After 31 years and 1000 games of blowing the whistle, a western Victoria umpire is showing no signs of slowing down.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
On a milestone day, Geoff Barker umpired his 1000th career game as Tatyoon and Woorndoo Mortlake squared off in Mininera and District Football League round 15 action on Saturday, August 14.
Greeted by a round of applause and a guard of honour, Barker ran out onto the Tatyoon field in his milestone match.
"You have a lot of good days and a lot of bad days umpiring, but its like life, it has its ups and downs," he said.
"It was very humbling to be honest."
Barker, who is now the Western District Umpires Association (Hamilton) president, got his start in umpiring by accident 31 years ago.
"I was 36 and I should've been retiring then, not starting," he said.
READ MORE:
"I was at Derrinallum where I was the bank manager in town and naturally became the football club treasurer.
"One day they didn't have a second umpire and somebody said you'll have to do it.
"Well I had never umpired a game in my life, and they said here are the shorts, we don't have a game if you don't umpire."
Despite his unusual start, Barker has grown to love the role and has enjoyed many memorable moments, including conducting nine senior MDFL grand finals.
"I enjoy the friends and the comradery you make out of it," he said.
"People get emotional and the crowds can criticise you, but you have to understand that you are trying your own guts out and it is not an easy game.
"You always enjoy the grand finals.
OTHER NEWS:
"You just love the day and the occasion and the crowd, that is always something special. You never forget them.
"There's a few things you never forget. When I was down at Mortlake I umpired a young Jonathan Brown when he was 16 playing for South Warrnambool.
"I also remember umpiring Eddie Betts in an exhibition game up in Hamilton here, he is the nicest bloke."
During his 31 year career, Barker has umpired 752 matches with the Western District Umpires Association and 248 with the Colac Umpires Association.
And while he questions how much more his body can handle he said the passion was still there.
"I often ask my body that and sometimes is says not much longer," he said.
"I am 67 so it gets a bit harder. Once you get older it is very hard for you because you body doesn't allow you to train as hard."
Umpiring can often be a thankless task, but Barker encouraged anybody to consider joining the ranks.
"I'd say have a go at it. If it is not your cup of tea then so be it, but it is a bit like life," he said.
"It helps your social skills and the thing out of it all, is that it is wonderful to make so many friends at the end of the day.
"I can still have a beer with the players and the supporters and officials after the game it is still something I enjoy."
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Ararat Advertiser, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ararat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.
