1979
Rod Bray kicked four goals for Kyabram in its 22-point win against Euroa, a performance matched by Lawrie Casey and supported by three goals from Len Cooper.
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Peter Warburton also kicked three in the win, which was the Bombers 12th win of the season and had it sitting second — ahead of Tongala on percentage in the top five format.
Tongala lost to top team Seymour, by a massive 73 points, with Lions star forward Ray Stomann kicking seven goals, Barry Richards five, Tony Barnes four and Eddie Shiels three.
Ironically, the latter pair came from Kyabram district league club Nagambie and both Stomann and Richards would go onto play in premierships for another KDL club — Avenel.
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Senior and junior netball finals were decided and Tongala won at least one premiership when the A-grade netball team won its first premiership by beating Lancaster by three goals.
Lancaster was also chasing its first premiership.
The Bev Cahill Memorial Trophy was presented to the team by Ron Saunders at a Tijuana celebration.
The team consisted of Sue Crow, Bev Hill, Lorraine Wallden, Leanne Butler, Pauline Laidlaw, Meredith Purdey, Chris Wallden, Wendy Mulholland, Jill Peppard and Chris Davis.
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Ardmona coach Gavin Saunders polled seven best on grounds to win the Kyabram district league’s McNamara Medal by 12 votes from Lancaster ruckman Keith Argus.
Saunders polled in 16 of the 20 home and away games. It was his second victory in the count.
Lancaster’s Bruce Crawford finished third in the Wade Medal for the reserves, while in the Under-17 Inch Medal Lancaster’s Joe Corso and Girgarre’s Glen Greenman finished third behind Tally’s Barry Briggs.
In the A-grade netball best and fairest count three players, Lancaster’s Loretta Dillon, Merrigum’s Judy Taylor and Murchison star Jacki Bathman all finished on 24 votes at the end of the count.
After a countback Loretta and Judy could not be split and both were named winners.
1989
Two Kyabram High School netball teams were about to compete in the state schoolgirls finals, with the junior team involved in a curtain raiser before a state league match.
The junior team was coached by Yvonne Stansfield and Norma Sefton-Rowston.
It consisted of Moana Roberts, Janelle Butler, Lyndsey White, Louise MacFayden, Rebecca Elborough, Sally Hindson, Kelsey Murley, Renay McHale, Keli Dixon and Fiona Armstrong.
The intermediate team was coached by Fiona Woods and was made up of Christa Friesen, Adele Smith, Narelle Shilling, Julie McQueen, Christie Vanderburght, Adele Blamey, Nicole Mitchell, Suzanne Caldwell and Julie Asquith.
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Merrigum rover Roy Emini won the Under-17 Inch Medal for the best under age player in the Kyabram district league. His coach Troy McCormick was on hand to congratulate him.
Lancaster’s Phillip Binion tied for Wade Medal reserve grade best and fairest honours.
1999
Three Kyabram footballers claimed league best and fairest awards, reserves star Jarrod Chapman leading the way as a runaway winner in the Abikhair reserve grade medal count.
Josh Dicketts was runner-up in the Under-18 Pattison Medal count, while Scott Hausler and Brendan White tied with a Notre Dame player in the Ken Keating Medal count for the Shepparton junior league’s Under-16 competition.
Benalla’s Tony Pasquali was the winner of the Morrison Medal for the senior GVL competition, while Sharon Mellington was crowned the best netballer in the GVL with the Wellman Family Medal.
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Lancaster’s Corey Carver finished runner-up in the Kyabram District League medal count, with Merrigum ruckman Scott Greig and another Lancaster player, Andrew Thomas, also polling well.
Girgarre coach Bryan “Jack” Casey won the reserve grade title, while Stanhope’s Jarrod Mason finished third in the Under-18 Inch Medal count.
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Not only did Tony “Rusty” McDonell claim the Goulburn Valley League games record with his 334th appearance at the top level, but the 35-year-old also welcomed his third son into the world.
Will McDonell was born on the Friday before his father broke the record, weighing 4kg and arriving at 6am after a 12-hour labour.
Later, McDonnell helped put Kyabram back into finals contention for the first time in six weeks Then, later that night, 200 people attended a function in his honour.
His parents Joan and Kevin flew in from Cairns to witness the event, while Ebony Boswell provided a rendition of Tina Turner’s Simply the Best and Skew Wiff presented a poem on Rusty’s career.
2009
Jenna Lawson had again won Victorian selection in an athletics event, on this occasion for the Australian Cross Country Championships.
The 10-year-old Haslem Street student finished fifth in the state 3km event and had also qualified as a member of the state 4x1500m relay team.
She finished eighth in the individual event a year earlier, and grabbed a bronze medal as the last runner in the 1998 relay event.
Kyabram Free Press and Campaspe Valley News editor