We would like to thank Allan Miller who is a Life Member of our Heritage Club; Stirling, as did us the honour of tossing the commemorative Life Member coin for our match against Hahndorf on Saturday 22 July 2023.
Allan’s early years of football were certainly different to the way young people enter the game at such young ages these days with Hill’s clubs not having colts of any age group until the late 1950’s.
His career started as a teenager at Goodwood Tech where he said a real highlight for the school was defeating the visiting Collingwood Tech – nothing like the interstate rivalry. On leaving school, he joined South Adelaide Colts playing from 1948 to 1950 and played Reserves in the last minor round game of 1950 for a place in the finals. Travelling to Glenelg for the match he had to catch the bus to the city and then on the tram to the Bay and training with the club always saw him not return home, by train, until 10.00pm. Even though Allan had been added to the Senior League Squad at South, no assistance to travel to or from was forthcoming and so he joined Stirling, where he had been born and had lived his entire life until then.
What a decision that turned out to be, where he and his teammates became members of a select group, like Heathfield Aldgate United players, who played in consecutive A Grade Premierships over extended periods. Allan played in 6 Premierships in 9 seasons, including 4 in a row from 1952 to 1955. Two more Premierships in 1957 and 1960 was an incredible club performance and he played on until 1964.
The skilled two-sided player spent a few years at Half Forward and Full Forward until teammate Ray “Skully” Williams missed a few matches after an unfortunate report requiring Allan to move to Centre Half Back where he stayed for a few seasons, until returning to the forward line for the last years of his career. Obviously a versatile player, Allan was also a regular Lovelock Shield representative over quite a few years.
His sporting career was very impressive, including 3 League matches with Norwood in 1959, a member of A Grade Premiership sides with Stirling Cricket Club and 56 years of golf, only retiring from the game when Covid hit 3 years ago.
A Life Member of Stirling Football Club and Mt Lofty Football Club, he became a member of a special 4-person committee which managed the difficult job of bringing Heathfield Aldgate United and Stirling together to form Mt Lofty District Football Club and enter the new and progressive SAFA competition in the city. During this time, he was very grateful to his wife Janet who carried out secretarial duties at a time when the administrative load was heavy for the fledgling club. During his three years on the Mt Lofty Board Allan did get to see his son David, who had played for Stirling juniors, wear the red and white but unfortunately, serious injury saw an early retirement from the Devils.
Allan was a Stirling resident for nearly 70 years until he and Janet moved to retirement accommodation in Happy Valley.
Thanks for everything Allan!
This was his sixth and final A Grade Premiership
Allan is pictured third from the right.
