By Tyler Lewis
PDF’s for top of page:
Glenn Gambetta: 23/06/21 page 28
Bob Smart: 14/07/21 page 30
Stuart Stephenson: 07/07/21 page 32
Marg Jones: 21/04/21 page 30
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This football season the Gazette sought out to recognise the unrecognised; showing some love to the people who do a lot of work behind the scenes for very little plaudits by launching a new segment in the paper called ‘Volunteer of the Week’.
It was hard to filter down the best of the best, and by no means are these volunteers better than the others, but we decided to take a trip down memory lane and hear some of the brilliant stories one more time…
In one of the segments, reporter Tyler Lewis spoke to Berwick Football Club president Glenn Gambetta and his tireless work behind the scenes for the mighty powerhouse that is the Wickers.
Volunteering and the Berwick Football Club is in his blood, his mother Maxine is a life member of the club for her work as a volunteer.
“When my son was at the junior club, I coached the under-9’s and 10’s,” Gambetta said of his first role as a volunteer.
“I was the vice president of football for five years, then I left the junior club and went up to the senior club.
“First year I was straight in as president, in 2015 they wanted me to take over the presidency, I said no because I still had one year left at the junior club.
“Someone stepped in for that year as president and I took over in 2016, it was tricky because you don’t know who’s who in the zoo, but we worked through it.”
While the majority of the volunteers resisted the urge to reveal who their favourite player was, Gambetta cracked under the pressure and caved to the boys that have delivered his club enough silverware to dine a royal dinner.
“I love watching my son, he is in the reserves at the moment,” he said.
“I love watching the old boys get up, Tucky (Travis Tuck), Madi Andrews.
“They’re superstars but they just keep on keeping on.”
Most volunteers pulled at the heart-strings, some more than others. Pakenham Football Club time-keeper Bob Smart pulled at sports editor Dave Nagel’s heart-strings when the pair sat down to discuss Smart’s long tenure.
Smart has been the timekeeper at Pakenham for roughly 19 years. He’s up early in the morning to make sure the opening bounce takes place in the under 19s, and he’s still there to blow the last important siren in the seniors.
And on Sunday, Smart is at it again, making sure the woman’s matches go smoothly.
You can’t have a winning kick after the siren, or a miss, without a siren, and Bob’s the man that makes it happen.
He is Mr Reliable in every sense of the word.
“That’s what I pride myself on, my reliability, I’ve missed one game in all that time and that was because I was sick.” Smart explains.
Smart, a keen baseball player in his younger days who never really played football, gets emotional in a flash when he talks about his elevation to life membership at Pakenham.
It’s something that means the world to him.
“With what has happened to our family I get emotional quite easily, but that was a really special thing to happen to me,” he said.
“It meant everything to me and I got very teary and tongue-tied. I tried to make a speech but I buggered it up because I was too emotional.”
Smart’s story is far from done; he has confirmed he will be back on the horn again next year!
The Narre Warren Football Netball Club prides itself on having an electric culture, and it starts at the top, with president and club stalwart, Stuart Stephenson.
He was among this year’s Volunteers of the Week.
Stephenson joined the Narre Warren Football Club three decades ago.
“I first came as a player back in 1991, a few years ago now,” he joked.
Since taking the reins as the president, Stephenson has taken an ownership in building a bond between the footy and netball players, which he believes eventuates in excellent social events and then on field success.
“It is a place where we are always striving for success, we try to appoint the best coaches, we always pride ourselves on being fair and working harder than others, but making it a fun place to be,” Stephenson said.
“We have a good social side of things, for us, having football and netball together has been the best thing that’s happened to the club.
“Having functions that are friendly for female and males, I think that helps for both sides.
“I have got two daughters myself and a son that plays at the club.
“It’s about making it a place where they and their friends want to be. I think by making it a safe place to be, that helps to sell it to other parents and people as well.”
As one year finishes and the new one begins with the bang of fireworks, it is only fitting this recognition finishes with a similar sort of bang and colour that is seen on New Year’s Eve.
Marg Jones is a pure marvel and her work for the Pakenham Netball Club is beginning to be recognised, but as Nick Creely found out – the recognition is approximately two decades overdue.
But like all of the wonderful volunteers, Marg was swift to deflect the attention, despite all her wonderful awards.
Marg was named a finalist in the Vicsport Awards 2020 Volunteer of the Year category, for her remarkable dedication alongside her committee and coaches to helping the club’s netballers through a difficult 2020, and for her inspiring work in general in shining the light on local sport.
She is just one of four volunteers in the entire state to be recognised for their service to sport.
It follows Marg’s recognition last year as Netball Victoria’s Volunteer of the Year award for 2020.
“I’m just little old, ordinary Marg Jones from Pakky trying to make a difference, that’s all,” she said about her nomination.
“I’m a little bit overwhelmed to be quite honest; I’m humbled when I look at all the nominees.
“It’s about the team, it’s about the amazing people we have, and it’s about community sport. We’re just trying to make a difference in people’s lives.”
Before the close of the interview, Marg reiterated that her recognition wasn’t about her, but about the thousands and thousands of volunteers all across the state that put in so much hard work and dedication to making community sport such an integral part of life.
“I’m just one of many volunteers that do what we do,” she said.
“It’s all for the love of the game, and we simply are blessed to be able to do it.
“I’m a great believer in participation, and being part of it, and results will come.”
While Marg may be one of many wonderful volunteers, she’s a marvel, and the local community is truly blessed to have her.
Volunteer of the Week was an excellent segment and will be back in 2022, the Gazette encourages any readers to let the team know of a volunteer that is flying under the radar that deserves some recognition.
