This year we formed a sub-committee to give a name to our A Grade Mens Best & Fairest Award. To best honour our Club’s heritage, the sub-committee went through all the names in our record books to best honour the award and the Club.
We thank Life Member Jeff Pistola for joining us as our guest presenter and announcing the award at Senior Presentation Night.
It gives me great pleasure to today announce that the Men’s A Grade Best and Fairest Award will, from this year forward, be awarded the Coventry-Dawes Medal.
It follows the Ellen Maple Trophy which was first presented 3 years ago after the tragic passing of Ellen Maple, who was the winner of the first Women’ s A Grade Best and Fairest trophy in 2016 for the Club. It became the Ellen Maple Medal last year.
The Board made the decision to appoint a sub committee to review the history of the men’s past champions and to make a recommendation to the Board.
The naming of the medal reflects the history of the two heritage clubs, while recognising past club champions who were not only winners of the Best and Fairest Awards but have also given so much to the club in many different roles.
John Coventry was the Club’s foundation Captain and Captain of the first Premiership won by the club in the SAFA competition in 1981. John was a champion player in heritage club, Heathfield Aldgate United, playing in 9 A Grade HFL Premierships, while winning the 1972 Mail Medal, 6 A Grade Best and Fairest Awards and Captaining and Coaching the club. John has been an outstanding volunteer at Heathfield since the commencement of construction of the oval in 1966 and continues to work to this day in the provision and maintenance of equipment and facilities of this complex.
The late Harvey Dawes, a veteran and champion of the heritage club, Stirling, immediately prior to formation of Mt Lofty, was the inaugural Vice Captain of the A Grade, becoming acting Captain for the season after John was seriously injured in the club’s very first match. He was a member of the 1981 Premiership side and went on to become a very dedicated selector of the A Grade providing sound advice and analysis of all player performance.
Harvey’s son Leith, has played his entire junior and senior career at Mt Lofty, playing 289 senior games and was the A Grade Games record holder on 256 until Brad Burch passed this level in 2017. Winner of the Club Best and Fairest in 1993 (Equal with Ian Willmott) and 1997, Leith played in 3 A Grade Grand Finals, winning the 1990 Premiership in the GF replay against Bridgewater and the 2006 Premiership against Uraidla. Further Premierships were added with the B Grade in 2007 and C Grade in 2012. Along the way he coached the A Grade in 1998 and 1999 and continues to be a very hard working volunteer, committee member and coach of the Under 17 Girls side which plays Onkas this Sunday in the Preliminary Final.
Leith’s brother, Bruce, also played his entire junior and senior career at Mt Lofty and is the games record holder in senior grades for the club, having played a total of 362 games, including 228 A Grade games. He won the A Grade Best and Fairest in 1996 and was a Premiership player in the A Grade in 2006 and 2007 later adding 2 Premierships in the B Grade and one in the C Grade. He then went on to coach the A Grade between 2014 and 2016, becoming a Premiership Coach in 2014 and being recognised as the Senior Country Coach of the Year by the SANFL. Like Leith, he has been incredibly dedicated to Mt Lofty his entire life, including coaching the A Grade Women’s team and carrying out voluntary roles over many years. Recent years have seen Bruce coaching at Sturt where he is the current A Grade women’s coach. While this year has seen him go to the “dark side” and become a very proficient umpire in the HFL he continues to work hard on the maintenance of the oval (on a hiding to nothing with the heavy rains this season).
The Dawes name continues on the field through sons and daughters of Leith and Bruce and Harvey’s wife Jill, who is a Life Member, who has been an incredible volunteer through decades of work in many roles including years as Treasurer.
While the playing careers and achievements of John, Harvey, Leith and Bruce are outstanding, their passionate dedication, recognised with Life Membership for all, also fits very well with our motto “One Club – All In”. The Coventry-Dawes Medal will be just reward for future A Grade Men’s Best and Fairest representing all that is respected in our club champions.
