Rochester gives club stalwart coin toss honour

It was just one part of what was another step in the healing process of the community.

And while all three football teams failed to measure up to their high-class opposition on the day, officials considered it a resounding success.

Aside from Jim’s coin toss, primary school children, footballers and netballers formed a guard of honour as new captain Nathan McCarty led his team onto the oval to start the season.

He had spent the days leading up to the match practising his technique, eventually deciding to go with what he described as the “two-up grip’’ to send the coin skyward.

For the record Kyabram captain Jason Morgan won the toss and decided to kick with the wind.

Mr Cleary said the club wanted to give one of its many volunteers the honour of tossing the coin at the game, which attracted a huge crowd on the back of the widely publicised My Shout Membership campaign.

The campaign allowed every Rochester community member to be gifted a family membership for the 2023 season.

Jim Kilpatrick, at 83-years-old, is the oldest member of the club’s staff and Mr Cleary described him as the “perfect person to represent our town”.

“He and his wife Rose lost their house in the flood and lived in Echuca for several months,” Mr Cleary said.

“They exemplify the resilience of the people of our community.”

Apart from the knowledge he would be front and centre for a pre-game ceremony that involved former Rochester High School student Brad McEwan, there was nothing too unusual about Jim Kilpatrick’s early morning arrival at Moon Oval on Saturday.

“I usuaully get here a bit after eight,” he said, while asking one of the Under-18 players to return a football he had been looking for to complete his post-game property count.

Jim’s wife Rose was not at the game to see her husband toss the coin skyward, instead having to wait for the delivery of some “missing furniture’’.

The pair are renting a home in Echuca Rd not far from their Dawson St home that was flooded in October.

“The kitchen table arrived, but it didn’t have any chairs, so she (Rose) is at home waiting for them to arrive,” he said.

The couple spent months in a motel at Rochester before being able to secure a rental property as an interim measure while their home was repaired.

They came to Rochester from Berwick in 2005 and Jim said his connection to the football cub came as the result of a neighbour — Christine Hooppell.

“I wanted to find something to do and have been here every since,” he said.

Three members of the Hooppell family, Hamish, Xavier and Ethan, were part of the Tigers teams that were involved in Saturday’s opening Goulburn Valley league round.

The former maintenance man with dairy industry giant Bonlac said the decision to move to Rochester had come after a family member had relocated to the town.

“I used to drive through here on the way to Mathoura fishing and shooting,” he said.

“Everything we need is up here.”

The couple originally lived in nearby Hopetoun St and were not affected by the 2011 flood.

“The water came up to the verandah, we were evacuated, but no water came into the house,” Jim said.

Unlike many people they know the Kilpatricks had what Jim described as “a very good experience’’ with their insurance company, RACV.

“They’ve been exceptional, I can’t fault them,” he said.

“They paid us out for a full 12 months.”

"We have been fortunate.’’

Jim, who has had some health challenges in recent times, said he now spent three days at the club — and gameday, when the Tigers were at home.

The Octogenerian Geelong supporter said he loved his role at the club and had a very respectful group of players.

As for his coin toss, such was his effort in performing the duty that he lost a little balance forward as the coin flew high into the sky.