wet
for the second game you may want to utilise the
showers. We are looking for some parental
support to look after the rooms on match day,
there is a lot of gear in the rooms and people who
need help getting around from game to game or
just making sure the paperwork is okay and just
to make sure the young umpires feel safe when
they enter or leave the rooms or are getting
changed. Please see Col, Janine or Bob if you are
able to help – not all day maybee the 12’s and
14’s or the 14’s and 16’s any help would be most
appreciated. ANY senior umpire who can give
some time on a Sunday (not necessarilly every
Sunday and not all day) to give support to these
developing youngsters please let Col McQuillen
or Bob Lowick know. We need support off the
field as well and anyone who can help ‘manage’ a
team or two of umpires/parents/teams/changes
for the day would be appreciated.
Also – we are having to do a lot of late changes.
Please let Colin or Bob know your availability or
unavailability.
Appointments
Each week we pump out 110 appointments,
many needing transport, time changes or venue
changes, this can be difficult to manage and
Janine is doing her best and we appologies for
any inconvenience, but with late changes the job
becomes a pain and sometimes mistakes
happen. For the juniors the weekly appointments
will be on the board at the rooms in Traralgon so,
if you are at that venue, please check the board.
Also when your appointment is emailed to you
can you please acknowledge receipt and
understanding of the appointment back to Janine
so we know you will be at the game. This also
goes for the senior appointments where, last
round, 13 people had to chased up by phone to
see if they were doing games that week because
they did not reply to the email, this included one
high level member of the board! Please help to
make our job a little easier and keep yourself out
of Janines little black book.
GRRRRRRRR
The association is also waiving its banner in other
areas with Ken Richards and Lee Street helping
out Traf Under 14’s who could not get an umpire
for their 7 home games and the ladies football
currently on Sundays, when a request went out
for an expression of interest from Dave there
were no takers but the league still needed
umpires and this is a request from the AFL to help
out and it would be great if our assocaiation
could. Thanks to Ben Wass and Tim Howe who
were more than happy to get involved this week.
There are still 6 games left if anyone is interested.
Wearing whats right
With the weather turning to cold wet and
miserable, we should listen to the advise given by
Jane Bunn on the local news. We have to endure
what ever the heavens send down on us game
day so we need to make sure we have the right
gear for the right ground and weather conditions.
A spare set of gear never goes astray and boots
may be required when the weather turns to ‘a
large cold front crossing over the lower and
central districts”even a singlet may be required
when “ there’s snow above 500 mtrs” or ‘ there’s
a sheep graziers warning’ It’s important to listen
to the weather forcast for the weekend, Thanks
Jane.
Social Stuff
Junior bowling night on Thursday 22nd May was
well attended with 26 younsters knocking the
pins down, followed by a feed afterwards, thanks
to social committee for getting behind the juniors
and thanks to those who provided transport.
June - Annual Queens Birthday Chinese night
at Moe this year, Saturday June 7th, Unfortunatly
the queen wont be there but there will be many
other dignitries from the LVUA – cost $10 per
head for a smorges board meal. ( May be less
dependant on how many attend) Lachy Forte
recons it’s a great feed and he should know!!
Back to the rooms on June 21st for some fun and
games, free food and a de-brief after the days
games
July – We have a BIG night with our Logies night
on the 12th July. Come dressed up as your
favourite movie star or movie character, win
prizes, win the opportunity to win what you spin
on the wheel of fortune, Bring your partner or the
family even and dance the night away to some of
the greatest Movie songs of all time, Footloose,
the Blues brothers, supper provided no cost
except for drinks which are at normal bar prices.
This will be a great fun social night for people of
all ages with songs that will bring back memries
from the old drive in days or the time you rolled
the jaffas down the isle at the movie theatre or
when you use to hang the areal of your crystal
radio off the curtains at night after you’d gone to
bed.
Coops is taking us back to the Warragul dogs on
8th July we need a minimum of 15, cost is $35 a
head BUT we’ll subsidise $15 a head if we get 15.
That’s $20 for entry and a meal, Coops says they
may even throw in some drinks! For those who
love a punt this is a great night out. Need names
pleaase – see Coops for mnore details.
