Back in the 1970’s if you felt you were not being given a fair go on the VFL Senior list, the option for many umpires was to resign and head off to the Victorian Football Association where your VFL experience would come in handy. From the 1950’s to 1980 this just happened to be the case with 20 umpires who felt their prospects of receiving a senior game were limited. My next ‘Where are they Now’ in Roy Anthony Groom, who after 6 years on the Senior list and 13 Reserve grade games under his belt, resigned and applied to the VFA in 1977, where he was accepted and immediately officiated at their top level. In his first year on the VFA list Roy was appointed to the 1978 Division 2 Grand Final. 1980 saw Roy appointed to the Division one Grand Final partnered with Frank Vergona then the following year 1981 Roy was once again appointed to the Div. One Grand Final where Port Melbourne thrashed Preston by 113 points. Barry Fitzpatrick partnered Roy in this one-sided affair.
Now this all stems back to his VFL Senior List experience which helped Roy achieve the pinnacle in the VFA. Born on 5th August 1947 at the Epworth Hospital East Melbourne to Bill & Val Groom the family, which included two other brothers, lived in Hotham St Collingwood until 1964 where Roy attended St Johns Clifton Hill in 1954. He graduated to St Thomas Clifton Hill for 2 years but then the family moved to Rosanna. Roy then transferred to Collingwood Tech for 3 years whilst doing his plumbing apprenticeship. In 1965 Roy started working for G.M. Worboys as an apprentice plumber until 1970 then worked for the Mercy Hospital as their plumber for 8 years. In 1984 Roy started his own plumbing business in Bundoora before moving to Gympie in 1986.
It was in 1968, whilst playing Football with the YCW when Roy took on umpiring for the first time under the coaching of Wingie Jackson, who umpired with one bad arm. Roy caught the umpiring bug and applied to the Northern Football League as a field umpire, but the following year moved on to the V.F.L. Reserve grade. In 1971 Roy officiated at the then Diamond Valley F.L. Reserves Grand Final then the following week was emergency to Ian Britnell in a VFL Under 19 Preliminary Final where Essendon 19.9 d. Richmond 8.22.
Groom being interviewed before a VFA game.
1972 saw Roy promoted onto the VFL Senior list training at Princes Park where his first appointment was in the Benalla Tungamah F.L. at Katandra. Five years running around the bush with several observations on the 19th June 1976 Roy was finally appointed to a VFL Reserve Grade game at the Junction Oval where Richmond 17.16 d. Fitzroy 12.13. The following year Roy received 8 Reserve grade games but failed to impress the coaches to advance further in his career. At the end of 1977 Roy resigned and transferred over to the Victorian Football Association. Roy’s tally of games were as follows;- VFL Reserve 13; V.C.F.L. 116; V.C.F.L. Finals 9 in Kowree Naracourte, Waranga Nth East, Ballarat x 2, Mid Murray x 2, Alberton and Nth Central and East Gippsland, also 1 Inter-League game Upper Murray v Ovens & King. One V.C.F.L. Grand Final that was in the Coreen & District F.L. Coleambally 10.16 d. Daysdale 10.13 which just happened to be Roy’s last game on the Senior list. Umpiring took hold in the Groom family, as Roy’s younger brother Dennis umpired in the Northern District League formerly the Diamond Valley F.L .for over 30 years totalling almost 500 games. Dennis has also played many hundreds of games with the Rosanna Cricket Club, where Roy also played.
After a six year stint with the VFL transferred over to the Victorian Football Association where in his first year umpired a Division 2 Grand Final, Frankston 15.13 d. Camberwell 13.11. Another two Grand Finals in Division One 1980 Port Melb. 11.15 d Coburg 10.10 and in 1981 Division One Port Melb. 32.19 d Preston 15.8. with many finals, Lightening Premiership Grand Finals, emergency to the Division one Grand Finals and 180 VFA games, at the end of 1985 Roy decided to retire and took on the role of Umpire’s adviser with the Diamond Valley Football League as their Field, Boundary and Goal Umpire adviser for 2 years but at the end of the 1986 season Roy moved to Gympie in Queensland where he felt his plumbing business prospects would be much greater than in Melbourne.
Umpiring still in his blood he joined the Sunshine Coast League Umpires in 1987 for 9 years, 5 of those years he was Advising in the Senior ranks as well as Umpiring the Juniors on Sunday.
In 1990 Roy met a lovely lady Cheryl in Gympie, married, and today they have two children and 12 Grand Children.
Roy joined the Gympie football club in 1996 when the club was elevated into the Bundaberg Wide Bay League where he helped the club by umpiring and advising for two years. He also stopped umpiring for a while playing football with the Gympie club in Division three in the Brisbane Football League. After many years on the Gympie Football Committee Roy was elected as the clubs’ President, a position he held for 8 years, winning the Premiership three times during that time. Spending many hours lifting the standard of the Sunshine Coast Australian football league, in 2007 Roy finally retired from Umpiring and football all together as the time spent as President took up many hours. In 2010 at a lavish function attended by many dignitaries and 129 supporters, Roy was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his services to the Sunshine Coast Australian Football league.
Around the same time Race 1 at the Gympie Turf Club was renamed the Roy Groom Plumbing Handicap.
In 2021 after 58 years plumbing Roy retired and today his son Taylor has taken over the plumbing business and Chris has his own roofing business. This allows Roy and his wife time to travel and just recently spent three weeks cruising around on an ocean liner in Australian Waters. He has travelled to New Zealand twice, six times to Tasmania, Thailand, Bali and visited the Melbourne Cup on occasions.
I asked Roy what he does for exercise these days, his reply was walking; not getting into a gallop.
Great to chat Roy, be nice to see you at our Umpiring lunches at Caulfield if in Melbourne where many of your VFA running colleagues attend and reminisce. Stay healthy.
Graeme ‘Wizzer’ Fellows