Helen, Nora and Terry White with the winner of the 2024 Kelly Family Medal Grace Ferguson (second from left) and her teammates following the A-grade netball match.
Bill Ferguson played a key role in a golden era of Avenel Football Netball Club in the Kyabram District League during the 1970s and ’80s.
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He was secretary of the club for the first four years of its association with the league, between 1976-79, after the Swans had crossed to the competition from the now defunct Waranga North East league.
The senior footballers claimed the premiership in two of those seasons and Ferguson later had a two-year stint as president (1985-86), which resulted in the club securing the third of its six senior football premierships.
Mick, Terry, Emmett (representing his uncle Paul) and Bill O’Connor were among the Avenel families well representated at the reunion.
He was a constant as the Swans played in 11 grand finals between 1977 and 1994. Avenel is second only to Nagambie and Lancaster for the amount of senior football premierships it has won.
Avenel has also won A-grade netball titles in 1986, 1989, 1994 and 2016.
On Saturday, Bill shared his attention equally between the netball courts and the action on the football oval for the Swans’ round nine matches against Merrigum.
Grace Ferguson and her grandfather Bill, who was secretary and president of the club in premiership years and is a life member of the club. He turns 92 in October.
Ferguson will turn 92 in October and was as proud as anyone when his granddaughter Grace was awarded best-on-court honours against Merrigum in the A-grade match.
In doing so, the daughter of Bill’s son, Ross, received the Family Kelly Medal, struck in honour of three Avenel netball greats — Nora, Terry and Helen Kelly.
The special award was struck in recognition of the return of premiership members of football and netball teams from 1984.
Avenel lost the netball match by one goal, but the presentation of the medal came as a highlight for the reunion celebrations.
The Ferguson family has been represented strongly for several decades in both sports. Ross was the captain of the 1984 under-18 premiership team that was coached to victory by renowned under-age mentor Kelly Andrea.
Also on the sidelines for the netball match were Grace Kenworthy and Bernie Grant, who are the daughters of John De Maron, another key off-field figure in the early stages of the club's involvement in the KDL.
The Ferguson family has operated a transport business in Avenel for seven decades, while the Kelly family has a similarly lengthy connection.
Ken Kelly was the first coach of the club’s under-18 team and also held several official roles.
He and Bill Ferguson are both life members of the club.
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