Arthur Andrews
Arthur Donald Andrews was born 26 October 1931 in Adelaide. Known as Donald he was a handy footballer who played for Norwood Junior Colts (1947-48) and Senior Colts 1949 and South Adelaide both in the South Australian National Football League.
He began umpiring in the SANFL in 1956 and moved to Victoria having joined the Australian Army. He was immediately placed on the VFL senior list and umpired across Victoria and NSW until May 1962 when he was transferred to Canberra. His time in the VFL yielded 2 Reserve Grade, 4 metropolitan and 77 VCFL matches. His final full season included three grand finals: Coreen, Kerang and District and North Central Reserve Grade.
Following the move to the ACT Don became involved in the local umpiring scene and carved out an exceptionally successful career. He umpired 106 Canberra Australian National Football League (CANFL) matches including senior grand finals (1963,1969-71)and ACT Representative matches in 1962-63, 1969 and 1971.
This service broken up in 1967-1968. Firstly, with Geelong Football Umpires in 1967, which included the Colac and District and Western Plains Reserves grand finals (2 GF) and secondly with a stint in Viet Nam. Posted to Royal Australian Army Service Corps and served in Vietnam with Headquarters, Australian Forces Viet Nam 2 April 1968 to 19 November 1968.
In addition to his on-field career Don was also CANFL umpires’ Adviser 1963,1970-71, secretary 1972-74 and, later, when it was renamed, ACTAFL investigations officer and general manager. His work earned him the ACTAFL Merit Award in 1985 life Membership. In club land he also found time to fill the role of secretary of the Ainslie FC in 1976-78.
Don Andrews passed away 15 August 2025.
John Curtain
John Curtain’s involvement with the VFL as an umpire covered the years 1958-1962.
He had begun umpiring at his school, Xavier College in 1957 and joined the VFL Second Eighteens in 1958. Promoted to the VFL senior list he umpired 12 VCFL and 1 Metropolitan match in his single season, 1963.
A move to Sydney saw further matches with the Sydney competition in 1968-69.
Born Cornelius John Curtain on 16 April 1941, John’s major football contribution came in team and club administration with five VFL/AFL clubs. In roles as diverse as team manager of North Melbourne’s first two premierships and acting-CEO of Sydney two decades later his involvement heralded success.
A detailed obituary of his achievements with these clubs and in many other areas of sporting endeavour can be found in the obituary on the Sydney website
John Curtain passed away 11 November 2024.
Graeme Duggan
Born in Warrnambool on 8 June 1940, Graeme John Duggan grew up in Abbotsford and Footscray. He began umpiring in 1961 with the VFL Reserve Grade and earned promotion to the senior list in 1963.
His five-season, 85-match career featured four VFL Reserve Grade matches and a single VCFL senior final -the 1964 Horsham and District Second Semi-final.
After leaving the VFL he moved to the Victorian Football Association in 1968 as field umpire and transferring to the goals in 1970. While records are incomplete, he umpired at least 114 VFA senior matches including the 1973 and 1976 Division 2 and the 1977 Division 1 Grand Finals
While at the VFA he served on the VFA Umpires’ Association Executive Committee in 1977.
Graeme Duggan passed away 17 October 2024, aged 84.
Graeme McNicol
Graeme began umpiring as a boundary umpire with the VFL Reserve Grade in 1975. He remained with them until the end of the 1982 season.
While few records remain of the matches umpired in the Reserve Grade he was most likely have been umpiring well in 1981 as he was one of the Reserve Grade umpires appointed to fill in when the VFL umpires resigned in Round 19. Graeme umpired St.Kilda v. Richmond at Moorabbin.
The following year he was also a fill-in umpire for a single VFL match, Footscray v. Geelong at the Western Oval. This appointment earned him his Heritage Number, 365.
Since joining in 1975 Graeme was involved in the VFL Reserve Grade Umpires Association serving as secretary in 1980 and 1981and assistant secretary in 1982. He was the final secretary when elected at the 1983 annual meeting but only served a short time as the association was wound up almost immediately, the result of the merger of the Reserve Grade and senior list of umpires. He was voted a life member of the VFLRGUA just prior to its winding up.
All those Reserve Grade umpires, who wished to, came to the merged list for 1983, including Graeme who umpired three more VFL matches. He was on the list for that year and so also a member of the VFL Umpires’ Association. He left the list at the end of the 1983 season with a total of five VFL senior matches to his credit.
