Locals on a mission to preserve the history of now extinct footy club

Most people may not have previously heard about the club that was located in the small village 26 kilometres west of Henty.

Despite having a population of less than 150 people, the village boasts a Community Hotel which was built in 1917 and remains a focal point of the community.

It was at the former pub recently where the original idea was hatched to uncover and preserve the history of the Pleasant Hills Football Club which played its final match in 1955.

It was the brainchild of locals Rick Clancy and Fiona Beckett who have since engaged the help of Robbie Mackinlay.

Mackinlay has previously done dozens of sporting podcasts which can be found on Glory Days, Your Sport & Media which delve deep into the history of local football clubs and some of their personalities.

Clancy revealed there are still three players remaining from the most recent Pleasant Hills side in brothers Brian and Tom Bourke who reside in Urana and Greg Anderson.

"I catch up with Brian and Tom at least once every year when they go to the Henty Field Days and they stop in at the Pleasant Hills Community Hotel on the way home for a beer," Clancy said.

"Brian Bourke was the last manager of Wallandool Station before they carved it up after World War II.

"Brian and Tom played their footy at Pleasant Hills and Brian is 92, Tom 87 while Greg is 92 as well and we are lucky to have three of them left.

"I was telling Greg on the phone the other night what we are trying to do about preserving the history of the club and he was so pumped about it I thought he was going to run through the wall.

"He was so happy.

"Robbie (Mackinlay) is going to interview all three players which is going to be huge in regards to their recollections of the club being the only surviving members of the 1952 side.

"So the upcoming podcast is going to be an integral part of preserving the history of the club.

"Robbie has already done a lot of research for us.

"We have already got some memorabilia from the club including Greg Anderson's 1952 best and fairest award which was a silver 10-cigarette steel holder case.

"We have also got one of the jumpers framed which changed several times during the club's history but this one has red and white stripes.

"Now we are just asking anyone who may be reading this story who may have any memorabilia from the club to get in contact with us.

"In particular we are trying to get in contact with any family members of Roy Dagger and Les Klemke with Roy being the last captain of the club.

"The club won the flag in 1920 and we would love to get our hands on the team photo if anyone out there has got it."

Beckett is a local history buff who also writes a monthly article for the Pleasant Hills newsletter.

She also helps run the Pleasant Hills Community Hotel.

"Over the past few years old footballers have been coming back to the pub and have been reminiscing about the glory days," Beckett said.

"Rick is usually chatting with them and because he knows that I'm interested in history, Rick calls me over and says 'Fiona, you need to talk to these blokes.'

"So being a bit of a history buff, I get right into it and interview them and once you get them talking about themselves and the old days they are happy to keep going.

"You hear some fascinating stories, like winning the cigarette case for the best and fairest award.

"That would be unheard of these days.

"We have got quite a few photos already but a lot of them the players are wearing different jumpers because they had to switch leagues quite often and were required to wear a different strip.

"So we are just interested in getting our hands on any memorabilia that people out there may have lying around the house or shed.

"Because if we don't get it now, it will probably be lost forever."

Mackinlay has been researching the club's history for the past couple of months and said the project provided a unique challenge in that the club folded almost seven decades ago.

"The club formed in 1905 and the final year was 1955," Mackinlay said.

"So it's a unique challenge in trying to dig up the history of a club that is never going to get going again but does boast a rich history.

"I think it's really important for the community, like when they revived the pub out there.

"There has been a fair bit of excitement in the community when word spread about what we are trying to do.

"I've found from previous experiences that it reinvigorates and re-engages people in the community which is satisfying and every community is proud of its history."

Mackinlay revealed he has already uncovered some fascinating snippets.

"I'm yet to interview the three remaining players in the Bourke boys and Greg Anderson but it is in the pipeline," he said.

"Some of the best stories I've heard so far have been trucks getting bogged on the way to matches.

"There was another snippet when they played at Osborne I found an old paper clipping that read 'A noticeable feature was the lack of drinking facilities with players having to quench their thirst at a nearby dam.'

"That was in 1933 and some of the things that I have been able to dig up so far and it's a bit like striking gold.

"The Pleasant Hills ground was also famous for its slope and if you won the toss, you didn't kick with the breeze, you kicked with the slope which apparently was significant.

"I think I will end up having 80 percent of the scores of every match the club played and get a bit of a win-loss ratio.

"They played a lot against Osborne and it's no surprise Osborne was strong back in that era as well.

"The club started a decade before World War I and finished a decade after World War II as well as going through the depression and the "Spanish" flu.

"They were called the Hillites after Pleasant Hills and the Redlegs.

"It only won one premiership throughout its history in 1920 and the details are sketchy.

"For whatever reason Osborne didn't play that season, so a few of their players joined Pleasant Hills including Dick Smith who was a legend."

Anyone with any stories or memorabilia can contact Clancy on 0429 207 754, Beckett on 0409 849 140 or Mackinlay on 0425 297 710.