We thank John, Harvey, Leith and Bruce for their amazing football careers while being incredibly passionate volunteers.
With season 2021 now officially all wrapped up for our senior squad, Friday 24th September saw our players, coaches, volunteers, committee, supporters and valued life members celebrate the year and their teams at the Senior Presentation night over an amazing meal catered by club sponsor Gawler St Café.
A night to celebrate the year, and give thanks to everyone involved that contributes to getting our footballers on the park each week, we had a wonderful evening which saw many faces of past and present come together to celebrate all that makes our club the place we love to call home.
We would like to thank a few people before we throw to some great photos from the event.
MC Leith Dawes: always does a superb job!
Guest presenter: Life member Trevor Gould
Guest presenter: Life member Jeff Pistola
Guest presenter: Adam Trizesinski
Guest presenter: Ollie Clements
Medal presenters: John Coventry, Jill Dawes, Brett and Jane Maple
The Mt Lofty Football Club would like to congratulate Josh ‘Treds’ Healey on his 100th senior game for the Devils this week as we front up in the last minor round match out at Balhannah against the Doggies.
Josh is the definition of a home grown Devil, have been running around in the red and white with a footy under his arm since the age of 4, and having played in every age group the club has to offer, all the way through to A grade.
From juniors he has to dominated games of football. A highlight memory for us was watching Tres kick 3 goals in his under 17 Premiership in 2014.
Treds has been a past captain of the B grade, setting a great example amongst the younger men. This year in the ressies he has been determined to get the boys deep into finals. Look for his clean skills and unbelievable goal sense this weekend!
Well done on hitting the ton Josh! Give ’em Hell this week mate.
A message for all of our past Devils and Heritage Club people.
The reunion which was to take place on Saturday 24 July and was cancelled due to the COVID Lock Down will be deferred to next season.
We will celebrate it as the “One Two” reunion recognising seasons ending in 1 and 2 and will be aiming to hold it in the second home game, which would be late April or early May 2022.
There is still plenty of excitement left in this season with the HFL men’s and boy’s still in the race for finals and the HFL Women’s A Grade having won their way into the Grand Final with the Under 17 Girls playing in the Preliminary Final this Sunday. The Chairman’s Lunch tomorrow will also be another highlight as the men take on Uraidla in a must win match.
Season 2022 is looking very exciting with the expected opening of the $1.7M upgrade of the change rooms and the continuing development of teams across the club, particularly the young A Grade Men’s team.
We recently took copies of photographs from a wonderful album of HAU and Mt Lofty which was put together by Glenda DeRoos. We sincerely thank Glenda and past champion Herman for allowing us to share some terrific photos. The photo below is quite amazing in showing some of the people from the heritage clubs who came together so successfully to form Mt Lofty. Left to right, Lyn Evans (Stirling, Heathfield Aldgate United and Mt Lofty), Frank Clements (Aldgate, Heathfield Aldgate United and Mt Lofty), Bryan Moulds (Stirling and Mt Lofty), Herman DeRoos (Aldgate, Stirling, Heathfield Aldgate United and Mt Lofty)
We trust that everybody is going well in these testing times. The Lofty Legends Group Mt Lofty District Football Club
On behalf of the Mt Lofty Football Club, we are pleased to be able to congratulate Gus Winwood on playing his 50th A Grade game against the Uraidla Demons on home soil this week!
Angus has been a life time Devil, playing footy with the club from the Age of 7. Not only this, he has played through every grade offered through the men’s program, which makes him one of our proud home grown products.
You’ll find him crashing a pack from a hard lead or working back to the goal square, giving everything he can, every game he plays! Not only this, you will find Angus behind the bar, behind the BBQ, out with the women’s program, helping with the kids… where ever you need a true blue Devil 👹
Gus is on the committee as a player representative again this year, and has always given plenty off the field. He truly ticks the boxes as a team and club man.
We hope you have a cracker in your 50th in front of a good crowd mate. GIVE ‘EM HELL!