Born on 15 July 1952 in Albury he grew up in Camperdown and Maryborough where he played football for Primrose in the Maryborough District Football League, winning a club best and fairest.
Graeme passed away 25 March 2025 aged 72.
Ian McGeachin
One of a pair of twins, both VFLUA members, Ian McGeachin passed away on 18 June 2024.
Born on 1 March 1928 he grew up in Bentleigh and played football with Bentleigh Methodists, winning two premierships in five years and Caulfield Church of Christ Football Club both in East Suburban Churches FL.
Beginning umpiring in 1951 with Caulfield and Oakleigh District Football League he joined the VFL Reserve Grade the following year.
Promotion came quickly as he joined the senior list in 1953. Over the next five seasons he umpired 76 VCFL and 3 Metropolitan matches.
After leaving the VFL list at the completion of the 1957 season Ian moved to the Amateurs, remaining a field umpire, for 1958-1959 and finally to the VFA as a goal umpire for 1960-1961.
Vale Ian
Warren Newland
Warren John Newland contributed to football in a number or roles over many years.
Born in Sydney and brought up in East Malvern he played football at Melbourne High School but did not make the school team doing better at cricket, tennis and athletics.
Taking up umpiring in 1949 with the VFL Second Eighteens he was with them until the 1954 promotion to the senior list.
Unusually, his first three appointments on the list were VFL Second Eighteen matches before his first trip to the country. Ultimately, he would umpire 35 such matches, at least one in each of his eight VFL seasons. Other matches included five in Tasmania and two in the Metropolitan League to go with his 135 VCFL appointments. There was one senior VCFL grand final, the 1959 Cohuna v. Union match for the Northern District league flag.
After retiring from the VFL Warren umpired with Footscray District Football League and was umpires advisor for the Sunshine Junior Football League.
Away from umpiring he coached Maidstone Primary School to three successive premierships and was involved with Footscray Football Club as public relations officer, U19s team manager and committee member.
Born on 25 October 1933 Warren passed away on 15 November 2024, aged 91.
Vale Warren
Charles Soderblom
Charles Edward Soderblom was born on 26 January 1930 in Yarrawonga and from three years of age grew up in Richmond. It was a move that had a huge effect on hi later life.
Known as Ted, he umpired on the VFL senior list from 1961-1963. In that time he umpired 37 VCFL and 3 Metropolitan matches.
From 1966 Ted was heavily involved with the Richmond Football Club undertaking roles from Little League coach, Under 19s team manager, recruiter and club property steward. In honour of his service he was awarded life membership and the property room was named in his honour.
Ted passed away 17 June 2025, aged 95.
Rick Lloyd
Rick Lloyd had two brief stints with the VFL/AFL bracketing a longer career with the VFA.
Born on 30 October 1953 [Need to check VFLRG list of members for start and then after 1977-1982] Joining the VFL Reserve Grade in xxxxx he tasted life on the senior list with two fill-in appointments in 1976. Promoted to the VFL senior list in 1977 it was his only full season as a field umpire.
Returning to the Reserve Grade in xxxxx he was called up again in 1982 for a single match before moving to the VFA at the merger of the Reserve Grade and senior lists. His final tally with the VFL seniors was 18 VCFL matches
At the VFA he umpired 15 senior matches as a field umpire in 1985 and 1986. Transferring to goal umpiring following the merger of the VFA umpires with the VFL in 1989 records are scant other than the 4 VFA Reserves and 11 VFA U18s matches in his final year of 1991.
Unwell over his last few months, he was in hospital in a coma for the last few days before his passing on 21 May 2025, aged 71.
Former colleague, Brian Anderson noted “Rick was one of “full of life” type of people in this world. Always had a stack of energy and put everything into his training.”
Vale Rick
Shane Herbert
The AFLUA was saddened to learn of the passing of former member Shane Herbert.
Shane was one of the many Victorian Football Association members who came into the then VFLUA at the time of the merger of the two umpiring bodies in 1989.
Born in Richmond on 7 February 1954 Shane grew up in Geelong where he joined the Geelong Football Umpires’ League as a boundary umpire in 1969 beginning a long association with umpiring.
