Two of local football’s most influential figures have been honoured by Geelong at its Annual General Meeting tonight (Wednesday).
Vernon Robinson, more commonly known as ‘Mick’, and Ian McTaggart have received the R.J. Hickey and inaugural Carter Costa awards, respectively.
Robinson has served local football for over 70 years as a player, umpire, administrator, broadcaster and historian.
A mayor of the former Bellarine council in the late 1980s, Robinson is a life member of Newcomb and the Geelong Football Umpires League.
“The lovely part about being involved with local football was during all that time, you were involved with people who had come through the ranks,” Robinson said after receiving the award.
“Back in the early days, if you won the best and fairest in the Geelong and District Football League, that was an invitation to come and play with Geelong.
“I was lucky enough to be invited in 1959.
“And then, of course, the other facet of the game is you get to meet so many marvellous people.”
For McTaggart, it continues an impressive run of recent honours.
The AFL Barwon Club of the Year award was named after the long-serving administrator in October, who also received an AFL Barwon Service Award in the same month.
McTaggart’s involvement with local football started with Ocean Grove in the 1980s, and he is a life member of the Grubbers and the Bellarine Football Netball League.
He served on the Football Geelong Commission between 2000-2012 before joining the inaugural AFL Barwon Commission in 2013, where he spent ten years.
“Other than being chuffed about being nominated and being awarded this, to be named in the same sentence as (Frank) Costa and (Colin) Carter is just amazing as far as I’m concerned.
Two people I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing at all, but their service to the club – to this club – as president and board members and onto the AFL as well, it’s pretty special.”
X: @krockfootball