The footy tipping has games within games as
gives those involved a better chance to win each
week. Currently we are playing the guaranteed
winner game, each week we pick a game if you’ve
got the winner you move on to the next round,
currently we have had the Essendon v Bulldogs
game and the Hawthorn v Sydney game, we’ll
keep going until only one tin soldier remains,
there’s $20 bucks up for grabs to the ultimate
winner – good luck.
Milestones
Congratulations to Brooklyn Bennett who ran her
50th game with the panel, also Director of
Umpiring Steve Trotter who racked up 50 games
with us. (add another 400 with the VFL and other
panels)
Dean Ryan umpired his 100th game with the
LVUA this weekend. Deano has come down from
Bairnsdale each Thursday to train and each
weekend to umpire. He has racked up over 300
games with the East Gippsland panel before
joining our team five years ago.
Lee Street racked up his 150th game of field and
boundary at all levels. Streety has been prepared
to help out everywhere since coming across from
the CGJFL in 2009.
Chalking up 350 games is goalie come field
umpire Ken Richards. Kenny is into his tenth year
with the LVUA and has always been prepared to
help out with junior games in the field, so much
so that he is averaging around 38 games a year.
Racking up a superb 400 games including 5 senior
Grand Finals including the 2008/09 Gippsland and
2006/07 Mid Gippsland premier games is Mark
Smith. Mark started back in 1990 and has had a
few stints back playing footy in between. Smithy
is a life member who has worked on the board a
couple of times including a year as Director of
umpiring in 2013. Always prepared to help out
Mark has taken training on many an occasion and
has been our quiz master on our annual Trivia
night.
Umpiring 500 games with our panel is
Chris Kourtis. Chris began umpiring with the LVUA
in 1986 and was awarded life membership for his
work on the field, where he umpired the 1997
and 1999 Mid Gippsland Senior Grand Finals and
off the field as Assistant Secretary from 19901994 and Co- Director of Umpiring with Herb
Smith in 2004. Chris moved to the Traralgon
Junior League for a number of years before
returning to our team as a goal umpire..
THEIR GIVING ME THE SHEETS!
Still more to take on board with the team sheets.
As well as signing the sheet. Recently a trainer
was reported for swearing at an umpire, he got
two weeks, BUT he was not on the team sheet as
a trainer. Before you sign the team sheets PLEASE
make sure that they have added the 6 officials, no
more. Yes I know it’s more for the fieldies to
worry about pre game. If you are having trouble
with the team sheets not being filled out
correctly please record it on the code of conduct
cards – no need to deduct points but the leagues
don’t know if we don’t tell them.
If the player you re giving votes to is not on the
card, again. Let the league know on the code of
conduct card.
FREE KICKS – BY The Boundary Rider
STATS
Currently, if you add all our running umpires
together, and at the moment we have over 110
on the books 45 of whom are juniors, you have all
run and waived 17400 games for the LVUA,
including 685 this season already. Our current
top five running umpires being Wighty with 1061,
Budge 806, Northy 715 and Tatts 628 and Mark
‘Splinter’ Harris 618.
We are pumping out 110 appointments a week,
with our senior appointment board, Steve
Trotter, Dave Drane, Matt Richards, Jarrod Rogers
and Ray Davis, and Kevin Savage, filling 31 field,
21 boundary and 14 goal appointments and
around 45 junior appointments for the Traralgon
Juniors done by Col McQuillen, Bob Lowick and
Janine Lawrence. Currently Brett Harle has done
18 games this year followed by Alec ‘Quassi’
Scholes with 16 and Kirk MacIntosh and Ben Wass
with 15.
Nicholas Howe won the bowling ‘how did he do
that?’ award when he got a ball stuck in the
gutter not once, not twice but three times on
three separate occasions ‘How did he do that?”
The Traralgon juniors has given a number of
senior boundary umpires a chance to try field
umpiring with, Brooky, Blake, Lachy F, Graham D
and Quassy, all having a go, maybe a couple of
them will migrate off the boundary into some
senior games in years to come.
Saw a bloke running around in the under 12’s at
Traralgon, helping out his young son, doing a
reasonable job, thought he might make a
reasonable umpire, with a bit of work of course.
Asked him his name, Malcolm Mayer he says, I
think I’ve heard of him, only ran 440 games with
the LV before going on to the VFL/AFL to run 3
VFL senior games and 11 AFL seconds games and
be emergency for an AFL seniors. Lovely to catch
up with Mal once again as he supports Lachlan –
that’s 441 games now Mal.
