Rochester’s 150-year history to be celebrated in extensive book

By Josh Huntly

Nov 14, 2023

Proud to support club: (From left) Rochester Community Bank director Ian Maddison, Justin Cleary, David Ward, John Newman, Scott Chapman, Rob Aitken, Ausure Echuca’s Sarah Ayson, Rochester Community Bank board member Brad Drust, Tasco Petroleum’s Ray Hamilton and Rochester Sports Museum’s Mike Dunford, Hedley Moon and Barb Walker are all eager for *The Locals* to be released. Photo: Josh Huntly Photo by Josh Huntly

With the darkness of the floods slowly receding, Rochester residents can now look to the future.

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What started as a university project will soon become Rochester Football Netball Club’s most extensive historical record when The Locals, an 800-page hardcover book, is released for the Tigers’ 150th season.

Former player Mark Gullick kickstarted the project covering the club’s lengthy history in 2005 for a university assignment, but the rich stories of the club inspired Gullick to continue his research.

“I was studying at the time, and I had to do a local history project,” he said.

“It was only about 2000 words, but as I did this research, all these interesting people and events happened, so I decided to keep going.

“It’s the perfect time to release it.”

Photos, stories, and, remarkably, every recorded club result can be found in the book, from the club’s inception to golden years such as the late 50s and early 60s.

“I was lucky to interview guys like Noel McMahon and Con O’Toole and a few others who have unfortunately passed,” Gullick said.

“I interviewed around 35 people, and they brought the story alive, particularly that period from 1958 to 1965 where the club played eight grand finals in a row in the Bendigo league.

“I made a special chapter where it’s all just quotes from those guys, their story was so interesting, stories where there would be 20,000 at QEO to watch finals and being approached by VFL clubs, playing interleague, etc.

“That was a highlight.”

The book release will form an exciting part of Rochester’s 150-year celebrations, and club president Justin Cleary was thrilled with the support from sponsors and supporters on the project, including Rochester Community Bank, Ausure, Ampol, Carlton and United Breweries, Rochester Community Bank, Tasco Petroleum and Rochester Sports Museum.

“The book is obviously a launching place, and we’ll have a kick-off on March 23 to celebrate,” Cleary said.

“We’ll have various events over the course of the year. We’re anticipating a real lift on the field and looking forward to a fun year.

“I can’t wait for it to start.”

To order a copy of The Locals, head to https://rochesterfnc.bigcartel.com/

If pre-booked, copies are $100 and pre-bookers will have their name included as a contributor before the pre-booking period ends.

By Josh Huntly