Berwick’s Jim Hower has been a big part of the club for more than three decades. Picture: Meagan Rogers.By Marc McGowan
JIM Hower and Berwick Football Club have been synonymous since 1970.
It all started when his nextdoor neighbour coaxed him into coaching the Berwick under 16s, before he went on to coach the seniors for three years.
Hower, who will turn 75 soon, has spent time in almost every role at the club, including committeeman, secretary, president and selector and, although he is not as involved as he was in his younger days, he now even fills the role of timekeeper.
There is one role he has managed to avoid.
“I wasn’t the treasurer; I didn’t like handling the money,” Hower laughed.
After winning several junior premierships in Morwell, he earned the opportunity to play for Collingwood and made his VFL debut in 1954. His 14game, 12goal VFL career unfortunately came to a premature end due to a recurring knee injury.
“Back in those days they patched you up and sent you back out to play, but I kept breaking down,” he said.
He doesn’t regret it for a second, though.
“That’s history, isn’t it? I’m lucky to have even made it; thousands try to but aren’t fortunate enough,” Hower said.
His playing career didn’t end there and he moved to Dandenong in their VFA days.
“I just never had the confidence in my knee again to twist and turn like I used to. I used to play forward of the centre or in the centre but I ended up just getting my kicks off the halfback line,” he said.
He had a decadelong stint on and off the field with Dandenong and is a life member at the club.
He is still proud of his role in helping Berwick enter the VFA in 1983, when he was the president at the club, despite the club spending only five years in the competition.
“We were a pretty powerful club in those days, on and offfield. We couldn’t pay the big money like other sides though,” Hower said.
A big part of his push to join the competition was his support of the younger players at the club.
“You have to give them the opportunity to play at a higher level. I guess it is the same as today, where if you fail to make the AFL you can get into one of the VFL clubs,” he said.
Watching younger players develop is part of the reason he is still so passionate about football.
“The kids are so much further advanced than they were 20 years ago; some of them have amazing skills,” Hower said.
“I have some grandkids who play at Berwick and Garfield and seeing them working up the grades is good.”
It is the mateship that keeps him tied to the local scene.
“I’ve met some tremendous people; you don’t meet too many bad blokes in footy. When you hit a football ground everyone is the same,” he said.
“There is just a camaraderie and closeness about it. I just love it.”
The Berwick Football Club owes a lot to Hower’s nextdoor neighbour Frank Elliott for introducing Jim to the club.