Over his time, he umpired with Geelong (1969-70, boundary, 1978, goal), VFA 1976-1988 (boundary and goal), VFL/AFL 1989-1990 (goal), Diamond Valley FL 1992-1997 (goal) and VAFA 1998 & 2006-2007 (goal).
While records are scarce Shane did umpire senior VFA football on the boundary in the mid -1980s and 15 matches across the VFA seconds and thirds in 1990.
Not content to just umpire, Shane gave back in several roles, including: VAFA goal umpires’ observer 1998-99, goal umpires’ coach 2000-2007 and Northern Football League goal umpires’ coach.
At Northern from 2008-2012, he was the first coach in the DVFL/NFNL history to introduce regular training for the discipline and was instrumental in introducing the culture that continues today. In recent years, he regularly observed games for coaches Craig Herman and Richard Thwaites. Shane was a senior umpire in the early 1990s umpiring 67 senior games and the 1993 Under 19 Division 2 Grand Final.
Outside football Shane was a long-serving cricket scorer with the Northcote Cricket Club (500 First XI matches) which earned him life membership.
Shane Anthony Herbert passed away 28 February 2025, aged 71.
An umpires’ man through and through he will be greatly missed by those who knew him.
Vale Sherb.
Dennis Blake
A Geelong man all his life, Dennis Blake contributed to his community as umpire, umpire coach and municipal councillor.
Dennis John Blake was born in Geelong on 23 October 1957 and always lived in its environs.
He began umpiring with the Geelong Football Umpires League from 1974-77 before moving onto the VFA for 1978-1980.
In 1981 he was appointed to the VFL senior list one of the early recruits from changes to umpiring that had the VFL starting to look beyond the Reserve Grade.
His VFL tenure lasted two seasons and garnered 30 VCFL matches.
A return to the VFA from 1983-1988 saw his senior debut in 1983 and at least 37 senior matches until the end of 1985.
With the demise of the VFA umpires, the result of a merger with the VFL, Dennis moved on to Colac Umpires where he both umpired and was assistant advisor.
Elected a councillor for City Of Greater Geelong in 1995 he served until 1998 but for much of the rest of his life contributed to issues to make Geelong better.
Dennis passed away on 6 May 2025.
Garry Baumgarten
The AFLUA was saddened to learn of the sudden passing of former member Garry Baumgarten.
A recent regular attendee at X-umpires’ lunches, Garry gave much to umpiring both on the field and as a coach and observer of goal umpires over an extended period.
Garry joined the VFLUA in 1983 and goal umpired in all levels of the competition as part of the newly organised senior list which had come into being that year with the merger of the senior and VFL Reserve Grade groups. He had joined the VFL Reserve Grade list the previous season.
He debuted in the VFL at Kardinia Park in Round 15 1983, earning Heritage No. 193 when St. Kilda thrashed Geelong. In a period where rotation between the seniors, reserves and U19s for goal umpires was the norm, Gary umpired 21 VFL matches between 1983 and 1988. His final VFL match was also at the Cattery but this time with a Geelong victory over Fitzroy.
While records for the late 1980s in the reserves and thirds are incomplete Garry umpired at least 45 VFL Reserve Grade, 37 Under 19, 3 Night Series and 1 VCFL match (1983 Ovens and Murray First Semi-final).
He graced the Melbourne Cricket Ground on grand final day in 1983 when appointed to the Under 19 grand final.
Following his time at the VFL Garry goal umpired with the Victorian Amateur Football Association, umpiring three consecutive Premier Grand Finals; 1991,1992 and 1993.
More importantly he influenced a generation of goal umpires through his coaching work at both Eastern Football and Netball League and the VAFA.
As noted by the EFL Umpires’ Association “Garry dedicated a decade (2008-2017) to mentoring and developing our goal umpires, leaving a lasting impact on the EFNL umpiring community. His passion, knowledge, and commitment helped shape many umpires, and his presence will be deeply missed”.
Garry was a match day coach at the VAFA from 2019 – 2022, observing goal umpires and earlier had returned to the now AFL as a goal umpire observer for several years.
With Garry present at the AFLUA X-umpires’ lunch on Thursday 6 March 2025 it was a shock to hear of his sudden passing in the early hours of the following Monday morning, 10 March 2025.
Umpiring mourns the loss of a respected umpire, mentor and friend.
Vale Garry.
Acknowledgements VAFAUA and EFLUA