Clive Macaulay will be remembered as a sharp, quick witted and wise old soul who achieved high levels of employment in sport and was an active participant in the community.
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The 93-year-old Mulwala resident of 30 years passed away on August 5.
Rotarians, Probus and Masonic Lodge members, yesterday’s football umpires, lawn bowlers and great friends of Clive joined family for the funeral service at a packed St Andrews by the Lake Mulwala Church on Friday, August 18.
The service was conducted by Revd. Jeni Bedding and son-in-law Bruce Standfield delivered the eulogy.
Born on April 16, 1930 in Ashburton Victoria, Clive and wife Beth of 61 years met at a St Kilda Town Hall dance in March 1955 and married on May 18, 1957. They had four children and nine grandchildren.
Clive in his VFL umpring days.
“Clive embarked on a career involving sales, finance and credit and one would say learnt his professional craft as good as anyone qualifying in those fields today.” Bruce told mourners.
“Clive spent 38 years with McPhersons and Dawborn Steel in Melbourne. Both separate companies were the largest supplier of hardware and or steel during that time. He worked his way up to Credit Manager for the company.
“He spent a lot of time contributing to Westall High School…he was also on the school council and was Chairman and an unpaid member of the Education Department electing a new principal. This was long after his children had all completed High School.
“Clive loved sports and that’s when he joined the VFL umpire ranks to learn to be a field umpire. Clive spent two years graduating when normally it could take up to four years. His natural talent, fitness, decision making, and dedication shone through.
“Clive was a reserve VFL umpire many times however was never given that break. That didn’t deter him as his job took him all over Victoria, the NSW Riverina and as far away as Bordertown and Keith in southeast, South Australia.
“Clive forged many umpire friends over his umpiring career including Peter Murray, Ian Pritchard, and Ron Brophy leader of the pack and one of his best friends. Ron was straight down the line – fair dinkum - wouldn’t tolerate fools. That was Clive to a tee. Some of these umpires also retired to the Yarrawonga/Mulwala region.
“On 10th August 2010, Clive was inducted into the AFL Umpires Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his long and distinguished service to the league.
“Clive retired from umpiring, so he needed another part time job. It so happened that his long-time friend, Peter Bellis offered him the job to takeover as a part time Banking Supervisor for the Automatic Totaliser Board for greyhound racing meetings on Monday and Thursday nights at Olympic and Sandown Parks. He loved that job and he had to supervise and make sure the total betting activity (up to $100k on some nights) was accounted for each night and oversaw the staff each night.
“Clive retired from full-time employment after a heart attack and quadruple by-pass surgery in December 1989.
“He took up another part time job as an electoral officer updating the electoral roll for some really challenging areas of south-east Melbourne. Doveton and Cranbourne were the stand outs. He may have been called many things as an umpire, but these people were an entirely different crowd. He copped some abuse, accused of being a police officer, working for Centrelink, a religious caller and a debt collector. He persisted and won most over with his calm and warm nature.
“Clive was well respected and ended up taking on the electoral booth supervisor role at polling booths for many a state and federal election.
“We know about Clive’s love for the country and nature, and this culminated into moving to their retirement home in Mulwala in 1992.
“Clive was an early environmentalist planting the north and south forests on his property that set up a fantastic outlook often quoted as looking like a pitching green on a links golf course.
“Clive had a very generous nature and was willing to donate his time and expertise to many community organisations. He readily accepted voluntary treasurer and auditor roles including with this church, Probus, Gardening Club, the Masonic Lodge, volunteered his time at Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club for Easter tournaments and drove the community car to take people to medical appointments.
“Clive joined the Border Bowls club and was a player in three premiership teams.”
Bruce mentioned many friends of Clive and Beth. “Lauren and Dean at the Mulwala bakery were marvellous to Clive and Beth, sincere people who treasured their friendship and counsel over the years. A very special friendship developed between Clive and Lauren over a 21-year period. Lauren was always very generous with her time and spoilt Clive and his family with her bakery treats.”
A special tribute about Clive, who umpired some 300 VCFL games, was delivered by Robert (Moose) Muir. “In those days, he was the sole field umpire in charge of games. Since he retired from footy umpiring, the AFL Football games have been umpired by two, then three and now four field umpires,” yours truly said.
“In Clive’s time, the AFL (VFL) had one field umpire per game and either five or six field umpires per round. Today there are four field umpires per game and 36 per round.
“It means Clive would have umpired at the top level in Australia in today’s system – that’s how good he was.
“Umpires didn’t love reporting players for misconduct because travelling again was an issue. But if a report was in order, it was done. Clive told me about the game in which a player punched another right in front of him.”
‘I had no choice but to report him,’ Clive told me. ‘So, I had all this travelling to the tribunal and the player reported said he didn’t punch anyone and the bloke who copped the whack said he was not hit!’
‘When I was asked for my opinion, I said I must have been umpiring a different match!’
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