Adrian Pieters umpired his 400th game of football on Friday in the Wimmera Football League's Good Friday clash.
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Pieters, 64, said it was special to reach the milestone on such a high-profile occasion.
"It was great, especially to do Ararat and Stawell, because I'm involved in both towns and I know a lot of people from both communities," Pieters said.
"Being the Good Friday game, it was a big day for both towns."
Pieters said he only picked up umpiring two-decades ago after a regrettable exchange with a volunteer umpire in the Ararat and District league.
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"My son was playing under-13s, and I said something to one of the umpires," Pieters said.
"He came over and he goes, 'If you think you can do better, here's the whistle.' I felt embarrassed about it all so the next week I went out and did it."
It fortuitously began a long love affair he has since had with the craft of umpiring, and Pieters continues to enjoy being involved on a Saturday.
"Being an ex-player, it is good to still be involved in the game and still around football," he said.
"Travelling around and meeting new people is a big part of it too - I have umpired from Melton to Nhill. You see a lot of different places and experience a lot of different communities."
One particular highlight for Pieters is the 20 or more grand finals he has umpired across the years.
"One unique thing about umpiring is you don't win a game all year, but you still make the finals," Pieters said.
"You always get to make finals no matter what."
Pieters also encouraged more people to give umpiring a go.
"I'm always looking for more people to help, especially in the under-13s in Ararat - it's where I got my first taste of it and it's a really good place to start," he said.