After getting his foot strapped by a club tainer
Cooky took to the field at Thorpy once again, first
decision, the arm went up and then out and then
pointed to his parner who blew the out of
bounds, Cooky threw the ball in and raced to his
partner, “I left my whistle somewhere and didn’t
know what to do” “ can you lend me a spare?”
It’s tremendous to have a family involvement in
our panel. The juniors on Sundays sees us have
the opportunity for brother and brother and
father and son to run together. In the seniors we
have a lot of brothers running together, we have
the Charles, Charles and Charles family team and
we had the Lawrence lot take over the boundary
recently but now it’s the Smith family’s time. 3
Generations ran at Yinnar recently when Herb
Smith ,(Goals), Mark Smith (Field) and Zoe
Arnold(boundary)took to the field in the senior
game.
Mark, Zoe,Herb
Speaking of ‘Father Time’ , Herb Smith is still
tripping the light fantasticas as he strides and
triggers around the ground whilst umpiring the
Access for all ability games. Herb is a legend of
the LVUA and there is not a lot that he has not
done. It is a great tribute to the man that he has
the award for the best and fairest player in the
access all abilities games named after him, Herb
is probably the only umpire to have a players
award named after him.
It’s always nice to see clubs helping out and after
the debacle where a couple of other umpiring
panels did not fill their appointments and left
some local teams without umpires one of the
Traralgon people who helped fill the void Gary
Henderson has volunteered to help out with the
Traralgon 4ths if we are short – thanks Gary.
Herb Smith
Congratulations to Chris Shepard who umpired
his 100th game with the Traralgon Juniors. Chris
has been involved with the juniors for a number
of years, serving as their president and has been
a great help in the transition of umpires between
the two panels.
Keep your eye on this list in years to come, an
amazing amount of junior talent who have run
their first game with the LVUA this year,( many
have already chalked up games in the TDJFL in
previous years)
Bridgett Alkemade, Zoe Arnold, Imogen Arthur,
Patrick Bowden, Justin Barnes, Nathan Berry,
Jarrod Burns, Liam Burns, Bevan French (young at
heart) Georgia Cruckshank, Mark Grieco, Brandon
Hamilton, Corey Heard, Jackson Heard, Nathan
Heard, Nicholas Howe, Tim Howe, Georgia
Hughes,Ricky Kemp, Toby Just, Nicholas
Kyriacou, Tim Lambert, Lachlan Mayer, Kurt
MacIntosh, Dylan McMahon, Nathan Noblett,
Nicholas Peel, Kyle Pettie, Jacob Pianta, Michael
Rehfisch, Finn Rhode, Madison Rhode, Lori
Scholtes, Mathew Scholtes, Chris Sheppard (
again young at heart) Brian Smith, Rory Smith,
Isabelle Stanley, Jonty Stott, William Tripodi,
Aaron Wall, Daniel Whitehead, Hayden Willerton,
Alesio Zappula.
Many of these talented juniors have made their
way into senior ranks and have a great future in
umpiring.
Congrats to Matt Richards and Kelly Dabkowski
on their engagement
PROFILE – Steven Buhagiar
After a mere 29 years blowing the whistle, Steve
Buhagiar chalked up his 800th game with our
panel when he umpires the Moe versus Traralgon
game on Saturday 3rd May. Budge began umpiring
way back on June 15th 1985 when he umpired the
Maryvale versus Newborough fourths. He has a
record 8 Latrobe Valley senior grand finals to his
name as a field umpire with his first in 1993 he
also has run a further 5 more in the Mid
Gippsland and North Gippsland Leagues including
one with the legendary Peter Box where there
were 7 reports before the first bounce, Boxy got 5
Budgie got 0. He also ran (sort off) in an under 12
boundary grand final. Steve has served on the
committee and also as our director of umpiring
for 3 years. Budge was presented with Life
Membership of the Association in 1994 and also
was awarded the Oustanding Service to Umpiring
award in 2001 Never one to doubt his own ability
Budge has backed it up with over 25 years in the
seniors and a couple of boozeless cup grand finals
along the way, one at VFL park . Steven still
wears his heart on his sleeve when it comes to
the LVUA, taking training, helping other umpires
and just letting us all know he’s still up with the
best. Congratulations Budge a magnificent
milestone.
Steve Buhagiar