BACK during a time some would call the "good old days" and Sir Robert Menzies was leading the country, in the south of the Wimmera, Methodist Football Club was leading the way in the Ararat and District Football Association.
On the anniversary of back-to-back premierships, former player Mervyn Fox recalls some of the special moments from the era, and of his long football career.
After going in favourites Methodist Football Club defeated the Caledonians.
An association life member, Mr Fox said the 1959 premiership was special and continued on from the success the club had the season before.
"We won the 1958 premiership as well," he said. "That was a good year and it was a centenary premiership - we just scraped into the four that year by point four per cent.
"In 1959 we went through the season with a good team and ended up on top of the ladder one game clear."
During the 1959 season, the association president P. Shaw noted in his grand final report all games were played in the true spirit of Australian Rules.
"The most noticeable of this is that no player has had to face the tribunal," his message read.
Mr Fox said Methodist were defeated in the second semi-final but came back against St Mary's in the preliminary final to earn a spot in the grand final.
"We had some players out in the semi-final which we lost," he said. "We had two good players from Buangor which disbanded the year before. We were led by Allan Willet and were out for revenge of the semi-final defeat."
Mr Fox said despite losing touch with many of the players over the years, now, he wasn't sure how many former players still lived in the area.
"I would love to get together with any of the players if they are still around," he said.
Mr Fox played over 400 games of football during his career, with plenty of highlights along the way.
"I started playing football at Methodist many years ago," he said.
"I got to play with my three sons Shane, Craig and Jason Fox in the one team for the Miners. Methodist became Miners in about 1971 or 1972. They had a minister there which objected to the boys drinking and running a raffle."
Mr Fox was playing at Moyston at that time - trying to help the club because they were struggling to get a team.
"I was still on the Methodist committee and I was one of the ones who suggested we needed to keep the MFC on the jumper and the colours," he said.
Looking back over his career, Mr Fox said he remembers when football was a lot rougher than games today.
"You bumped, hip and shouldered and went in hard every time," he said.
"I never forget when we played, if you were on a half-back flank and the ball went down your way and you weren't there - you were in strife. I was playing centre-half forward one day. I never delivered the ball to the forward how the coach wanted it be three times in a row, I was sent off the ground to go and have a shower."
Mr Fox was 53 when he retired from the game and was influenced by his eldest son to take up golf.
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox each Friday morning from The Ararat Advertiser. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from Ararat and districts, sign up here.
